Fun Museums Let Kids Touch and Explore Stories

Many museums have strict "don't touch" rules that can make visits boring for young children. But some new family-friendly museums are doing things differently. The Story Museum in Oxford, England, encourages kids to touch, play, and explore. These museums are making art and culture fun for families with young children.

The Story Museum sits in an old post office building on Pembroke Street in Oxford. When families arrive, they get colorful wristbands that let them leave and come back all day. This takes the pressure off parents who worry about rushing through exhibits. The museum has several different areas designed for children of all ages.

One popular area is called Small Worlds, which is made for children under five years old. The room is bright and cheerful, inspired by picture books and nursery rhymes. Children can play freely while adults read them stories. There's even a pretend story bus that kids love to climb on and "drive."

Upstairs, the main galleries offer even more exciting experiences. Kids get special passports as they enter through the story portal. The Whispering Wood is an indoor forest filled with talking trees and fairy tales from around the world. Children can open tiny doors in tree stumps to see story scenes inside.

The museum often has special temporary exhibits too. During one recent visit, everything was about dragons. Kids could dress up like dragons, make origami dragon claws, and even smell what a dragon's den might be like. The exhibit was created with help from Cressida Cowell, who wrote the "How to Train Your Dragon" books.

Another favorite area is the Enchanted Library, which shows the history of children's books in a fun way. Kids can play digital Pooh sticks in the Hundred Acre Wood. They can also climb through a wardrobe into the snowy forest of Narnia, just like in the famous books. The experience includes fur coats to touch and snow sounds under their feet.

Lucy Webber, the museum's head of learning, explains their philosophy. "We're very much the opposite of a don't-touch environment," she says. "So, do talk, do touch, see what happens." This approach lets children explore freely while adults can relax and enjoy themselves too.