Did you know that Henry VIII enjoyed a kick-about with his mates, back when football was a game of ‘beastly fury and extreme violence’? Or that with a quick rummage around your kitchen cupboards, under the guidance of museum scientists, you’ll find all you need to make an erupting volcano? Did you know there’s a huge stuffed walrus with its own Twitter account living in a museum in London?
Show Me, set to become the ‘go to’ website for children and young people looking to discover and learn about the weird and wonderful world of museums, galleries and archives across the UK, has just launched this September. The site showcases a fascinating range of stories, artworks, objects, games, films, apps and days out listings to inspire and ignite young imaginations.
The online 'exhibits' are most certainly based around the questions that children ask, for example you can find out about the top ten dead thing in museums(!) and how to make a Roman shield. There's everything from things to make, fact sheets and online games to help to educate your child whilst having fun at the same time!
Show Me is excited to be working in partnership with the Bafta-winning Culture Street team who specialise in making short films and interactives for and with children and young people. Culture Street brings a selection of the collection objects featured on Show Me to life in a brand new series of short films about collection objects chosen by children on museum visits. The children take viewers with them around the museum, asking curators the questions we’d all like to ask.
Show Me is also a guide to the best family-friendly museums across the UK, featuring information on the latest events and exhibitions for family days out.
www.Show.Me.Uk will feature:
- Hundreds of museum games and learning resources
- Zoomable, high quality pictures of collection objects from a range of museums
- Culture Street’s films and interactives on key collection objects
- ‘Make & Do’ guides – from volcanoes to Roman togas and wartime carrot fudge
- Behind-the-scenes info and stories from the world of museums
- What’s on guide – venue & listings info on family-friendly UK museums and galleries
- Homework help for kids and supporting resources for teachers.
Find Culture Street’s films and interactives on www.culturestreet.org.uk as well as on Show Me.
Show Me is edited by Anra Kennedy, Content and Partnership Director at Culture24 and a trustee of both campaigning charity Kids in Museums – www.kidsinmuseums.org.uk - and GEM, the Group for Education in Museums – www.gem.org.uk.
Anra Kennedy says, “It’s so exciting to be opening up museum and gallery collections to a new generation of children and young people on Show Me.
There are so many wonderful stories and treasures in museums and
galleries but they’re very difficult to find online, especially for kids
and their time-pressed parents and teachers. The site will keep growing
and developing with more collections, games, stories, museums and listings being added all the time, I’m hoping checking out what’s new on Show Me will become a habit for many children and young people.”
Annie Devitt, Head of
Learning at the National Media Museum who worked with Culture Street on
the films around their collection says, "We were given a brilliant
opportunity to work with Culture Street and their young filmmakers to uncover some of our hidden collection objects. They have managed to bring the history and science behind our treasures to a much wider audience."
Show Me is also supported by Arts Council England.
John Orna-Ornstein, Director of Museums, Arts Council England, said: “The Arts Council is pleased to be supporting Show Me,
an initiative that promotes museum collections in an original, relevant
and engaging manner. Stories are at the heart of every good museum and Show Me will help to bring collections to life for a wide audience.”
To explore museum content for children and young people why not visit www.show.me.uk and www.culturestreet.org.uk?
