Designed for under 5s and their parents, grandparents and carers, each session explores a different part of the Museum’s collections through a mixture of play, stories, trails, craft and science activities. All encourage development, communication and curiosity about the Royal Engineers and the world around us.

Second Tuesday of each month, 10am-11am.

£3 per session per child (Snob loyalty card applies); free for military families.

Normal Admission prices also apply.

Sessions are limited to 20 under 5’s.

Tuesday 12th March – Brilliant Bridges

Royal Engineers are famous for building bridges! Mini Museum Explorers will try their hands at building their bridges and testing them to breaking point using a variety of different recycled materials. They will also sing a famous song about a bridge and use puppets to re-create the story of the Billy Goats Gruff.

Tuesday 9th April – Easter holidays no session

Tuesday 14th May – Airborne Engineer Parachute

Engineer paratroopers are trained to conduct a range of missions, including preventive action tasks. Minis will tour the Museum to discover the important role Airborne Engineers played during the Second World War. Minis will then conduct an experiment to learn which material will stay in the air the longest and give a mini plastic paratrooper the safest, slowest, softest landing.

Tuesday 11th June – Art in Action

Mini Museum Explorers will take a journey around the Museum spotting artwork from all over the world. Taking inspiration from the artwork Minis will create their own masterpieces on framed canvases.

Tuesday 9th July – Queen’s Gurkhas

This year marks the 75th anniversary of the Queen’s Gurkhas Engineers based in Maidstone Barracks. Minis will get an opportunity to look up close at Nepalese objects and art work. Taking inspiration from the colours and prints, Minis will use potatoes to print bold shapes onto fabric.

August- no session summer holidays

Tuesday 10th September – The Art of a Medal

The British Armed Forces recognises service and personal accomplishments of individuals with the awarding of various medals. Medals are a means to outwardly display the highlights of a serviceperson's career. Minis will view, hold and recreate one of the medals on display in the Museum using pens to create the coloured medal ribbon and clay tools to carve into the face of the medal.

Tuesday 8th October – Why Do We Remember

Minis will also listen to stories and poems of brave soldiers and discover why a poppy now symbolises remembrance. Minis will then get creative to make their own poppies to signify remembrance using a variety of materials and place one of the poppies produced at the Museum’s War Memorial. 

Tuesday 12th November - Second World War Fortifications

Linking to the Museum’s ‘Concrete Castles’ exhibition the Minis will explore the exhibition and discover the need for such fortifications.  The Minis will learn that even in Britain there was the need for such protection during the Second World War. Minis will hear a real air raid siren and learn how children would have to hide to protect themselves. Minis will make their own gas masks boxes and ration books.

Tuesday 10th December – Wartime Christmas

Christmas is time for celebration and traditions although during Wartime Christmas traditions were more simplistic. Mini Museum Explorers will sing Christmas carols like those sung in the trenches and make home-made Christmas decorations ready to hang on the Christmas tree.