A-Z of Virtual Museum Activities

We might be stuck at home, much like the rest of the world but we can still explore the world around us. Especially, within museums, hubs containing our history, past and present. Doors may technically be closed but, we can now virtually step inside our favourite museums who have gone above and beyond to keep their doors open and invite us in, in an effort to keep us entertained and stimulated at home though exciting and new ways. This includes access to some excellent online resources, webcams, virtual tours, activities and more!

Here are our A-Z favourites:

• Barnsley Museums have launched a virtual jigsaw puzzle challenge. Piece together beautiful, art, history and landscapes all connected to the brilliant borough. They have also included some more simple puzzles for the Littleton’s covering owls, cartoons, animals and more!
• Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery offer a lovely virtual tour. Explore the vast history and art inside this museum.
• The British Motor Museum has been working hard behind the scenes to create a range of Easter activities for families to do in the safety of their own homes. Families can take part in a quiz, a word search, a colouring competition, craft activities and, of course, a touch of egg-citing science from their ever-popular scientists – Dr. Pumpkin & Professor Pickle! The activities will be available online from Good Friday, 10 April until Sunday 26 April. There is no charge to take part but donations would be welcomed.
• The British Museum has something to offer for everyone with online content, virtual tours and the ‘collection’ section of their website where you can immerse yourself in two millions years of history! Their galleries can also be explored via Google Street view!
  For children, in particular, they offer an excellent range of downloadable resources for all ages and levels. A fantastic resource for cultural learning covering a wide range of topics; from Ancient Britain to Ancient Greece!
• London Transport Museum has lots of activity for those interested in STEM learning. Curious kids can test their skills, along with the parents to solve transport conundrums faced by modern-day engineers. Families can also enjoy a series of fun interactive exhibits! Why not also take their ‘Could you be a Future Engineer quiz’.
• National Gallery has released all the gallery’s collection online with everything you need to know about the masterpieces. You can also step inside the gallery, on their virtual tour.
• Natural History Museum answers all our big nature questions. The family can uncover the history of life on earth, from the smallest insects to the largest animals though their explore page. There is also a FREE Naturenauts web app where you can explore nature and the Dino Directory, the family-friendly encyclopaedia of dinosaurs. Lastly, don’t forget to check out the fascinating ‘The Life Of The Blue Whales’ interactive experience.
• National Museums, Liverpool have been busy! You can choose from stepping into the museum on a virtual tour, immersing yourself in a story or taking part in an activity. Kids between the ages of four and eleven can get involved with their ‘My home is my museum’ project too, whereby they create their own exhibition or gallery of art inspired by them! A chance for kids to get to get creative and share their stories.
• Portsmouth Historic Dockyard has launched a brand-new high definition webcam! Spy on Royal Navy ships and discover Portsmouth from above. You can even catch the restoration work taking place on HMS Warrior.
• RAF Museum, London invite you to let your imagination take flight! You might not be able to head there in person but you can explore the museum collections and exhibitions virtually.
• Roman Baths have plenty of resources for families to explore; great Roman-themed online games. fun facts and stories. Alternatively, you may want to take a Google Street View tour of the Roman Baths using this link.
• Royal Museum Greenwich has a whole lot of discovery in store for the family; stories, behind the scenes insights and fun quizzes!
• Science Museum has a good bank of learning resources on offer for kids of different key stage levels. As well as games!
• Shakespeare Birthplace Trust in Stratford-upon-Avon has opened up the five Shakespeare family homes with their video tour!  Learn about the man himself and access some excellent educational resources, again, for the learning of all ages and levels. Read, create, watch, you name it, they have it! They have both a family zone, kids zone and even areas for teachers and home educators.
• South Bank Centre has a new weekly culture fix. They are letting us know the show must go on! Don’t miss their literature podcasts, playlists, videos and blogs. Watch Author, illustrator and performance poet Laura Dockrill read Roald Dahl’s The Pig here, her favourite poem from her childhood from the Imagine Children’s festival.
• Stonehenge, one of the world’s most famous prehistoric monuments, has opened its doors to online visitors to explore the weird and wonderful shapes in an ‘Inside the Stones’ Virtual Tour. Select the hotspots you and the family want to learn about and have a memorable afternoon, without having to travel!
• V&A blog is proving to be popular. Their exhibitions can also be found online including Tim Walker: Wonderful Things, Kimono: Kyoto to Catwalk and Cars: Accelerating the Modern World. For the children, they have released this nice little video about Joey, the War Horse. View here.

Don’t forget to follow their social media platforms, where they are posting regular activities and things to do!

Liked this feature? Drop us a line and let us know what else you’d like to see from us at info letsgo.info@boomerangfamily.co.uk.

Also, you can explore more activities to do at home with the kids here

In support of families, we have switched our gaze from looking for local ideas and inspiration for things to do and places to go with your family to ideas and inspirations for things to do at home, in the garden and safely in the wider outdoors. Sign up to our e-newsletter here for all this information delivered safely to your inbox.
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