Eureka! (museum)
Encyclopedia
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
al museum
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
for children in Halifax
Halifax, West Yorkshire
Halifax is a minster town, within the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale in West Yorkshire, England. It has an urban area population of 82,056 in the 2001 Census. It is well-known as a centre of England's woollen manufacture from the 15th century onward, originally dealing through the Halifax Piece...
, West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It is run as an educational charity
Charitable organization
A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization . It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization (NPO). It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A...
and not-for-profit organisation.
The museum was partly inspired by Prince Charles, who opened the museum on 9 July 1992 and has subsequently become its Patron.
It is located on former British Rail
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
land next to Halifax railway station
Halifax railway station
Halifax railway station serves the town of Halifax in West Yorkshire, England. It lies on the Caldervale Line and is west from .The station at Halifax is an example of a single island platform acting as two platforms. Platform 2 heads eastbound, towards Bradford while Platform 1 heads westbound...
.
Eureka! is based on the North American model of children’s museums with a focus on play based learning and informal learning experiences. Eureka! is aimed at families with children age 0-11 and encourages lots of parental involvement. It was designed by Eric McMillan
Eric McMillan
Eric McMillan, is a Canadian designer who began his career designing exhibitions. By an extraordinary opportunity in 1972, he started designing play areas and elements that encouraged children to learn through play. The concepts were composed of a great variety of materials. He has been...
, a Canadian designer of several children attractions in North America.
Galleries
The museum has six galleries in total. The main galleries are:- Me and My Body
- Living and Working Together
- Our Global Garden
- SoundSpace
The museum also has three galleries aimed at under-fives:
- SoundGarden
- Desert Discovery
- Creativity Space