Museum Revisited...

This morning we were on a real go slow, so nothing seemed to get done.  I had a few things online that I needed to sort out and catch up with so, as it seems always so when I sit behind a screen, the minutes whizzed by at the greatest of speed.  Before I knew it, it was time to get ourselves organised and ready for our afternoon out with friends.  

We had decided to meet up and go to Torquay Museum.  Despite going there just a couple of weeks ago, the children were eager to return.  I was more than happy to go back in a more relaxed capacity.  

We had a great time!

I'm yet to meet a child that hasn't been fascinated by bones and skeletons, and Torquay Museum has them in abundance...

There are also many hands-on activities to explore...

and sister's to box...

"I didn't do anything mama, honest! Look, I'm cute!"

We enjoyed spending time walking around the visiting Secret Egypt Exhibition, which is only on until 25th October.  Sadly (but fully understandable), photographs are not allowed to be taken of the exhibits as they are on loan from various larger museums including Manchester, Birmingham, and the British Museum in London.  There were so many amazing artefacts on display, so many things I would have loved to have shared with you - including the bandaged mummified body of a 60 year old lady -  but alas it is not to be.

What I can share with you is this smaller mummy of a boy which is a permanent exhibit.  The story behind it is quite fascinating when you read the literature.  It has been scanned twice over the years as technology has improved, and a reconstruction of the skeleton produced a statue of what the boy may have looked like which is displayed nearby.

With both Tiegan and Callum looking at Ancient Egypt as an interest project at the moment, the museum was a useful resource.  We bought a couple of Egypt related goodies from the museum shop too, great prices!

One of Callum's favourite areas is the Charles Darwin floor, with displays showing the evolution of animals and their habitats.

It is amazing how many new things we notice in the display cabinets that we have missed before.

I quite like the ol' Devon farmhouse reconstructions as I dream of living in such a home.

Chelsea and I were both fascinated to see this tiny needle, made from (possibly) a bird bone.

 

 Tiegan helped Callum complete the unlock the safe challenge so he was able to get a prize this time.

Look we found treasure!

One thing we really like about the museum, is that many of the items have been found locally.  The human leg bone fused into the rock for example, was found near Broadsands beach, a favourite haunt of ours.  Many of the animal bones have been excavated from Kents Cavern, where we visited with the group a few months ago.  It really helps the children to get to grips with the exhibits as they recognise the places from "their world", creating a deeper understanding and lots of "wow, we've been there!" moments.

It was really nice catching up with friends again, some of which I hadn't been in touch with for a long time.

We got home just before 3pm and yet again I had another headache.  I know they are due to tiredness but there isn't a great deal I can do to change that situation at the moment *sigh*.  Still, it won't be forever :)  Headaches really do hamper my efforts to do anything though, so it did mean an afternoon of what felt like a waste to me, but the children were happy.  The new Egyptian book from the museum was mulled over and it appears to tick all the boxes.  Laptops were played upon, the trampoline was bounced upon, the animals were showered love upon, and sketch books were drawn upon.

Chelsea made dinner of Chicken in White Wine Sauce with Basmati Rice, followed by a choice of Rhubarb or Cherry pie with cream for pudding.  Yum.