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Important update from TheSchoolRun

For the past 13 years, TheSchoolRun has been run by a small team of mums working from home, dedicated to providing quality educational resources to primary school parents. Unfortunately, rising supplier costs and falling revenue have made it impossible for us to continue operating, and we’ve had to make the difficult decision to close. The good news: We’ve arranged for another educational provider to take over many of our resources. These will be hosted on a new portal, where the content will be updated and expanded to support your child’s learning.

What this means for subscribers:

  • Your subscription is still active, and for now, you can keep using the website as normal — just log in with your usual details to access all our articles and resources*.
  • In a few months, all resources will move to the new portal. You’ll continue to have access there until your subscription ends. We’ll send you full details nearer the time.
  • As a thank you for your support, we’ll also be sending you 16 primary school eBooks (worth £108.84) to download and keep.

A few changes to be aware of:

  • The Learning Journey weekly email has ended, but your child’s plan will still be updated on your dashboard each Monday. Just log in to see the recommended worksheets.
  • The 11+ weekly emails have now ended. We sent you all the remaining emails in the series at the end of March — please check your inbox (and spam folder) if you haven’t seen them. You can also follow the full programme here: 11+ Learning Journey.

If you have any questions, please contact us at [email protected]. Thank you for being part of our journey it’s been a privilege to support your family’s learning.

*If you need to reset your password, it will still work as usual. Please check your spam folder if the reset email doesn’t appear in your inbox.

Museums reviewed by parents: National Museum of Scotland

© National Museum of Scotland
Discover the secrets of Scottish history all the way from the Big Bang to Sir Chris Hoy, see a T-Rex up close and meet the world-famous Dolly the Sheep – all at Edinburgh's National Museum of Scotland.

Hetty Walton took her kids Tom (11) and Ivy (7) to one of Scotland's most popular visitor attractions, the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh.

Situated in the centre of the city's Old Town, the National Museum of Scotland was formed in 2006 from the modern Museum of Scotland and the Victorian Royal Museum, making it a full-day educational experience for all the family with 16 galleries covering everything from archaeological finds and medieval objects to science, technology, fashion and art.

Best for nursery and Reception kids

The yellow-walled Imagine gallery is ideal for smaller visitors: they can play with mirrors, mosaics and music, get a Chinese dragon to dance, cuddle up and read a story in the quiet corner and even put on their own shadow puppet show. They'll also enjoy the Industry and Empire gallery, which features button-operated models of trains to press and a real Victorian steam train – the Ellesmere Locomotive.

If it's raining outside the light-filled atrium of the Victorian Grand Gallery is a great place for them to run around and let off steam.

Best for KS1 kids

Ivy loved the Adventure Planet zone (located on the top floor) and spent hours camouflaging a fish to keep it safe from a marauding shark, digging for 'dinosaur bones' and crawling inside a tree to discover what beasties live there. She also loved the Animal World gallery with its hanging sea creatures, giraffes, polar bears, T-Rex skeleton and a weighing machine that compared her weight to an animal! (Same as a boa constrictor in case you're wondering...)

The 'Discovery Zones' dotted around the historical galleries were also a hit: she fired a mini trebuchet, fitted armour on a knight, put together a medieval pot and dressed up like Tudor royalty.  

Best for KS2 kids

Tom was most at home in the science and technology galleries which were full of hands-on activities designed to appeal to pre-teens and dominated by a giant working Boulton & Watt steam engine. He tested his skills on the Formula 1 racing car simulator, programmed a robot to spell out his name, checked out Dolly the sheep, launched a hot air balloon and had a go at generating electricity on a giant hamster wheel.

He also enjoyed the Museum's current Monkey Business exhibition (located up the escalator on the right of the Grand Gallery) where he got to swing with an orang-utan, track down a tiny grey mouse lemur and catch as many termites as a chimpanzee.

Don't miss!

The intricate, but slightly spooky, multi-tiered Millennium Clock with characters that move, spin and dance as it strikes on the hour from 11am until 4pm.

Also, if you take the lift just behind the Kingdom of the Scots gallery and go up to level 7 – you can get an amazing view of the city from the rooftop terrace and even eat a picnic on the benches if the weather is warm enough.

If you're short on time and just want to take in the museum's edited highlights, check out the free tours that run at 11am, 1pm and 3pm.

Half-term and holiday events for families

There are always plenty of events and activities going on, from hands-on activity stations dotted around the main halls to workshops, shows and exhibitions. Check the website before you visit or look out for the boards and screens near the entrances to see the timetable for that day. (During Edinburgh's Science Festival in April and the International Festival in August the museum can get very busy, so go early if you want to avoid the biggest crowds.)

Food and drink options

There's plenty of choice, from the first floor Balcony Café serving drinks and sandwiches to the award-winning fine-dining Tower Restaurant at the top of the Tower Entrance. For hot food, the Museum Brasserie in the basement is great value with its special kids' main meal deal for £5.50 which can work out cheaper and more filling than sandwiches.

Getting there, prices and opening hours

National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1JF

Located right in the heart of Edinburgh's Old Town, the museum is a brisk 15 minutes walk from Waverley Railway Station. If you're travelling by car, parking can be a bit of a problem so it's better to park further afield and walk or bus in.

Entry to the museum itself is completely free but donations are welcome. Entry to exhibitions and some events cost extra.

Opening times
Daily: 10:00-17:00
Christmas Day: Closed / Boxing Day: 12:00-17:00 / New Year's Day: 12:00-17:00

Pocket-money shop purchases

There are three shops (the largest is in the entrance hall) that stock a wide range of educational goodies that won't break the piggy bank. Tom was tempted by a multicoloured agate slice (£2.25) or ammonite keyring (£2.25) while Ivy liked the pyramid pencil sharpener (£3.60).

Online treasures if you're too far to visit

Explore the Museum's extensive collection and play online games on the website. 

Links to the National Curriculum

The Museum just about covers it all, from the natural world to technology to history.

  • World Cultures (KS1 & KS2)
  • People Past and Present ((KS1 & KS2)
  • Early Humans (KS2)
  • Ancient Egypt (KS1 & KS2)
  • Dinosaurs (KS1)
  • The Natural World (KS1 & KS2)
  • Mammals (KS1)
  • Habitats (KS1 & KS2)
  • Conservation and adaptation (KS2)
  • Transport (KS1)
  • Earth and space (KS2)
  • Evolution and inheritance (KS2)
  • Design and technology (KS1, KS2)
  • Electricity and circuits (KS2)
  • Science investigations (KS2)



Photography: © National Museums Scotland; Science and technology galleries image © Stewart Attwood

Museum reviews for parents: we need YOUR help!

TheSchoolRun is looking for families to visit museums and other educational venues around the country and 'review' them. Get in touch to have your say about the best family days out (with a learning twist!).