Eureka! The National Children's Museum, Halifax
Discovery Road
Halifax
HX1 2NE
Sensory summer of fun awaits visitors to Eureka!
Article published on 21 July 2010
Eureka! The National Children's Museum is preparing a summer packed full of fun and frivolity when a new outdoor exhibit and PlayFest open as part of Eureka!'s 18th Birthday celebrations.
Summer started at Eureka! when the outdoor Wonder Walk opened to the public on 9 July. The playful trail encourages children to use all their senses to experience the world around them in a new way. Through innovative uses of building products and recycled or reused materials the trail hopes to stimulate the visitor's curiosity and encourage future interaction with nature.
Overseen by a giant totem pole representing different aspects of Eureka! the Wonder Walk is scattered with dramatic and engaging pieces, such as willow huts to play or hide in and stones embedded in the path to climb over. Children can experience squishy, splashy and scratchy sensations as, using their bare feet, they explore trays of mud, water and sand embedded within the trail. The tinkling of wind chimes and rustling grass creates an atmospheric soundscape, while aromatic herbs and coloured and scented plants placed at a child's level complete the multi-sensory experience.
Indoor and outdoor fun continues all summer. From 19 July to 5 September Eureka! hosts Playfest, a two-month festival celebrating all types of play with a range of special activities including face painting, circus skills, inflatables, welly wanging and giant dance mats. Watch out for the rolling programme of events letting visitors take advantage of their Eureka! Annual Pass to return for new activities. Visitors are advised to wear play clothes to get into the festival spirit.
Playfest at Eureka! will coincide with the Halifax Festival from Saturday 14 August to Sunday 22 August. The Halifax Festival builds on the success of the previous years' July Project, and celebrates arts, sport and family activities around Halifax's visitor attractions. Eureka! will be hosting special performances of the Libelluele Theatre's Cloth of Dreams and other activities all through the week for festival-goers and museum visitors.
Rain or shine with the inland beach, PlayScape, Sensory Trail and the hundreds of hands-on museum exhibits, Eureka! has plenty to offer whatever the weather.
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