(Above) The Big Picture Show in action at the Imperial War Museum North. © IWM North
Feature: Imperial War Museum North: a family must-see
I am sitting in the restaurant of the Marriott Manchester Victoria & Albert Hotel in Manchester overlooking the canal that links with the Quays where earlier I spent the day visiting the Imperial War Museum North. In front of me on the table lies the front page of today's Daily Telegraph with a poignant roll call of the 200 soldiers who have died in Afghanistan 2001 - 2009.
If ever there was a reminder of why a museum such as the IWM North should exist, then the photographs of those soldiers, some of them teenagers when they died, is it.
The award-winning Museum is deservedly marked as one of Manchester's Family Friendly venues. It makes its collections accessible to families in such a variety of ways that you could easily spend a day there - and what's more, it's all free.
Opened in 2002, the Daniel Libeskind designed IWM North is based on a globe shattered by conflict into three pieces. This calls to mind both twentieth century conflicts and also those in the present day. The sweeping angles of the Air, Earth and Water Shards of the building unsettle the visitor and reflect back at us our own turbulent history. They also provide us with a majestic tribute to the lives of the men, women and children caught up in conflict and whose stories are told within.
Younger members of your family may neither appreciate the symbolic nature of the architecture, nor might they be aware that the area in Manchester where the IWM North is situated was a provider of munitions in both world wars. However, as soon as they step into the confined Air Shard main entrance, there is a sense of being drawn into those personal and individual histories from the past.
Hands-on activities encourage kids to learn about the experiences of POWs. © IWM North
The Earth Shard Space, in the centre of the Museum, houses the main exhibition. Its timeline of conflict takes you on a heart-rending journey with real objects, photographs and documents. Enormous silos that house mini exhibitions, allow you and the family to disappear inside and dwell on aspects of the timeline such as women and war and the legacy of war.
Perhaps the children will discover before you do how the floor is shaped to emulate the curvature of the earth and how the walls within the main exhibition space confine and disorientate you in a labyrinthine manner. With each turn you take, you are confronted by the repeatedly destructive effect of different wars upon individual lives.
The importance of personal testimony has led to a stroke of genius on the part of the Museum. The Big Picture Show, an interactive light show featuring light, images and sound, includes the moving Children and War, and regularly covers the walls of the main exhibition space in something akin to a cinematic experience.
You can choose to pause and sit as you take in the experience or wander around and listen instead - especially if you have little ones who want to be on the move. The Big Picture Show is worth a trip to the IWM North alone.
But there's much more for families; numerous interactives help children to try and make sense of the turmoil depicted around them and make connections between events.
The Museum's TimeStacks are another way into the collection. These are rolling displays where, at the touch of a button, you can call up different themed trays of artefacts, covering everything from trench life to the Blitz.
When I was there, children were gathered around a museum staff member at one of the action stations who was showing them replicas of the hats that British and German soldiers wore so that the children could try them on and explore clothing and its impact on those fighting.
IWM North encourages a tactile approach to learning about conflict. © IWM North
And of course there are the changing exhibitions in the special exhibitions gallery. On now - and until January 3 2010 is Captured: The Extraordinary Life of Prisoners of War.
Exploring the truth behind The Great Escape, Colditz and The Bridge Over The River Kwai, children can discover the realities of camp life for themselves. Display cases reach down to the floor and interactives are child height, so children can be more independent of you.
To guide the children around the exhibition, there is an identification card and I saw lots of children enthusiastically collecting stamps for their cards as they found out what had happened to each of the six POWs featured.
With an escape tunnel to crawl through, a pipe to tap secret code messages to each other as well as uniforms to try on, the exhibition constantly comes up with ways to draw children into the POW experience. Families can also watch performances and take part in object-handling sessions.
My husband's grandfather died as a POW working on the Burma Railway. Listening to a moving account by a former POW on one of the many phones around the exhibition, as he spoke of the hardships he and others endured on the railway, brought tears to my eyes. The extracts are short and easy to follow and therefore, ideal for children.
The IWM North also encourages children to respond to the heroic and heart-warming real life stories in the exhibitions with free drop-in sessions including art and craft activities. Check out the website for more details.
Manchester has many more family friendly venues to explore. Further details can be found on the Family Friendly website.
If you can't get to the Imperial War Museum North, why not visit other related IWM venues? Please see details below.
Culture24's Learners and Teachers' Editor, Rachel Hayward, stayed in Manchester, courtesy of the Marriott Manchester Victoria & Albert Hotel.
