North Shed, National Railway Museum, Science Museum Group
The ‘Early Years and Learning’ project, funded by the Helen Hamlyn Trust, aimed to understand how young children can be supported to engage and learn from museum objects related to STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths). The project focused on object-rich galleries that are not specifically aimed at early years’ audiences.
Findings showed that play - in particular, play that includes a clear structure, adult involvement and learning outcomes - is of particular importance in supporting object engagement and learning. For children with lower science capital and for Early years practitioners who don’t feel confident with science, supporting the adult is key, without taking away the agency of the children they are bringing.
Read the Phase 2 summary report findings