Primary Times - the definitive what’s on and where to go family guide of activities and events for children of primary school age. Things to do with your kids during the school holidays including arts and craft activities, music and theatre for children, parties, competitions, days out, and family attractions along with term time drama schools, dance classes, after school clubs and sports activities. Things to do at a place near you!
The Box Plymouth Preview
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Ahead of the official opening on Tuesday 29 September, members of our team were delighted to attend a preview event at The Box in Plymouth - the largest arts and heritage museum space to open in the UK in 2020.
With the opening having been delayed from the spring for obvious reasons, The Box offers a new and exciting opportunity to explore the local area’s past and present through a number of different exhibits for all ages.
Natural history is a huge part of the collection with over 150,000 specimens. These include the only cave lion skeleton on display in the UK, an estimated 90,000 insects, including five species of bugs only found in Devon, 10,000 minerals, 10, 000 plants and one of the UK's largest collections of wet-preserved marine skeletons. At the centre of this collection stands a life-size woolly mammoth to represent the many thousands that would have walked Plymouths earth many thousands of years ago as well as the tooth that was studied to create the sculpture
100 Journeys explores some of the groundbreaking and momentous voyages that began in Plymouth and features original artefacts from the travels of many different explores including Sir Francis Drake, Charles Darwin and Scott of the Antarctic.
The Port of Plymouth exhibition explores Plymouth’s relationship with the sea from the Bronze Age through to it’s growth into a powerhouse of trade and commerce to its current position as a centre of maritime industry and defence. Visitors will find themselves immersed in audio-visual displays and collections of artefacts of archaeological interest as well as discovering the stories of the communities that have shaped the port and the wider city.
Families and children visiting the Media Lab, the showcase for the South West Film and Television Archive, will have the opportunity to present a TV programme in the mock TV studio developed in partnership with BBC South West, edit a film, gain access to thousands of images and films from the collection and even get a chance to meet Gus Honeybun!
Photo Album showcases thought-provoking photographic displays that reflect the lives of people in Plymouth. The photo wall Plymouth: The Five Towns presents a selection of images of the city dating from the late 19th century to the present day. 
Active Archives illustrates key episodes in the city’s history using archive documents, books, historic artefacts and the earliest record of a pasty recipe, dating from 1510. Visitors will also see artefacts relating to Plymouth’s experiences during the Second World War.
The Mayflower 400: Legend and Legacy exhibition is the national commemorative exhibition for the Mayflower 400 anniversary and the largest loans exhibition every staged in Plymouth and has been co-created with the Wampanoag Advisory Committee to 400 in the USA. Objects, images and ideas are used to look not just at the sailing of the Mayflower but the cultural and personal legacy both here and in North America.
Visitors can also pick up family-friendly trail sheets full of activities that can be completed around the venue around different themes – Thinking and Making, Can We Change The World, Where Have They All Gone, Design and Build and Lost and Found.
Interactive and multimedia exhibits are available throughout the venue including the opportunity to get up close with microscopic insects and view Plymouth’s history with by looking closer at electronic maps throughout the centuries and using the ability to overlap them and see the changes in front of your eyes.
The centre also includes the Plymouth Local Studies Library Collection, the Cottonian Collection and Research Room, the Our Art exhibition which shares a mass display of over 350 artworks from four centuries of South West artists and Making it, the inaugural contemporary art exhibition featuring the work of six contemporary international artists across four spaces at The Box
The gift shop is full of gifts and wares related to the centre and you can also visit The Box Kitchen and Cafe for food and drinks, including a kids menu.
The Box Education Programme
There is an extensive education programme for all ages and stages from EYFS with a variety of different themes including natural history, prehistory, evolution, wartimes and more including a STEAMpunk Escape Room as well as sessions on the Mayflower. There are also loan boxes available on topics such as the seashore, the ancient world and the local area which can be used in classrooms.
There are also free online resources that allow you to explore their collection and find films, image banks, podcasts, animations and more by visiting their Learning Resources page. Visit the website to find out more and download the schools brochure.
How to visit and social distancing/COVID-19 measures
*Admission will be free from Tuesday 29th September by advance ticket only – bookings are available at www.theboxplymouth.com.
*The Mayflower 400: Legend and Legacy exhibition has free ticketed entry for residents of Plymouth and under 18s with a £5 charge for non-residents over 18. Tickets can be booked via the website
*Tables at The Box Kitchen and Bar can also be booked via the website
*Visitor capacity has been reduced and there are clearly marked one-way systems in busier areas of the venue
*Lots of hand sanitiser points throughout the centre
Visit the website to find out more and book your tickets and give them a follow on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Linked In.
Watch this space for another feature from our editor who will be visiting with their young family after the official opening has taken place.