Museum of London Celebrates Technology At Family Festival

Tucked away in the City of London is a gem of a place, the Museum of London. Not one of the best known London museums (there are a lot to choose from), it could easily be overlooked. Don’t be tempted! Inside its austere exterior is 450,000 years of history and plenty of activities for children. Documenting the city’s past events from prehistoric London to the Romans through to the London Olympics, its a fascinating and educational space. I thoroughly enjoyed exploring on my last visit. This November, the museum is putting on a special event to celebrate technology in the city with a free festival geared towards families.

Celebrate Your City Festival

Taking place on Saturday 11 November until Sunday 12 November, it’s a weekend not to be missed for any child (or adult) interested in coding, inventions and technology.

Looking at the range of activities available, you’ll walk away a bonafide digital expert. There’s the opportunity to learn to code like a pro, create amazing inventions, explore GPS technology and much more.

Raspberry Pi

The festival is created in partnership with the mini computer company Raspberry Pi who will be on hand to show what you can create with its basic single-board computers.

We have one lingering in our cupboards which my husband bought a few years ago. It would be good to learn how to use it. No doubt my daughter’s knowledge will soon overtake my own but it’s so important to keep learning and try to stay ahead of the technology curve.

The Raspberry Pi experts will show what can be created with the tiny computer. Did you know you can make items such as a robot with blinking antennas, a digital pixel pet or even a basic piece of wearable technology. I didn’t! How cool is that?

Technology in London

How about discovering the role technology plays in London on a daily basis? You can get to grips with the inner workings of the iconic Tower Bridge as you explore programming techniques. Or, track your movements around the museum using GPS technology. Being a family of travel addicts, this will prove very useful!

What about all the waste that is generated in London every day? Explore how rubbish is treated, where it goes and help build a renewable factory out of recycled materials.

What will no doubt excite my daughter will be the hands-on adventure activity (ok, I admit I’ll love it too). Families will have to unlock messages, codes and phone calls to free an illustrious inventor locked inside her flat.

Once your head has been filled to the brim with technology inspiration, you can sit back and listen as storytellers take you on a fun journey through the history of communication.

The Museum of London continues to surprise and this is an event we are very much looking to attending.

Other family exhibitions

As well as the technology festival, the Museum of London also has an exhibition on Paddington 2. Go behind the scenes of the film and view a small collection of props and costumes used in the movie.

This December, Santa will be at the museum in his secret grotto. Children can tell him their Christmas wish and receive a special gift. Or, take to the streets of London with the museum’s Victorian walk which will transport you back in time. With Christmas decorations and the sound of Victorian carols sung in the distance, you can see the same London Ebenezer Scrooge would have viewed.

The Museum of London’s free Celebrate your City festival is on 11-12 November from 11am – 4pm. Nearest tube is Barbican or St Paul’s. The museum is open daily 10am-6pm. For more information visit the website.

*This post has been sponsored by  Museum of London
** Pictures courtesy of Museum of London, Pixabay and Studio Canal

Have you been to the Museum of London before? Would you be interested in going to the technology festival?