Building Up STEAM: Discovering Innovation
Help our Car Designers discover the innovations of automotive technologies, past, present and future!
The future. It’s coming, and sooner than you think. You only have to look at our collection to see the great leaps automotive technology has taken in a relatively short space of time, thanks to the inventors and designers who worked on the cars. The difference between “AOK”, the original Mini-Minor, and the Minis of today, for example, is staggering. Imagine what cars will be like tomorrow.
It’s the spirit of innovation that will be driving our STEAM-inspired (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Maths) summer holiday activities. Our talented car designers, Dottie and Dougie, will be hosting a new Family Tour, showing off how far cars have come, and how far they may have yet to go.
Meanwhile, our craft activities will be running in the Learning Space, allowing our younger visitors to take on the challenge of building a wind turbine that they can take home, as well as designing their dream car of the future.
Finally, our Colour Creator Trail will allow visitors to enjoy exploring the colours in our collection. They’ll even be able to make some of their own, too!
Car Designers Tour - every day at 11.30
Come and meet Dottie or Dougie, the dashing and debonair car designers, and let them guide you on a fun and informative 25-minute tour of the Museum, checking out the different innovations in car design and engineering that have been made through the years. The tour will end with the opportunity to see the new exhibition, Transitions: The Impact of Innovation, with them, for a closer look at the innovations that might be made in the future. Meet up at the Family Activity station before 11.30am.
If you miss the family tour, look out for the designers checking out the cars in the Museum, looking for inspiration for their next projects!
Make a Wind Turbine and Design a Car of the Future - every day 10am to 3pm with last entry at 2.30pm
How will we power cars in the future? Maybe we could charge our vehicles using a wind turbine? Join us in the Learning Space during your visit, where younger ones will love getting hands-on creating their own wind turbine out of card, which they can decorate however they want. Once their creation is complete, your child will be able to take their wind turbine home to display it with pride, and watch it spin in the breeze.
Having seen all the ways that cars might change in the future, your child can also take the time to design a future car of their own, with our colouring in sheets! Any colours, any pattern, any extras - they decide! Once your child’s car is ready, they can have fun customising their car’s top speed, fuel type and more, to create a design that is truly their own. They can then either take their car home or display it on our wall to create the ultimate dream garage of tomorrow!
Colour Creator Trail – every day
Pick up our ‘Colour Creator’ Trail at the Family Activity Station and embark on a vibrant journey around the Museum. You can even mix up your own colours on the way! When you’ve reached the end, head back to the Family Activity Station to check your answers and collect a reward sticker.
NOTE: All activities are included in Museum admission. There is no need to pre-book, just drop by the Family Activity station to find out what is going on when! Activities are suitable for 4+ years, unless otherwise specified.
