Meeting the Natural History Museum mammoths in London
Question of the day – how do you explain mammoths to a not quite two-year-old? ‘Once upon a time, a long long time ago, there lived some animals called mammoths – like furry elephants.’
review visit*
Minnie seemed quite taken with this concept. Although as I discovered, when we turned up at the new ‘Mammoths: Ice Age Giants’ exhibition at the Natural History Museum, furry elephants is pretty wide of the mark.
[EDIT: The Natural History Museum mammoth exhibition has now closed but you can check out my tips on visiting the Natural History Museum with a toddler or see my video on a later whales exhibition including the whale skeleton in the Hintze Hall]
Yes there’s the famous woolly kind, but there were also pygmy mammoths and smoother skinned Columbian species living across four different continents. And while they are related to elephants, it’s long-lost cousins rather than direct ancestors.
Minnie, thankfully, was happy to accept the update to the explanation, wandering around announcing, ‘Mammoths. Not elephants’ as she peered at the displays.
And whether you’re nearly two or decades older, it’s fascinating.
Starting with miniature versions to compare the various mammoth/elephant species and a timeline, there’s a mix of information to discover, skeletons and models plus gigantic curved tusks, videos and some great interactive options – my favourites: tusk jousting and discovering just how tricky it is picking something up using a trunk.
The museum knows its audience, with plenty of signs saying ‘Please touch’ next to recreated hairy trunks or woolly patches similar to mammoth fur.
Minnie, being a typically inconsistent toddler, declined to stroke these weird and wonderful objects but older kids and their parents (and me) were making the most of it.
She did love the poo exhibit though. Five different kinds of droppings, where you could guess the animal and lift a lid to discover the answer – so between uncovering bears and rabbits, the word sloth has now entered her vocabulary.
But if the giant cave bear and sabre-tooth cat models dominated the room, it’s the baby mammoth which has most impact – for adults, certainly. Lyuba, the world’s most complete mammoth, is making her first appearance in western Europe as part of the exhibition (no photos allowed, alas) as part of the exhibition.
Thought to have died round 42,000 years ago, aged just one month, her body was preserved, frozen after being buried in wet clay and mud in Siberia.
Then To finish, a reminder that elephants could one day go the same way as the mammoth and the conservation work that’s trying to prevent that.
Definitely not just for kids, the museum has done a great job of balancing child-friendly information and interaction with more in-depth information and details.
How about the toddler verdict? On the tube ride home, Minnie was still optimistically asking for ‘more mammoth’ – so a mammoth success all round.
Need to know: London Natural History Museum mammoth exhibition
The exhibition runs to September 7, 2014 and is open every day from 10am to 5.50pm (last entry 5.15pm). Tickets cost £10 for adults, £6 for children (free for under 4s) and £28 for a family ticket – click here to book and for the latest exhibition details.
Tickets are timed as entry is limited to avoid crowds at busy periods – you can book up to three hours in advance, and are advised to turn up 20 minutes early at peak times. Once you’re in, there didn’t seem to be any limit on how long you could spend – even an easily bored toddler happily spent 30 minutes, but you could while away an hour there.
There’s plenty of room for buggies or you can leave these for free in the museum cloakroom (folded only). Step-free entry is at the Exhibition Road entrance.
For more tips on visiting London’s museums with toddlers and kids, check out my guide
Disclosure: My ticket was courtesy of the Natural History Museum. All opinions and bad mammoth puns are my own.
Images copyright MummyTravels
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This looks a lot of fun! My toddler too I suspect would enjoy the poo display (what is that all about?!) but the whole exhibition looks pretty kid and parent friendly and a great introduction to mammoths. Will have to take a look when I’m next in London.
It really was a great little exhibition – I think lifting the lids was as much fun as anything else, but there was a little boy (5ish) who thought it was fantastic, so the museum definitely knows its target audience. Definitely worth a trip if you’re in London before September.