‘Our Dynamic Earth’, a Scottish science centre, has received £80,000 of funding from the Science Engagement Grant Scheme, which is a Scottish Government initiative to engage young people in science. The funding will support a summer show that will be in collaboration with the Edinburgh International Science Festival. It will also develop a schools’ outreach programme, Closer2Nature. It offers the first Climate Change Workshop available on an outreach basis. 33 other projects across Scotland will also benefit from funding which is expected to reach 300,000 pupils.
A new botanical art museum is to open at Kew Gardens. It will display paintings and sketches of fruit, flowers and leaves. It will be named The Shirley Sherwood Gallery and will exhibit previous works of art from the collections of the Royal Botanic Gardens and Dr. Shirley Sherwood. It will be a year round attraction.
Scotland’s newest museum has opened inside a newly built branch of Morrisons supermarket. Johnstone Heritage Society set up the exhibition using a £29,100 grant from the Lottery Fund. The museum examines the town’s history and will be run by 5 volunteers. The museum focuses on textile and engineering industries with craftmaking workshops, guided tours, talks and lectures also available.
Work has begun on a 6 year programme that will lead to an all Wales coastal footpath. Sixteen local authorities in Wales are sharing £1.5 million in grants to improve access to the Welsh coast. The first year of work is to focus on low-level improvement work, including better signage.
English Heritage has launched a new education service called Heritage Explorer. It provides classroom resources and accessible information for teachers in Key Stage 1, 2 and 3. All information can be downloaded and used for free. It incorporates four main facilities Teaching Activities, Images by Theme, Interactives and a Search function.
The Haig Colliery Mining Museum in Whitehaven has just received a £1.9 million grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund, which will allow the site to be restored and provide access to the collections. It will create a meaningful facility for the local community which reflects the historic importance of coal mining in Whitehaven (source BBC).
The Aquarium of the Lakes in Cumbria, has launched a new ‘Virtual Dive Bell’, which allows visitors to come face to face with scary sharks, hippos and crocodiles. The attraction takes visitors to lakes and freshwater destinations all over the world.
The National Maritime Museum have recently announced that they have received a £20 million donation to help develop a new wing at Greenwich.
The A1 Audio Tour has been introduced by Islington Council and it provides commentary on Islington’s A1 road from Archway to Goswell Road. The files can be downloaded for free here and the ‘tour’ provides information on historic buildings, interesting facts and stories from local residents.
Today the internet is part of everyday life for children. Children are familiar with the online world and use tools such as Facebook and MySpace to communicate with friends. The Imperial War Museum has launched a new section on their website - ‘The Battle of the Somme’ which through personal stories and by posting original documents online has made the history of the Battle of the Somme very accessible to children.