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Discover the Museum

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Discover the Museum brings classes from schools who are not regular visitors, from areas of mid-high deprivation within Edinburgh, to the National Museum of Scotland for a free, self-led, supported visit.

 

What is Discover the Museum?

Discover the Museum aims to build the confidence and knowledge needed for pupils to return on their own in the future and to see the museum as a place that is accessible, friendly, and full of interesting artefacts and exhibits. For many, it is their first visit to the Museum. The project first ran between November 2018-March 2019.

 

Leith Primary School Discover the Museum

In this short video, students from Leith Primary School discover the National Museum of Scotland as part of their Discover the Museum visit.

 

What do visiting schools receive?

As part of Discover the Museum, schools are provided with, free of charge:

  • Coach transport
  • A healthy snack upon arrival
  • Resources (e.g., museum trails/worksheets) to suit a specific topic of the teacher’s choosing, or a general exploratory visit
  • An introduction to the museum from a member of the learning team (Enabler)
  • Personalised help from the Discover the Museum Schools Coordinator to ensure a well-organised and supported experience
  • A special soft-toy mascot (DeeDee the Dodo) is sent to each class prior to their visit to introduce the Museum to the students. Classes bring DeeDee with them to the Museum and keep the toy as a memento of their visit.

Quotes from participants

"The children had their world view broadened. New vocabulary was learned. They realised that they can come back at any time with their families as entry to the museum is free.” - Teacher

“I love coming to the museum. I’m going to come back with my mum.” - Pupil

 

Get in touch

The current Discover the Museum project takes place between October 2019-March 2020 and is supported by EDFAS (Edinburgh Decorative and Fine Arts Society). If you have any questions, please contact the Discover the Museum Schools Coordinator, Brandy Frazier: b.frazier@nms.ac.uk

 

 

Find out more

Schools programme
National Museum of Scotland resources
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After nearly five months of closure, we have started to welcome visitors back to our museums with a phased reopening.

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