OVERVIEW
The Science Museum is one of the three big hitters that line Lodon's Exhibition Rd.
Alongside the Natural History Museum (read our review here) and the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Science Museum is a treasure trove of fascinating exhibits and meticulously presented scientific artefacts and history.
Our boys both love the halls dedicated to Space, Flight and the chiming / ticking clocks!
They also really enjoy the hands on Basement Garden (a misnomer really as it is entirely indoors with no plants or natural light!). The Garden is full of hands on ways for children to explore different scientific principles. Unfortunately they are now too old for it, so should we visit again they will have to cope with the dissapointment of NOT getting soaked with water while playing with the metal water canals!
Before visiting with your autistic children, make sure to read our review below for useful information of making the most of this impressive collection.
Photo Gallery
OUR EXPERIENCE
Did the staff make us feel welcome?
We have visited the Science Museum twice in the last two years, both times as part of their SEN friendly early hours session.
On both these visits the staff have welcoming but do seem to have diferent understandings of neurodivergent behaviours.
On our first visit when our youngest became overwhelmed and was lying on the floor we were quietly approached by a member of the museum's staff who asked if there was anything he could do to help. He was not judgemental, just helpful.
On a second visit however we were told quite strongly by a staff member to ensure our child did not touch the exhibit - we were clearly doing our best and the interaction did little to help us de-escalate the situation. However later that morning in a different hall there were some volunteers / staff who were extremely friendly to our oldest son and made a real effort to engage him in some craft activities which he ended up really enjoying.
Did we have to queue?
During weekends, particularly at peak times you will need to queue to enter the Science Museum, mainly because they check all bags as people enter. They also strongly advise pre-booking your entry tickets in advance.
As we have only attended the Early Bird sessions we have not had to queue to enter, or to visit any of the extra activities on offer.
However once 10am arrives and the Science Museum opens to the general public the crowds literally flood in, and there is a real change in the energy in the museum. The noise levels go up and the sheer number of people, even just in one gallery like the first space hall is quite frankly, overwhelming. As a family we cant wait to leave and are normally out the doors by 10:15am!
Accessibility
The science musum is considered an accessible venue, and there are lifts for wheelchair users and those needing to push a buggy around.
It alos runs a range of SEN friendly sessions on an adhoc basis throughout the year, and these have been a great way for our two boys to access the museum free from the crowds and noise that would normally overwhelm them. For more information on their accessible events or to sign up to their newsletter visit the Science Museum website.
We particularly like the Early Birds events. During these sessions we have been able to access the museum from 8am and choose to pay a small fee to use their additional exhibits such as simulators and the Wonderlab and PowerUp, the computer game centre.
The main exhibits are available free of charge.
Are the facilities neurodivergent friendly?
The Science Museum is well signposted, and I think, not too confusing to get around.
It has plenty of toilets for visitors to use, particularly on the Basement level where there is also acres of tiered wooden bench seating avaialble for people to eat their own food on (it is used by school groups during the week).
There are the usual cafes and gift shops dotted around the museum. The cafe's are actually quite nice and the food, while not cheap isnt extortionately priced either.
Cost / Disabled Concession
The Science Museum's main galleries are free to enter for all visitors.
If you wish to visit their special exhibits like Power Up, Wonderlab or the Flight simulators these require a seperate ticket which you have to pay for in advance. There is no disabled concession offered for these tickets.
For more information visit the Science Museum ticketing page
The museum is open 10am - 6pm; last entry is at 5:15pm.
FINAL THOUGHTS
London's Science Museums is a huge space and full of fascinating exhibits. It features halls on space, fflights, time and maths and contains a range of artefacts that really captured the attention of our oldest child.
However I do feel it is lacking in the hands on / experiential exhibits that are so useful for engaging children - most of them have been hidden away either in the Pattern Pod (kids aged 9 and under), The Garden (for the 3 - 6 year olds, it can be found in the Basement) or the WonderLab (which you have to pay for). As such I think the museum is best suited to older children who are happy to engage with the exhibits mostly by reading and looking, not touching!