Finally the Natural History Museum have started doing sleepovers for kids. Last Saturday night was the first of what is to become a regular event at the venue. The first “Dino Snores”, for 200 children. Not surprisingly It sold out within days and proved to be such a success the museum now plans to allow 400 to sleep there every month.
The man who bought my old house is a curator at the Natural History Museum and was there for the event. It sounded like it was a huge success. What a brilliant idea. I’m going to try and get some tickets for my youngest child – he’d love it.
The children attended in groups of five and naturally had to be accompanied by an adult. One of the highlights was a torchlit treasure hunt through the dinosaur gallery. Staff hid reflective discs containing clues among the exhibits, which children had to find.
Films were screened and TV naturalist Nick Baker gave a talk on bugs with one of the museum’s entomologists, Erica McAllister.
Terry Lester, part of the museum team that helped organise the event, said: “For a long time we’ve been inundated with requests from people asking if we do sleepovers, so we thought it was time to give it a try.
“The evening sold out very quickly, and although Saturday’s event was a trial, we’ve already decided to make it a monthly event for the full capacity of 400.
“We’re sure these will be amazing experiences for children and we found the grown-ups who accompanied them also enjoyed it a lot.”
The museum will charge £45 per child for the events, with adults attending free. Mr Lester said a corporate sponsor was being sought to help subsidise places for families who could not afford the fee.
The 26-metre Diplodocus cast welcomes visitors into the Central Hall and has been at the museum since 1905.
I wonder if I could ask them to do adult sleep-overs?
January 18th, 2010 at 3:26 pm
They’ve been doing that for years here at the Field Museum and so far I have managed to avoid it. I can barely get a good night’s sleep in my own bed let alone a hard stone floor. Unfortunately the Little Guy seems to have found out about it. Eek.
January 18th, 2010 at 4:45 pm
Get B & C to take him. Good male bonding, camping, Bear Ghrylls sort of stuff Lx
January 18th, 2010 at 3:35 pm
Son of Thor would love that.
Me less, too many memories of the last time I collapsed asleep in the NHM after quaffing too much wine at a staff function, making a tit of myself and then conking out, slumped next to T-rex, in full view of all my bosses. (I was only 20 OK, not fully grown up and very much a lightweight)
If I can get over the hot prickles of remember humiliation I’ll see if we can match up a visit back to the UK with a future event.
January 18th, 2010 at 4:45 pm
Well, that was precisely what I was looking forward to doing on the adult sleepover!! Will work on it and we can be badly behaved together ! Lx
January 18th, 2010 at 8:26 pm
That sounds so cool !
The Science Museum does late night openings with a bar for adults – almost as much fun ?
January 18th, 2010 at 8:31 pm
Yes, but good to not have to worry about getting home. Maybe we could merge the evenings? Parents in the bar. Kids in the other room. Lx
January 18th, 2010 at 9:12 pm
Sounds great, I’d love to get mine to one sometime. Not a bad price but X5 adds up. Maybe when I win the lottery . ;0)
January 18th, 2010 at 9:58 pm
We have been holding sleepover s for a while, our third year here.. great fun, but l havent volunteered as yet…got the tshirt though..
January 19th, 2010 at 9:29 am
Wow, I’m such a geek that the Science Museum thing sounds really cool :O