The Creativity Gallery

Everyone is creative. We can all question, play, take risks and come up with new ideas. Play helps children develop social skills, and build confidence and self-esteem. This gallery looks at how children express their creativity. Each section, Imagine, Be Inspired, Explore and Make it Happen has interactive spaces where children and adults can express their own creative ideas. Highlights in the Creativity Gallery include traditional Burmese marionettes and Javanese shadow puppets, Weebles, Smurfs, Strawberry Shortcake, the Yellow Dwarf Theatre, Airfix sets and African wire toys.

Imagine

Playing in the Creativity Galleries (click image for larger version)

This part of the gallery looks at how children play imaginatively. Imaginative play for young children is based on activities and objects that are already familiar to them. In the Imagine display you'll spot popular toys for young children such as Fisher Price play sets, tea sets and dinner services dating from 1830 and dust pans and brushes from the 1940s.

In the small world play area, children can play with examples similar to those in the cases or they can dress up and make up stories on the make believe stage using a spinning wheel to give them inspiration.

Be Inspired

Objects on display in the Creativity Galleries (click image for larger version)

The Be Inspired displays shows many beautiful things from the Museum's collection and contains some of the most unusual objects we have. You can see Chinese Rock Gardens dating from 1780, traditional costumes from Japan, India and Spain and a wonderful creation called 'Tmith' by artist Sam Smith.

Be Inspired looks at how children look outside their own experience into literature, television and film and use these worlds of fantasy to inspire their own adventures. There are toys from science fiction to see as well as comics and film and TV merchandise such as Star Wars and Dr Who. There are also superheroes like, Superman and Spiderman.

Explore

Objects on display in the Creativity Galleries (click image for larger version)

Explore looks at how children learn through play and acquire new skills as they get older. You'll see Vachers model bricks dating from 1885 and other building toys such as Meccano, Mini Bricks and Lego. There is a display of arts and crafts which includes a child's writing desk from 1850 and a writing set about 1780.

The sensory pod in this part of the gallery offers visitors a unique space to daydream and imagine. The pod has been designed to give people with special needs a wide range of sensory experiences which aid therapy, learning, relaxation and fun. There is also a play table where you can build your own Meccano or K'nex master piece.

Make it Happen

Drawing in the Creativity Galleries (click image for larger version)

The Make it Happen displays house toys that have been made by other children. Many of these are simply made from things found around the house. Some have been made at school or at a club. There are examples of needle work by a young girl called Mary from 1786 and scrapbooks that were very popular with Victorian children.

There are toys made from unusual materials such as miniature furniture made from feather quill and cloths pegs, little figures made from nuts and dolls made from bones. There are also wire toys made by children in Botswana and Madagascar.

Aquadraw panels can be found in this part of the gallery for children to enjoy painting their portrait as well as heat sensitive drawing boards and magnetic poems.