Kids culture
With so much of formal education being focused on logic and rational thinking, it is important that we introduce our children to the arts and sciences in as many formats as possible from an early age.
Aberdeen offers a wide variety of venues that encourage children to explore the world around them in the way they learn best – by touching and feeling and trying out new things for themselves.
It is true that not everyone would pick an art gallery as an obvious destination for a group of young children, but the newly refurbished Aberdeen Art Gallery on Schoolhill has plenty to offer even the smallest budding artist. The facility itself is breath-taking and immediately imparts that this city cares a great deal about art and culture, and the attention to detail as you make your way through the exhibits proves that even the youngest patrons have been considered. There are interactive touch displays scattered throughout, Art Explorer activity cards, exhibits of the works of school-aged children and even a calendar of special events for families that run throughout the year.
Just around the corner in its new location on George Street is the Aberdeen Science Centre, formerly known as Satrosphere. Here, the focus is on young, inquisitive minds and on helping them discover science and its practical applications in all aspects of modern life. With a collection of fully interactive learning experiences throughout the facility, kids can learn about everything from space gravity to sheep poo. Aberdeen Science Centre hosts regular workshops relating to their featured themes, like their current showcase on The Science of Magic.
Aberdeen Maritime Museum is another that is sure to capture the imagination of children growing up in a city so closely linked to the North Sea. Located on Shiprow, the exhibits are visually captivating to the young just as they are, but add to that the interactive displays and multi-media presentations and you are likely to find a full day’s entertainment here.
There are many others to choose from as well. The University of Aberdeen Zoology Museum offers a comprehensive look at creatures great and small, the Tolbooth Museum gives us a glimpse into the history of incarceration and crime in Aberdeen, and The Gordon Highlanders Museum invites you to explore the 200-year history of one of the most famous regiments in the British Army.
Children are naturally curious about the world around them – fortunately, Aberdeen’s museums have found a way to tap in to that curiosity to ensure the city produces its own great thinkers of the future.