Advice for taking your children to see Animal Inside Out at Life Science Centre, Newcastle

Animal Inside Out is Gunther van Hagens' must see exhibition of 2016 with over 100 REAL preserved animals and specimens. You can visit the exhibition during Life's normal opening hours and entry is included with the centre's regular admission.

Due to the nature of the exhibition, it is recommended for children aged 8 and over. Life do advise that you know your children best and don't place any restrictions should you wish to take younger children with you. My three children are aged 5, 7 and 9 and are very curious about the world around them. They aren't particularly sensitive and I discussed what they would see beforehand and they were all excited.

I've included a few images from the exhibition to give you an idea of what to expect. There were lots of children there when we visited and it didn't feel gruesome at all to us. 

Blood vessel capillaries

Horse Skeleton

Inside a human bone

It was fascinating looking inside animals and humans and seeing life from a perspective we haven't seen before. It prompted lots of questions from the kids such as how blood flows through the body, what blood is made from and the comparison of different organs in different animals (we thought a cat's heart is so teeny!).

I think the horse and bear were perhaps what could be considered the most disturbing but my three didn't raise an eyebrow, in fact the biggest comment was we couldn't believe how huge the bear was. 

Inside a rabbit

Capillaries of an Ostrich

Wow the capillaries inside an Ostrich was like a real piece of art - I would love to know how many hours it took to preserve this magnificent beast!

I think it's important to point out that no animals were harmed in the making of this exhibition - it has all been possible thanks to links to zoos and veterinary schools.

The final part of the exhibition really took our breath away - the elephant in particular was stunning and we couldn't get over the scale of it. Again the kids were just as fascinated as us and we were faced with a barrage of questions as we walked around. 

Cross section of a cow

Heidi and Jack enjoyed looking at the cross section of the cow and we had fun finding all of it's stomachs.

Magnificent! 

Heidi (7) did make a few comments as we walked around, especially when faced with parts of her favourite animals (especially the cats). She wasn't upset but just a bit sad that they were no longer alive I think. All three children thoroughly enjoyed the exhibition though and it is such a good place to start conversations around anatomy that may not have happened otherwise (yes including how you can tell an animal is male or female).

From a grown up perspective I think this has been my favourite ever exhibition at Life. I studied Biology at A Level (and then part of a Genetics degree) and it certainly reignited my passion. I think if I had attended this exhibition as a child myself I would have left feeling inspired and possibly even encouraged to follow a career down this route.

There is so much more to enjoy....... 

Admission to Life Science Centre is £34 for a family of 4. This includes admission to Animal Inside Out but also the Planetarium, Experiment Zone, 4D Motion Ride, Brain Zone, Live Theatre Shows and much more.

Conducting experiments in the Experiment Zone

We loved the Planetarium & watched 'Live Skies' which is a 30 minute guided tour around the stars, planets and international space station above us. This was a lovely immersive experience and the host was funny and enthusiastic. We have certainly been encouraged to re-visit Kielder and check out the dark skies again. Apparently you can see around 3000 stars here compared to about 40 stars in the city centre. Amazing! 

More experiments

Harry was tall enough to ride the 5D motion ride and I have to say he LOVED it - he was buzzing with excitement as it finished and couldn't stop talking about it. For older children, this is not to be missed. Whilst he was taking this ride with Steve I took the younger two upstairs to the young explorers zone and they loved the 'play' shop and soft play area.

Jack's having fun creating music

Heidi is setting up a system of cogs

If you visit, I would highly recommend dining in the cafe. Food is fresh, reasonably priced and they stock Canny shakes which are a local business who donate 5% of thier profits back to Science at Life.

In conclusion, I think you know your own child. If they are curious, ask questions and don't have a sensitive nature, I think they will love Animal Inside Out and I would 100% recommend taking a trip. When they say this exhibition is 'must-see' I definitely agree and think you would be mad to miss out on an opportunity like this to hopefully inspire your children or at the very least start lots of conversations around life and anatomy.

Visit Life Science Centre Website for further details

Life Science Centre hosted a blogger's afternoon and we were provided with complimentary tickets. We were not obliged to write about our experience. All thoughts are our own.