Even the stuffed elephant looked really small and the sheep looked tiny
Even the stuffed elephant looked really small, and the sheep looked tiny. I liked listening on a special telephone to the trumpeting of the elephant and the singing noises of the dolphin.I also really liked the “Creepy Crawlies” room because there was lots of information and it was easy to understand. I learnt how little insects grow, and there were lots of machines to play with. We went inside a special house which showed where all different types of insects live – like little bugs in the kitchen in the flour and beetles in the carpet and flies in the rubbish. There was a huge, moving scorpion, and some children were trying to stuff their notepads between its claws.I didn’t really like the Earth Galleries because they were a bit scary, and they told you a lot of things that I didn’t understand, but I liked learning how it felt to be in an earthquake. It is a very full museum and I would like to go back again and spend an even longer time there.Claire: My first thoughts about the museum were that it would be full of eccentric professors with small round spectacles, as it seemed like such an old-fashioned and full place to visit. After spending the day there, however, my prejudices were overturned and I realised that I had enjoyed myself more than I expected, and I really had a good day out.As I am studying A-level biology and geography I was most interested to see the human biology exhibits and the Earth Galleries I enjoyed the human biology best.
It is well laid out and explains clearly how our bodies work using models, videos, slides and gadgets.I enjoyed fiddling with the gadgetry in the Earth Galleries, but that didn’t hold my attention for long. Most of the information I already knew from my A-level course, and although the exhibition is big and bold I thought it would be more interesting for 13-year-old boys.I enjoyed the dinosaur exhibition: I liked the huge skeletons suspended in mid-air, and the roaring, robotic dinosaurs feasting on a freshly killed tenontosaurus. The exhibition on The Origin of Species and Charles Darwin was also interesting.The dealThe Natural History Museum is on Cromwell Road, London SW9 (0171-938 9123). Opening times: Mon-Sat 10am-5.50pm, Sun 11am-5.50pm (closed 23- 26 December).Admission: pounds 6 adults, pounds 3 children 5-17 years, children under 5 free), pounds 3.20 concessions, pounds 16 family ticket (2 adults and up to 4 children).Access: Wheelchair and pushchair access to all areas.Toilets and baby-changing facilities: Clean, plentiful, plus toilets for the disabled.Catering: Restaurant, cafe and snack bars, plus picnic area during school holidays and at weekends for eating packed lunches.Shop: Gift and book shops full of reasonably-priced goodies.Education: Free National Curriculum-based tours for schools.. All singing, all dancing – Somerset dresses up this month, with thousands of pounds, man-hours and light-bulbs being used up in the name of charity.
It’s carnival season again, as
David Foster discovers.
A ripple of applause rattles the cold November night as two magnificent police horses turn slowly into Sadler Street. Every move is measured, deliberate, almost stately.Blue lights scour the ancient buildings as the city’s fire engine, followed by the ambulance, swings around the corner. The crowd draws breath, and presses back on to the narrow pavements; small children wriggle to the front. The music grows inexorably louder, and a cheer breaks out as the first float lurches into view.
