Families can test their sea survival skills at the National Museum of Flight this half term. Supported by players of People’s Postcode Lottery, special workshops and activities will take place at the museum in East Lothian on 15 & 16 and 22 & 23 October.
Sea Survival will offer visitors the opportunity to get hands-on and discover skills and equipment used by RAF’s Coastal Command.
Outdoor workshops will teach children aged 7 and up how to survive on a desert island, from safely lighting a fire to bushcraft.
Families can also climb aboard a real-life raft in the Concorde Hangar and handle equipment used by the RAF from the Second World War to the modern day, before exploring the historic airfield and hangars filled with fascinating aircraft and interactive displays.
The support of players of People’s Postcode Lottery means that Sea Survival is free with museum admission.
Steve Mclean, General Manager at the National Museum of Flight, said: “We are delighted to offer free family activities this half term, thanks to the generous support of players of People’s Postcode Lottery.
“We hope our young visitors will enjoy diving into the stories and skills of the RAF’s Coastal Command while exploring everything the National Museum of Flight has to offer.”
Laura Chow, Head of Charities at People’s Postcode Lottery, said: “This Sea Survival event is a fascinating and fun way to learn about the history of the RAF’s Coastal Command.
“We are thrilled that players of People’s Postcode Lottery are supporting this brilliant programme of family activities at the Museum this half term. Player support has enabled many such initiatives. To date, players of People’s Postcode Lottery have raised over £900 million for thousands of good causes”
Visitors to the National Museum of Flight this October can also take part in Operation Sabotage, Scotland’s only escape room experience on an historic airfield. Taking place on 29 and 30 October, the experience is suitable for those aged 14 and over.
The Museum is home to Scotland’s only Concorde and visitors can see an example of the iconic Supermarine Spitfire that played such an important role in the Second World War.
The attraction houses the family-friendly Fantastic Flight gallery with its interactive exhibits where visitors can explore the science of aviation and discover how aeroplanes fly.
They are also able to learn about East Fortune’s wartime heritage in the Museum’s Fortunes of War exhibition.
Explore the history of anatomical study, from artistic explorations by Leonardo da Vinci to the Burke and Hare murders.
This exhibition will look at the social and medical history surrounding the practice of dissection. It will trace the relationship between anatomy, its teaching and cultural context and the bodies that were dissected.
Looking at Edinburgh’s role as an international centre for medical study, the exhibition will offer insight into the links between science and crime in the early 19th century.
BOOK NOW Audubon’s Birds of America 12 Feb – 8 May 2022 Exhibition Gallery 1, Level 3 Ticketed, £0-£10
This new exhibition at the National Museum of Scotland will examine the artistry and legacy of one of the world’s rarest, most coveted and biggest books.
Published as a series between 1827 and 1838, Birds of America by John James Audubon (1785-1851) was a landmark work which achieved international renown due to the epic scale of the project and the book’s spectacular, life-sized ornithological illustrations. Audubon’s Birds of America (12 February – 8 May 2022) will showcase 46 unbound prints from National Museums Scotland’s collection, most of which have never been on display before, as well as a rare bound volume of the book, on loan from the Mitchell Library. This exhibition is a unique opportunity to see so much of Audubon’s work in one place.
The typewriter’s social and technological influence is revealed in this new exhibition and looks at its role in society, arts, and popular culture. It traces the effect and evolution of typewriters across more than 100 years, from weighty early machines to modern style icons.
The impact of the typewriter has been much wider than simply speeding up the way we write. It helped revolutionise the world of work and change the lives of working women in particular. Typewriters helped them launch their own businesses at a time when female employers were rare and became a vital weapon in the fight for the vote.
6 Aug 2021 – 9 Jan 2022 Exhibition Gallery 4, Level 1 Free entry
On the 250th anniversary of Sir Walter Scott’s birth, experience his novels through objects that inspired him. In this small exhibition we show how Scott drew upon real historical objects for inspiration, placing objects alongside Scott’s words, and the stories in which they feature. While you view these fascinating objects, you can listen to an actor reading extracts from these tales.
In association with Walter Scott 250: Celebrating 250 Years of Scotland’s Greatest Storyteller.
This small exhibition highlights the exciting work being carried out in Scotland to fight against climate change. It brings together just some of the technological responses that have been developed in Scotland or that are being used here in the effort to cut carbon dioxide emissions. On show are a range of leading-edge equipment, much of it newly collected, alongside samples of natural material.
Supported by players of People’s Postcode Lottery.
24 Sep 2021 – 9 Jan 2022 The Grand Gallery Free entry
The Extinction Bell is a work by Bristol-based artist Luke Jerram that aims to raise awareness of biodiversity loss.
A fire engine bell from National Museums Scotland’s collection has been adapted to toll at random intervals 150-200 times per day. Each ring of the bell symbolises the extinction of a species, representing the number being lost every 24 hours (according to a 2007 report from the UN).
Supported by players of People’s Postcode Lottery.
National Museum of Flight East Fortune Airfield, East Lothian, EH39 5LF Saturdays and Sundays 10:00 – 16:00
LEGO® Concorde Model 28 Jun 2021 – 30 Jan 2022 Saturdays and Sundays 10:00 – 16:00 Free with pre-booked museum entry
Master builder Warren Elsmore and his team have created a LEGO® Big Build of the National Museum of Flight’s Concorde.
Six metres long and made of over 60,000 bricks, you can see the model on display alongside the real thing. The model is made purely from standard 2×4 LEGO bricks and took five days to build as part of our Brick Wonders exhibition in Spring 2021.
Supported by players of People’s Postcode Lottery
Events
Online
New Museum Art Challenge 2021 29 Nov 2021 – 2 Jan 2022 Online, free
Looking for something creative to do this December? The Museum Art Challenge invites you to make art inspired by our incredible collections. With five weekly themes to get you thinking, you can take part from near or far simply by emailing us a picture of your finished artwork.
National Museum of Rural Life Wester Kittochside, Philipshill Road, East Kilbride, G76 9HR Open 10:00–17:00 daily
Clyde’s Winter Trail 27 Nov 2021 – 9 Jan 2022 10:00 – 17:00
Free with pre-booked museum admission
Spot the festive scenes that Clyde, the Clydesdale horse, and his friends have been creating around the museum as they get ready for the festive season.
Our family programming is supported by players of People’s Postcode Lottery
