Daycare children excited about the trip to the Göttingen Knowledge Museum!

Daycare children excited about the trip to the Göttingen Knowledge Museum!

In June, 19 preschool children from the Elementum daycare center in Nörten-Hardenberg experienced an exciting adventure. Together they made their way to the “Forum Wissen”, the knowledge museum at the University of Göttingen. After a hearty breakfast we walked to the local train station, where some of the children had their first train ride on the agenda. The short trip to Göttingen filled the little explorers with anticipation.

After their arrival in Göttingen, the group was warmly welcomed by two museum employees. In the first room of the “Forum Wissen” there were various activities that made researchers’ hearts beat faster. The children worked on exciting puzzles and sat down in a mirrored triangular tube. Building blocks invited them to create creative buildings and try out the mechanics in a playful way.

Active and creative in the museum

After half an hour of fun we went on to a workshop. Here the employees presented a pyramid made of wooden sticks and rubber bands. Together the children thought about how many surfaces the pyramid had and what was needed to assemble it. Each child was allowed to design and paint their own little pyramid, although some required assistance with attaching the rubber bands. Such practical tasks not only offer a lot of fun, but also promote creativity and team spirit in the little ones.

Another highlight was the viewing of an impressive whale skeleton that hangs in the museum. The children were able to estimate how long the baby whale is - a wonderful 17 meters. After this exciting tour, there was a picnic on benches in front of the museum, which was prepared by a colleague. We then went back to the train station full of energy.

The Knowledge Forum: A place for families

The “Forum Wissen” offers exciting experiences not only for preschool children, but also for families. There are workshops and interactive tours that awaken the latest thirst for knowledge. For example, a digital scavenger hunt called “Pim, Pixel & Piku” is offered for families and children. The aim is to find an important password in a fun way while exploring the exhibition. A radio play tour guides visitors through selected exhibits and addresses central questions about the exhibition itself, from “Who is exhibiting?” to “Why is it being exhibited?”, as forum-wissen.de reports.

For children aged five and over, audio tours are available via Tonieboxes or smartphones, which are available in various languages. And that's not all: A mini mathematics center allows children aged 3 to 8 to discover the exciting world of numbers and shapes without registering during opening hours. Here we learn and play together, which is great for the little ones' understanding.

The “Forum Wissen” is not the only institution that is concerned with promoting knowledge among the youngest. The German Museum in Bonn opened a new KIDer KI:osk, which deals with artificial intelligence and digitalization. Here children can learn in a playful way what AI means in an age-appropriate environment. Various activities such as machine learning games and puppet shows make learning not only educational but also entertaining, as deutsches-museum.de informs.

At the end of the day, everyone agreed: the trip to the “Forum Wissen” was a great experience that combined knowledge with fun and was sure to leave a lasting impression on the little adventurers. Education can be so simple and yet so exciting!