Why you should take the kids to visit Eureka! The National Children's Museum in West Yorkshire

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Eureka! The National Children's Museum is somewhere I have always wanted to visit. I've read numerous posts by other bloggers all declaring how much fun it is. In my head, Eureka! was always miles away from our home in Northumberland but actually, it's just over a 2-hour drive from Newcastle and the same length of time by train too (with a quick change at Leeds). Eureka! is right next door to Halifax train station so perfect for a school holiday adventure or weekend day out. Piece Hall is just across the road too if you'd really like to make a day of it. 

Our visit to Eureka! formed part of our weekend break in Calderdale. On Sunday morning we packed up our bags and navigated the country roads to Halifax. The views of the Calderdale countryside were stunning. We had made the most of our huge kitchen in Stephenson House and enjoyed a Full English for breakfast so weren't planning on lunch until later. I knew the kids would need a snack though (because they always want snacks!) so popped a couple of GoGo squeeZ pouches into my handbag. We love these fruit and yoghurt snacks when we're out and about as they don't need to be refrigerated, they contain no artificial ingredients, some varieties are one of your 5-a-day and they are mess-free with no spoon required. Plus the kids love them which is always a bonus. You can find out more about GoGo Squeez here and try them yourself from Tesco or Amazon. 

We were a little confused on arrival and think we took a wrong turn - we bypassed the official car park and found a spot in the centre of Halifax town instead. Parking was cheap at around 60p for the full day. It's not too much of a walk to Eureka! from the town centre.

Eureka! is spread over two levels. There were some sections that we missed out altogether (eg the under 5s areas) but I'd love to share a few of our highlights with you. Harry, Heidi and Jack were aged 11, 8 and 6 on the day of our visit. 

Soundspace 

Soundspace is an area dedicated to exploring sound. There are challenges, family games, the chance to create your own masterpiece and learn all about different types of music. We really enjoyed this section and it was a good introduction to the museum. 

Living & Working Together

My children would have really enjoyed this section when they were younger but have outgrown pretend play now and deemed this area to be a little babyish. It's fab for under 5s though with a mock M&S and Halifax bank, the opportunity to put a car through a car wash or it's MOT and more. 

Spark Gallery

This was our favourite section on the ground floor. The area is packed with digital art games and H, H and J all thoroughly enjoyed creating digital versions of themselves and playing around with technology. Everything worked seamlessly too which is my experience isn't always the case so Kudos to Eureka! for that. 

All About Me

All About Me takes up most of the first floor and was by far our favourite exhibition in the whole of Eureka! It's perfect for all ages and everyone from toddlers to pensioners will learn something new. The exhibits of super hands on and we loved measuring ourselves against each other at the start - who was the tallest? Who could take the biggest step and who would look the best when they aged? We found out the answers to all of these questions and more. 

We visited the health centre and learned all about our teeth, discovered how a baby is born and what happens in an antenatal clinic and even scanned our own bodies. 

The exhibits are large and bright and can't help but draw children in. The kids couldn't help but look up the giant nostrils and into an ear canal. Heidi and Jack really enjoyed playing electronic healthy eating games (and I'm pleased to say they won) and we all tested our steady hand against a buzzer game. 

Every little space is used up at Eureka! and we were fascinated by this feature wall which demonstrates lots of cool achievements such as the highest human jump in a very visual form. 

We spent around 2 hours at Eureka! - I think if you had younger children with you, this could easily extend to 4-5 hours or even a full day if you visit every single exhibit, the cafe and the outdoor area too. There is an indoor picnic marquee if you'd like to take a picnic too. What I like about Eureka! is that you pay once, and your ticket is valid for the full year. Under 1's are admitted FREE, 1-2 year olds are just £5.25 and children and adults aged 3+ are £12.95. Even if this didn't include an annual pass I'd still think it was pretty good value for money. Eureka! is closed on Mondays during term time. 

Find out more about Eureka! & book online here 

There's a lovely outdoor zone at Eureka! too and lots of children were enjoying the large sandpit and buckets and spades. We stopped by the outdoor picnic tables to enjoy our GoGo squeeZ snacks before enjoying the various obstacle courses. 

No visit to a museum is complete without a trip to the gift shop and I was relieved to find that Eureka! stock a selection of pocket money toys. Jack and Heidi teamed up to buy 5 mini animals for £1 between them. Bargain! 

I would definitely recommend a trip to Eureka! The National Children's Museum. I think it's best suited for 3-5 year olds but children of all ages will definitely get something from a visit. 

Let me know if you've visited Eureka! and if you'd recommend. 

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