I took my three children to the British Museum yesterday.
On our return, I asked 7-yo to tell her grandmother what was the most interesting thing she had seen there.
"Nothing", she replied. "Lots of really boring things, but nothing interesting at all".
Ah well. Can't win them all. Except, on reflection, she had something to add.
"There was one interesting thing. The ice cream van. That was good. Although it wasn't really IN the museum, was it? It was outside."
Bad luck, British Museum. Hundreds of years of history - nul points. Provision of parking spot for ice cream van - 10 out of 10.
.
When I took my son to the Natural History Museum to see dinosaurs, which he lives, it was the cookie from the cafe he told everyone about the next day.
ReplyDelete*loves not lives
ReplyDeleteHah, fair enough - ice cream is a priority in this household too. My daughter was bored silly at the BM (poor thing, she's only three after all!). Aside from the ice cream van of course, she was only interested in the lift. So we went up. And down. And up. and down. Etc.
ReplyDeleteSigh, someday :)
What did you think was the most interesting thing you saw in the museum?
ReplyDeletemartine
Comment from youngest son after a trip to the Smithsonian: "Mom, why are you always trying to EDUCATE us?"
ReplyDeleteThat's the thanks you get....
We took the boys to an aquarium recently - they had a great time seeing beluga whales, penguins and a sealion show. When I asked Littleboy1 afterwards what his favourite thing was, he said it was the small plastic turtle I bought him in the gift shop.
ReplyDeleteMy Mother-in-law recently took my son to see a kids Thomas the Tank Engine show for his birthday - his favourite part was that his seat folded up and down. Kids.
ReplyDeleteTbh my best bit was the roof in the new bit...
ReplyDeletewell of course! I had quite forgotten the delights of the plethora of ice cream vans throughout the UK, selling whippy 99s. They can't be beat. Even by an award winning museum. I think I would get on like a house on fire with your daughter, obviously. She is a girl after my own heart (although please do not let this worry you!!!)
ReplyDeleteMartine,
ReplyDeleteThe most interesting thing for me was when 7-yo pointed up at the roof and said "look at all those fish on the roof". They were in fact the shadows of pigeons, strutting about on the roof, but they did look like fish swimming about. It was a surreal and beautiful tableau. (I wonder if that's the "roof in the new bit" that Someonesmrs refers to - I'm out of touch with which bit is the new bit. This was the big central court which used to be open air but is now covered over with a see-through roof.)
I also enjoyed holding a tablet that was Roman currency, dating back 2,300 years. It was the age of the thing that impressed me. I am easily impressed by very very old things. What brought it to life was being able to hold it, rather than just look at it in a glass case. I recommend the "hands on" exhibits - especially if you have children with you.
And not losing a child. That's always a highlight in a day out for me.
Exactly. I took my camera and a gazillion pictures. All swirly and geometric and magnificent. No fish when we were there though...
ReplyDeleteThink there comes a point where even if you do lose a child they are old/fully-witted enough to knpw your phone number and ask someone to ring you...
Haha! I took my American family to the Brit Museum when they came over to visit me in the UK. The 13 year old was keen to see the Egyptian section. I think she was impressed. Though maybe a little disappointed that none of the mummies came to life. I personally found the Rosetta Stone mind-blowing, I didn't realise that it was there, before we visited!
ReplyDeletePaul
http://fromsheeptoalligators.blogspot.com/
I write my mobile phone number in biro on their forearms (forearmed is forewarned, or something).
ReplyDeleteI am much more a fan of the V&A - next time let me know where you are going, I could hang out with your son at the icecream van.
ReplyDeleteOuch. Good try by you, though. :-)
ReplyDeleteDid you not see the clocks? I guess you could ask me, did you not see anything but the clocks.
ReplyDeleteNow if it had been the science museum you'd have had to pry them out of there with a crowbar!
ReplyDeleteNo kids, but I lost my 65-year-old FATHER at the British Museum in 2009. Not for very long, but he dawdled too long at a display and our tour moved on... The only reason I "panicked" was that we only had two mobiles among the three of us - I had one, Mum (who had gone off to have a sit down) had the other.
ReplyDeletewhen i was a little kid we used to walk down to the Chisholm Museum (now defunct) in duluth just for something to do. in the basement of the museum was a big wooden cabinet with skinny drawers, and in each drawer there were insect specimans. when we wanted to freak ourselves out, we'd pull out the bottom drawer, which held one insect only: a humongous cockroach from africa. you could ride on that baby's back, it was so big.
ReplyDeletemuseums are GREAT.
If it was a "Mr Whippy", I wouldn't argue!
ReplyDelete