On our final day of our visit to Scotland we let the kids decide where they wanted to visit and they all chose to return to Edinburgh as they wanted to go to Dynamic Earth.
I bargained for a walk up Arthur’s Seat with them first as Dynamic Earth is part of the Holyrood estate and is sat at the base of the hill, next door to the Scottish Parliament building. Thankfully the cost of parking was a lot more reasonable than it had been at Edinburgh Castle.
A visit to Dynamic gives you the chance to experience the primeval forces of nature and see how they shaped our planet and our visit was fascinating for both kids and adults right from the start.
The first part of the journey celebrated the life of one of Scotland’s greatest scientists, James Hutton – widely regarded as the father of modern geology with various rocks on display and lots of information about how the earth sits on plates and where the fault lines are. Isaac was fascinated at this point as he is studying Volcanoes and Earthquakes at school.
It was the next bit where the tour really stepped up a gear – we got to pretend we were Dr Who and step into a time machine which whizzed us back in time from today right back through Deep Time to the Big Bang. (It was really a lift with screens in it, but sssshhhh, don’t tell the kids).
We then hopped onto a spaceship and rocketed through the universe travelling billions of times faster than the speed of light and see stars explode on the other side of the galaxy and then emerged to a newly formed, restless earth where we could feel the ground shudder as a molten lava flow speeds straight towards us and volcanoes throw clouds of ash and gas into the sky.
I fully expected the kids to be nervous by this point as the ground was actually moving, but a tour guide explained what was about to happen, asked us to hold on and they loved every minute. We went from molten rock to ice and saw how glaciers shaped the earth and then onto early life to see some of the strange and wonderful creatures that have lived here before us.
As we walked through we learned all about us, as humans and what sets us apart from other animals and saw some of the changes that we have made to the planet with satellite images. It was then onto learning about the oceans with an exciting trip onboard a yellow submarine and a chance encounter with a real life iceberg!!
Moving on it was time it was time for an adventure of a different kind and as we sat and waited for our transport to be ready, in the shape of a 4D adventure, we got to look at some reindeer fur and watch a little film about what was going to happen.
My kids don’t really like 4D film so I was a bit worried we would have to leave, but they loved it!!!
It wasn’t your atypical 4D adventure, we got to touch, smell, and feel the adventure as you discover the conifers of the boreal forest. Got a raptor’s eye view of life as we know it before cooling off in an alpine blizzard with actual snow coming from the ceiling. We met a shark head on, escaped the sting of a scorpion’s tail and even come face to face with an amorous rhino!!
The final part of the adventure was arriving in a Tropical Rainforest where we were introduced to some of its inhabitants with fun facts about them and witnessed a tropical rainstorm.
Part of the entrance price also includes a visit to the Show Dome which is a 360° digital
cinema. They show different shows at various times of the day and as Isaac is learning about volcanoes we chose to wait and watch the Super Volcano show.
Whilst we waited we enjoyed some of the activities that Dynamic Earth also had which included dressing up, art and crafts and even racing a hungry crocodile.
Tickets cost £12.15 for adults and £8.10 for children with under 4’s free and there is a 10% discount online if you book in advance.
We really enjoyed our visit with the kids even saying it was better than the Science Museum in London! If we were local we would definitely be here regularly!!
I like Dynamic Earth and I visited with a group of friends last summer. All adults and we had a great time.
You are braver than me to come into the city and park – we always use the park and ride and then get the tram in.
What a fantastic day out! I used to love places like this as a kid!
This is definitely on my list of things to do with my little boy. And now you’ve given me the motivation to get on with it. Looks utterly fab, I know we’d enjoy it as much as you guys seem to have.
What a great day out. I bet the children learned lots too. Lovely pictures.
What an amazing day out that looks – and so much to learn there too….though not too sure I like that spider on the face *scary*
I love the time machine idea!! What great fun. Looks like you had an amazing day out!
It sounds like a really fun way for children to learn about the history of the planet!
What an awesome day out, you guys certainly had fun and a great learning ecperience too
Wow this looks like a brilliant place to visit! I think my son would love it here!
My son went here on a school trip and loved it x x
We’d love to visit this. It’s a shame it’s so far away. The ticket prices are really reasonable too.
My nephew and niece would totally love this place. Looks like fun.
I love science museums and this one looks like a lot of fun for adventurous kids! x
Science museums are awesome we all enjoy them as a family . We’ve not been to this one