About

This summer, come and enjoy lots of maritime-themed fun for the whole family at National Maritime Museum.

Unless specified, activities are drop- in and will take place in the Learning Space, located on the ground floor of the National Maritime Museum.

Check out the full programme below:

Sensory Fishes (29th July)
- Experiment with different materials and texture to collage your own sensory fish.

Play Outdoors Tuesdays (30th July | 6th, 13th, 20th and 27th August)
- A fun-filled adventure, perfect for under 5s and their adults. The fantastic team of Early Years facilitators have created playful activities, encouraging little ones to explore all things connected to water.

Unity Tote Bags (31st July | 14th August)
- Explore Sarah Hawke's crochet kanga on display in Traders: the East India Company and Asia gallery and delve into her perspectives on colonialism, revolution and connections through the unity tote bag workshop.

Cyanotype Printing (1st August)
- Discover the Victorian art of cyanotypes and investigate the shapes and forms found on beaches. We will use sunlight to create the images of seaweed, shells and much, much more!

Songs from Around the World (2nd and 15th August)
- Come on a musical adventure and explore traditional maritime-themed songs from Hawaii, Jamaica and the Torres Strait Islands. The songs will feature live instruments, movement, lights and even some delicious fruits!

Boat Building (4th and 5th August)
- Which materials make the best boat? Come and design your own boat and then float it down the mini canal.

Make your own Lighthouse (7th August)
- Lighthouses mark dangerous coastlines and helps to guide ships safely into harbours. Join in for a fun and easy lighthouse making workshop.

Home in a Bottle (8th August)
- Inspired by Yinka Shonibare's Nelson's Ship in a Bottle outside the National Maritime Museum, this workshop explores what you would choose from home to put in a bottle if you were setting out to sea, using poetry, drawing, and songs.

Migrating Bird Puppets (9th and 21st August)
- Come and spread your wings! Make your very own flying seabird puppet in this inclusive, colourful and creative session.

Playful Paintings (12th August)
- Inspired by Minoru Tanabe's Sunset seen from the sail training barque Nipon Maru, families can create their own sensory abstract painting. Use your hands and blunt tools to swirl paint around in sealed plastic pockets for a fun and colourful experience!

Games Without Wires (14th August)
- Meet members of the Caribbean Social Forum and learn how to play games from around the world.

Fidget Snakes (16th August)
- Codes are an important part of communicating at sea. Come and make your own fidget snake with a special hidden code to take home.

Labyrinth Exploring (18th August | 1st September)
- Ancient Cretan maps depict the labyrinth – a confusing maze that is hard to navigate. Join in to create a huge labyrinth on the grounds (or inside, weather dependent). You will also make finger labyrinths to take home. Come and see where it leads...

Ocean Sunsets (19th and 25th August)
- Inspired by beautiful ocean paintings in Royal Museums Greenwich's collection, you'll use oil pastels to create stunning sunset scenes over the sea.

Astronomy Sun Catchers (22nd August)
- Get creative with sun catcher papercraft inspired by astronomy, and add a little colour into your day – and windows! This easy workshop is suitable for all ages and great fun for the whole family.

Stories of Sea Songs (22nd August)
- Which came first, the tale or the tune? Songs of the sea have larger-than-life stories in them. Join in for a storytelling session with music, with plenty of opportunities to join in and sing along.

Make a Lighthouse (26th August)
- Lighthouses mark dangerous coastlines and helps to guide ships safely into harbours. Join us for a fun and easy lighthouse making workshop.

Play Outdoors Tuesdays (27th August)
- Head to the lawns in front of the National Maritime Museum for a fun-filled adventure, perfect for under 5s and their adults. Our fantastic team of Early Years facilitators have created playful activities, encouraging little ones to explore all things connected to water.

Inspired by the trade of food by sea, join us for this session to get playful with food. Make a painting using fruit and herb teabags and shake sugar and aromatic spices onto paper to make a sensory picture. 

Role play with teapots and cups and serve tea to your family on the picnic blankets dotted around on the grass. For a full sensory experience, make some noise with coconut shells and shakers made with coffee beans.

Play Outdoors Tuesdays takes place every Tuesday during the summer holidays.

Underwater Sculptures (28th August)
- Inspired by Rowan Mersh's Asabikeshiinh Aeris (Bronze Dreamcatcher), families can work together to describe images from our collections to each other and shape them from playdough or clay.

Families Takeover (29th August)
- Join in for a unique family activity where you'll design and explore an immersive art gallery on the lush grounds of the Queen’s House. 
Engage your senses and creativity as you shape a living art experience! Come with your ideas on what changes would make art galleries more accessible – and friendly – places for your family. 

Wonderful Windsocks (30th August)
- What are windsocks for? Come and learn about this underappreciated technology and make your own to take home.

* Suitable for all ages