Have you ever wondered what it’s like to step inside some of the greatest children’s stories ever written? With a visit to the Roald Dahl children’s gallery you can.
Situated in a charming coach house in the courtyard of the visit bucks museum in Aylesbury, the gallery is housed over two floors and is bursting with sound, colour and an array of Roald Dahl’s best loved character’s.
The gallery is an interactive fusion of literature and science which will both entertain and educate your children.
The ground floor features a huge peach where your child can explore a number of different drawers with puzzels and fossils inside. It is covered wall to wall with information about the various mini beasts found in James and the giant peach, along with a microscope to get a closer look.
The BFG exhibit is dedicated to sound. With an enormous ear and microphone, children can learn how sound is made, discover why you can hear the sea in a seashell, play with a voice changer, and make music (or at least attempt to) with pipes and a foot pump. The BFG and downstairs area in general can get very loud. I think it is worth noting that whilst it is a fantastic sensory experience for some, there will be others who may find it overwhelming.
If you are looking for a calmer space then head through a giant book into Matilda’s library. You can get cosy on the bean bags and read one of Roald Dahls classics, learn about his life, watch videos, listen to stories and there’s even a few soft play shapes for little ones to build up and knock down, just be aware if the Trunchballs chocker!!!
Oliver and Heidi’s favourite zone was definitely crawling through the tunnels of fantastic Mr Fox. Whilst the tunnels are big enough for an adult to explore too, (I tried it) If your knees don’t feel up to it, there is a camera where you can watch your children from outside. Inside however, features a foxes hole, a hidden mole, some Roman pottery and a little “waving window” as Oliver named it. The outside of the tunnels includes Willy Wonkers inventions – the favourite being a magic floating ball!
To get upstairs I highly recommend taking the lift! Whilst I’m all for getting those extra steps in, the great glass elevator is no ordinary lift! Travel from earth to the moon with Willie Wonka and Charlie up to the imagination gallery which is filled with optical displays, funky mirrors and animation devices.
The children got some experience in front of a green screen, making themselves disappear under a blanket like Harry Potter, and became weather presenters. They also captured their shadows and stuck their hands inside the secret holes of the Twits. When in the Twits area definitely don’t forget to look up! The exhibitions do not just happen at eye level, and the entire Twits upside down living room sits on the ceiling!
Whilst every area’s displays whether educational or purely for fun and entertainment are all themed around Roald Dahl’s books, you don’t have to have read them all to appreciate it. There may be a couple of displays or references that you don’t understand if you haven’t read the books – like Trunchablls chocker sign on a locked cupboard (Matilda), or why there is a Grannies head sticking out of the roof (Georges Marvellous medicine). However if the museum is a way for you to introduce your children to the world of Roald Dahl, they will definely get the same enjoyment from the gallery as those who are already avid fans, and best of all they will definitely be inspired to pick up a book on the way out and get reading.
To view our trip in video form head over to our Instagram page. https://www.instagram.com/reel/CgH8qgqAF3T/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
Discover Bucks Museum.
If you want to make a full day of it then head across the courtyard and visit the Discover bucks museum. You can purchase tickets for both attractions or individually (see below).
The discover bucks museum includes a programme of changing exhibitions and events throughout the year. We got to explore the Picasso gallery (no photos in allowed) which was perfect timing for us as we have recently been studying picasso – https://tutusandmud.com/post-from-the-past-how-we-studied-picasso/
The museum has five brand new “discover bucks“ galleries packed full of objects and activities that tell the story of Buckinghamshire’s people and landscapes from 200 million years ago up until today. It starts with “Bucks Geology”, where fossils reveal the prehistoric creatures that swam in Jurassic seas and the giant wooly mammoths that lived there.
Children get the opportunity to be hands on when measuring themselves against a Neanderthal, touching a mammoth leg bone and feeling the weight of a Bronze Age sword.
Upstairs you also can step into a Georgian house complete with costumes – because who doesnt love a little dress up.
We didn’t get to fully explore the galleries of discover bucks (hungry tired toddler,) however Between 25th July – 3rd September 2022 they are hosting the Summer of science festival which will include interactive exhibits about forces, whilst investigating wheels, gravity, air, magnets, and water, so we definitely plan to return.
We absolutely loved our afternoon at the Roald Dahl children’s gallery and definitely recomend it as an educational and fantasticaly fun day out for all the family to enjoy.
The need to know bits…..
Opening Times Discover Bucks Museum Tuesday – Friday 10:00 – 16.00 Saturday 10:00 – 17.00
Roald Dahl Children’s gallery Saturday 10:00 – 17:00 (also open weekdays during the Bucks school holidays)
Price: There are various payment options available – please see the website for details https://www.discoverbucksmuseum.org/admission-tickets/
Accessibility: Wheelchair users can access all floors by lift, however the museum website states that they are only able to accommodate one wheelchair at any one time.
Refreshments: We are a ”take a picnic everywhere we go” kind of family and enjoyed our lunch in the museums beautiful Victorian walled garden.
However there is also a small cafe on site, serving hot and cold drinks, cakes, sandwiches and hot soup. The café is just near the entrance of the Museum across from the Gift Shop.
