Did you know there are so many cool things to do in Amsterdam if you have kids? One of those is Nemo, the science Museum. I had a look and checked out why it’s so popular.
When you enter the museum, the first thing you see is what my niece calls the “soap bubble area“. You can create giant soap bubbles and some are even big enough to stand in. There are several floors in Nemo and perhaps it’s best to describe them one by one.
The “Fenomena“ area is full with science we encounter every day like sound and movement. This is also the floor that is most suitable for smaller children. They can learn here how the reflection of sound waves works, why some objects that look the same but are made of an other material, move faster then others and what happends when you mix different colours of light. Here they also have the 15 minute Chain Reaction that they show several times a day. This is great fun for young and old and is moderated in dutch and english.
At the “Technium“ there is a very big machine with coloured balls that show you how a logistic process can work. You can set off an order and see how the balls move around the machine and in the end reach their intended destination. In this area you can also visit the world of shapes, huge or tiny chairs to sit on, a big wheel that slowly turns and in which you can create beautiful patterns and a room where you can trick your brain, because small kids turn into giants and the other way around…my nieces favourite!
Is it real or just an illusion?
At the “Elementa“ you can find the exhibition: Life in the Universe. They have this huge screen where you can play a videogame and protect the earth from dangers from outta space such as comets, meteorites and Solar Wind. The kids take a shield and hold them above their heads and the movement is shown on the screen. Kids from every age love this exhibition. They also offer 30 min. science workshops, that starts at 11:00 during the weekends, and during the week at 12:30pm. Kids from age 6 can attent. Unfortunately we ran out of time and didn’t have time for it.
NEMO; Living in space
At the top floor there is, among other things, an exhibition about puberty. For my 7 year old niece this wasn’t so interesting, although the french-kiss-machine caught her eye! haha. Most of the experiments and tests on this floor are for older kids. The same applies to the journey through the mind on the same floor. Very interesting though!
At the top floor you can also find objects from the past and future
Nemo is located near the central station and surrounded by water
Food and Drink
Nemo has a very nice restaurant with a large outdoor terrace which is also accessible without a museum ticket. Totally worth a visit, because it has a nice view over Amsterdam. There is an outdoor exhibition called “energetica“ with wind- and water-sculptures, pretty cool! There are also 2 smaller cafés inside the museum where you can get drinks or enjoy a Dutch “tosti”. Prices in the restaurant are above average but still ok.
Good to Know
- There are free lockers which are video surveillance, so you can leave your stroller or buggy there if you do not want to take it into the museum.
- If you can, go on Saturdays rather then on a Sunday, it is a little less busy. Rush hour is between 12 and 2 pm because the early birds and the people that arrive a little later, overlap. Most people stay around 3-4 hours in the museum, so manage your time carefully.
- It’s not encouraged, but you can bring your own food into the museum. Great for people with allergies!
- Prizes: kids up to 3 years old are free! From 3+ years, you pay €16,50,-
Verdict:
Nemo rocks. It’s so cool that they’ve designed a massive museum, just for children and their families. More importantly, Nemo triggers, teaches and inspire, all at the same time. All in all, I had a great day and spent 3 hours in the museum, but I could have easily stayed much longer.
Nemo, Science Museum
Oosterdok 2, Amsterdam
Website
Love,
Elke
*All photo’s are shot by DigiDaan