With the kids in Bristol: We The Curious

We hadn’t even made it into We The Curious before my children spotted the planetarium – or, to use their words, the silver ball – and they were mesmerised. The only way I could persuade them to come inside to explore the rest of the science centre was to explain that we’d actually be sitting in it whilst being transported through space. Suddenly very keen to find out what I was going on about, they dragged us inside.

Stepping out onto the ground floor was overwhelming. There were so many different activities and exhibitions, it was difficult to know where to start. It was a good job my children didn’t have this problem. They knew exactly where they were heading: the water experiments.

Water play at We The Curious allows children to get hands-on with all the exhibits

First they got to grips with a large circular tank which had pullies, cogs and wheels attached to it. It set the tone for the hands-on nature of We The Curious, where my children’s favourite questions – why and how – are constantly being asked and answered.

Before I knew it, they were off to what I would describe as a large hamster wheel. Turning the wheel by walking on it would move other cogs and in turn draw water into more of the exhibits. My children didn’t have quite enough strength to get it going, but to avoid the disappointment I gave them a helping hand. Being able to run and jump around, make noise and have fun while learning about science was brilliant.

Pretending to be a hamster on the treadmill at We The Curious

From the parachute launcher, which they loved and could quite happily have stayed at for most of the morning, we spotted a fake cow that needed milking. It was too much of an opportunity to pass up. The cow was in the middle of the food area, where we chatted to a robot who gave us recipes for sweet and sour chicken as well as a strawberry stack. But what was even better was the kitchen, where my children got involved in a discussion about food, and also got to try some. I think my son even had seconds. It was at that point that I knew it was lunchtime.

We found the special area designated for picnics, which was very handy as we’d brought ours along. There’s also a cafe on site that offers freshly prepared and sustainably sourced food and drink.

Busy building using life-sized soft bricks at We The Curious

With energy levels topped up it was time to explore upstairs, first in the Wallace and Gromit-themed animation section, and then in the building area. It’s a very simple concept: life-sized soft bricks for the children to build their own walls, houses or whatever their imagination tells them. Looking around, I could see that this was not just a haven for children but also grown men.

Although my children were having a whale of a time it was at that point that we heard our call to the planetarium, so my daughter and I headed in to the planetarium to experience Solar System Odyssey 3D.

We sat comfortably in the cinema seats with our 3D glasses on, ready to experience the wonders of space. As the lights went down I could tell that my space-loving daughter was very excited. With the film projection right across the domed ceiling above us, it felt so real as we travelled through our galaxy being treated to little pearls of wisdom.

It was now my son and husband’s turn, with Rocketship Adventure 2D – a film suitable for younger children that not only transports them through space but was also guided by hand puppets. My son was mesmerised. We probably only scratched the surface of what We The Curious offers, but we certainly enjoyed our trip to the silver ball and the stars and planets that we explored inside it.

A visit to We The Curious costs £15.95 for adults and £10.45 for children (aged three to 15 years). Children under three go free. Visit www.wethecurious.org/visit-us for more details on prices and discounts.