Half Term Ideas: Thinktank And The Planetarium

Thinktank is one of the most exciting museums in Birmingham. Taking the premise, and many of the exhibits, from the old science museum, and placing them in a vast, almost industrial style building at Millennium Point, Thinktank helps to bring science to live with the help of bells and buzzers, robots and recycling, and a Spitfire, a beautiful Spitfire. It is a wonderful experience that you can easily spend a whole day enjoying, and you can now combine the exhibits with a visit to the new 4k planetarium system the only one of its kind in the West Midlands!

The beauty of Thinktank is that it fully gets visitors involved in the museum experiences. You can handle fossils, walk over the bones of a crocodile and then find out what bit it by fighting a tooth into a leg bone. You can learn about recycling by joining in with recycling tins and bottles, and can improve your fitness by joining an animated dance teacher. Thinktank is all about fun, but is also so informative, with clear information given for each exhibit. It is also very child friendly, with large floor space to be able to navigate around with pushchairs and wheelchairs. There are also trails to do as you go around the museum, currently there is a trail to find a range of dinosaur eggs, you note down their location and can win a prize (we only managed to find six though).

There were some particular faves from Joe and Renee. They loved the Spitfire gallery, where they sat in a model and practiced their flying skills. The glorious City of Birmingham Locomotive was another fave, I personally loved the gallery of images and memorabilia, including 1930s railway posters. Kids City is a lovely and safe way to let your children indulge in some water play or some role play, everything from cooking in a mini kitchen and cafe, to laying some pipes in the road.

The new and improved Planetarium is truly fabulous, you really are given the experience of the sorts of night sky we hardly see in the UK, clear and full of stars, The constellations are shown beautifully, and you are also introduced to some of the planets, as the images appear all around you, totally transporting you into outer space. It is a truly magical experience.

We loved our visit to Thinktank and would definitely recommend it as a fun, and educational way to spend a day.

Sharing is caring!