NAILSEA
PEOPLE
We the Curious
Three go on an adventure...
We The Curious, a place for asking questions, getting creative and having fun, reopened this month, after a fire in April 2022 caused extensive damage.
Locals and visitors alike were keen to see the extensive redevelopment work that had been going on behind the scenes, including myself and my two daughters, Paige aged five and sister Chloe, three.
Would it have enough to offer to keep them both entertained for more than a few minutes?
And were they old enough to actually take part in the science experiments?
The answer to both those questions is a resounding Yes!
We The Curious has something for all ages, and with more than 200 exhibits there is bound to be something to suit all interests.
The first floor gallery was where we spent most of our time,
in particular in the Build It zone, which is exclusively for under 8s.
For Lego fans (which my girls definitely are) it is a dream come true, as they were able to construct houses out of the giant bricks.
They were so excited to be able to build Lego houses that they could actually fit inside, and spent ages ferrying the bricks from one side of the zone to another using wheelbarrows.
Eventually they were persuaded to move on, and visit the Bubbles exhibit next door, where you can cover yourself from head to toe in a giant bubble!
Paige loves drawing and animation, so imagine her delight at coming face to face with a giant Morph! Children (and their grown ups) are given the chance to become animators with Aardman’s exclusive exhibition, bringing the much loved characters to life.
Paige and Chloe spent time moving the figures and taking a series of photos, before being able to watch their animation on the screen.
They also loved the tracing table, where they could trace round characters from Wallace and Gromit and colour them in.
The Tinkering Space was another hit with them, as they were able to construct something out of different materials and see if it could fly.
This section of the museum really is perfect for all those creative, crafty children, and encourages them to build, colour and use their imagination.
The Main Gallery, on the ground floor, houses the exhibition Project What If, which has been inspired by questions from the people of Bristol.
It includes interactive exhibits, films and installations, and really makes you think.
The girls were a bit young to really understand the concept, but they enjoyed looking at the images, and pressing all the buttons they could on the interactive pieces.
They were particularly excited to learn about broadcasting a message into space. We The Curious provided us with a great day out, and earnt the highest accolade from Paige and Chloe – a double thumbs up!
Laura Durrant
Bristol’s biggest science centre and educational charity, We The Curious, reopened at the beginning of July just in time for the school summer holidays.
And in its first few weeks it has already proved really popular.The reopening comes after substantial damage was sustained from a fire back in April 2022.
Since then, the team behind the beloved Bristol landmark has been working tirelessly to be able to welcome people back, including going out and about in the city visiting schools, festivals, community centres and more to deliver more than 270 free activities reaching more than 37,000 people.
New visitors and committed fans alike can get ready to discover the magic of two floors packed with more than 200 things to do and explore this summer.
Escape into a world of possibilities in the newest experience which many fans have not yet seen as it opened just months before closure – Project What If.
Inspired by seven intriguing questions from the people of Bristol, from the science of happiness to the nature of time, you’ll find some of life’s biggest mysteries and be able to make yourself invisible, peer into the TARDIS, and even stop time while exploring them.
Launched back in 2000 as Explore At-Bristol and changing to We The Curious in 2017, it’s considered a treasured part of Bristol’s story.
To celebrate its anticipated reopening, staff and friends of We The Curious have shared what they’re most excited to get back to.
"Poppy and Ada are looking forward to playing with the bubbles again. We’ve been bringing the girls, now sevem, since they were a year old," Jo and Victoria
"The sand thing that spins round and around. I love that! And the rock that looks like it’s there but when you reach out and touch it, it’s not,". Lois, daughter of Martin Booth, editor at Bristol 24/7
"Building a massive wall out of the giant building blocks – and then knocking it all down again," Leo, pictured aged five
...and don't just take our word for it, this is what others have to say about We the Curious
PHOTO: Lisa Whiting
PHOTO: Thomas Buttery, Limbic Cinema
To learn more and to book go to https://www.wethecurious.org. Buses from Backwell, Clevedon and Nailsea all stop outside the the entrance at Anchor Road, Bristol
It was fantastic to be able to visit We the Curious since reopening to the public, following the fire in 2022.
We had previously been when the children were much younger aged nine and six.
As it turned out, our visit ended up being on our eldest’s 13th birthday and it was a lovely way to celebrate.
Both he and my 10-year-old.pictured below, thought the highlight was the 3D Planetarium show, a great way to learn more about the universe through some fun interactive topics.
It was nice to see some of the exhibits that had been there before the fire as they still proved firm favourites. This included the bubble experiments and the animation stands.
Fun is definitely the best way to learn and it was in abundance here.
There was a good mix of simple and more complicated.
Sometimes you can’t beat something simple and we spent a lot of time at the Air Table, using different paper models to fly in the air!
However, everyone was equally fascinated at how you can hear music by biting on a straw and how many strands of DNA each species has!
Jacob, aged 10, said: “This is the best day ever.
"I loved everything about it.
"I really enjoyed the Planetarium show as I felt like I could touch all the different planets.
"I also loved the robot and his answer to the question, ‘Do I have a soul?’.
"There was more to do and things to try here than any other science museums I’ve been to.”
Teenager Luke said: “The Planetarium 3D show was the best part for me.
"I learned lots of facts about space and planets which I didn’t know before.
“I also really liked being able to animate my own video and email it to myself.”
WORDS: Trudi Hodges
PHOTOS: Lee Pullen
