Family Adventures in Swindon: STEAM on a Rainy Day

With all these rainy days it's hard to find something to keep your children entertained. Luckily for us, Sian Jack has found a perfect family day out come rain or shine.

It’s Easter Sunday, it’s raining with intermittent storms and the little one has a chest infection, what do you do to stop yourself going mad and the little ones from getting cabin fever? Well, we headed to STEAM in Swindon.

Aside from the fact that they had an Easter egg hunt, they were one of the few places that is indoors, nearby to home and, the most important thing for any Thomas lover, it’s full of trains! We actually invested in a season ticket whilst there as we have been a couple of times already this year, and the cost of a ticket is £8 for an adult or £30 for a family ticket (2 adults and one child). It is worth noting that under 3’s are free to get in, but as the season ticket will run past the little ones third birthday we decided this was a good investment. 

The challenge at STEAM for Easter was to find the 10 hidden Peter Rabbits hidden around the displays.They gave clues and we pointed the little monster in the right direction - but I saw plenty of older children hunting around using the clues themselves. It was also very refreshing at that the prize for finding all the rabbits was either a badge or a small chocolate egg. Surprisingly for us, the little one chose a badge!

I love STEAM as there is plenty to keep adults engaged. You cannot help but be fascinated on how the railways were designed and worked on all those years ago. But for toddlers and young children, there is plenty for youngsters to get their hands on and touch - whilst learning as they get older. It is definitely a museum that we will re-visit numerous times over the years, as children grow and develop they will find something new each time to learn!

We bypassed a number of the educational facts as all someone wanted to do was “drive” the trains so we spent a long time walking under, through and around the trains and let him touch all the controls from the engine room.  As it was Easter, they also had a little electric train that moved 20 meters or so which he could go on (and adored). Another big plus point for Steam are the educational play areas throughout. There are books and cushions if your child wants to read one of the Thomas books, through to wooden 3D puzzles and bridge building. These areas are always busy when we go and it is so nice seeing children playing with toys that teach them skills along the way.

I think we are lucky to have something like STEAM on our doorstep and I would recommend anyone to take a visit to STEAM on a rainy afternoon or simply if they fancy doing something different. It is reasonably priced and full of fun for the whole family. It also encourages children to learn about their local heritage and the history of the railway.

STEAM has a variety of family friendly events through out to year