We were lucky enough to be invited to the Eureka! The National Children's Museum in Halifax for the Little Live Pets takeover. I was really excited to take the two little ones on a day out to a place that has the ethos of encouraging kids to play to learn. Plus we were delighted about discovering the must-have toy for summer, the Little Live Pets from Character.
The museum was so hands on, perfect for children who want to explore, play and touch everything! There are six galleries where kids are encouraged to interact with the exciting exhibits. These were our three favourite areas:
All About Me is an amazing area dedicated to the workings of the human body. From exploring the senses to pretending to be a doctor to finding out about bones, brains and the digestive system, the newly opened area was a huge hit with Freddy and Kizzy. Freddy loved filling in his All About Me Passport, taking part in activities to test his reflexes, monitor his heart rate and measure his body. The Health Centre allows children to role play as doctors, midwives and dentists. Freddy loved giving the pregnant woman model a scan and seeing her baby on the screen. He also enjoyed testing his brain and body on the climbing wall. At 11, Kizzy was interested to learn facts about the human body, look at X-Rays and microscope slides and take part in some experiments. It is such a great area with so much to see, do and learn.
Living and Working Together is a fabulous reconstruction of a little town complete with garage, post office, shop, bank and petrol station. Kids are able to role play all the jobs from being a postman to a cashier to a car mechanic. It was great fun! Kizzy and Freddy enjoyed the bank vaults where they were able to crack codes to enter the bank's safety deposit boxes and discover the content of customers from Doctor Who to Harry Potter to our Queen. The garage was pretty cool too. They changed tyres, used petrol pumps and learned about the parts of an engine (with dad's expert tuition!!) There is also a house where you can learn about what happens when you flush a loo, play with water, have fun in the kitchen and explore your dreams.
Our Global Garden takes children on a voyage of discovery of the outdoors, looking at environments as diverse as the Arctic, the jungle, the town, the countryside and the sea bed. There are so many things to explore. Kids get to surf and light up a city; play instruments in a jungle hut and see through the eyes of a rat. Whilst in the Global Garden, we also took part in the Little Live Pets Bird Watching Trail, finding hidden birds and solving the clues to find a word.
Outside the main Eureka! museum building is a huge sandpit, grassy areas and some outdoor activities and there are lots of events taking place throughout the year. A cafe and gift shop are on site and the toilet facilities are good. The area is lovely, with views of the countryside, as the 13 acre site is nestled between Beacon Hill and the town centre.
We were treated to a yummy buffet lunch and Freddy got his face painted, which made him very happy! The children also made glass painted butterfly sun catchers and coloured in Little Live Pet colouring sheets.
The Little Live Pets area let children get up close and personal with the latest interactive toys. With gorgeous birds and butterflies to play with, little ones can enjoy the feeling of holding a fluttering butterfly on their hand or chatting to a tweeting, talking bird.
The butterflies are very beautiful and the movement is very realistic, but Freddy fell in love with the birds. Petting them makes then sing, chirp and tweet with a moving beak that makes them seem alive! Pressing a button allows you to record a message which is converted to chirrupy bird language and tweeted back to you. Freddy loved the mimicry feature, which enhanced the play value of these cute little toys.
The Little Live Pets Birds (RRP £9.99) and Butterflies (RRP £12.99) come in a host of colours and designs making them appealing to every taste. You can also buy a Birdcage complete with a bird for £19.99 and a Butterfly House with a butterfly for £22.99. Perfect for displaying your collection.
Find out more at: www.character-online.com/products/Little-Live-Pets
Entrance to Eureka! is £11.95 for ages 3 to adult, but your day ticket can be converted to an annual season pass for free allowing you to visit as often as you like over the year. There is so much to do and so much fun to be had, having access for free for a year would be fabulous for families. It's an amazing deal.
Find out more at: www.eureka.org.uk
