We were invited along to check out the brand new child sized play version of Birmingham, entitled Mini Brum today, so that we could share some pictures and our review with you all.
Mini Brum can be found on the third floor of Thinktank Museum and is opening officially this Saturday. Just in time for the start of the school holidays.I’m told that it has cost £2 million to create (from start to finish) and after our visit today, we definitely think it was money well spent and is a great addition to not only the Thinktank museum but to Birmingham as a whole.It is suitable for children from 0-8 but if I’m honest, I had great fun as a parent and I’m 35. Maybe they should create an adult version for those of us who are still yet to decide on what career path we would like to follow?Mini Brum is full of role play scenarios which I’ll run through with you now.So what can you expect inside Mini Brum?Construction Site:The construction site is one of the largest sections within Mini Brum.There’s a mini soft play section. Where little ones can build things with large foam shapes.
A fantastic tube slide which Jemima loved.
Her little face as she got off the slide tells you exactly what she thought of it (with a bit of static in her hair – I promise I brushed it before we came out).
A chance to build your own house with a number of toy bricks and foam windows and all of the tools that you may need, including a wheelbarrow, toy saw and surveyors measuring perambulator (aka click wheel).
A pipe section, where children can learn to connect pipes and see how a ball will flow through them all to show that they are connected correctly.There’s a part where you can fill bags up with bricks and send them up a few floors using a rope where other ‘construction workers’ can collect the bricks and throw them back down a builders tube.
There is a site managers office, complete with phone, outfits to dress up in and clipboards. Matilda really enjoyed this section.
Post Office: A chance for children to pretend to be working in a Post Office, they get to weigh and sort through the parcels being posted and charge people using the till and the card machine.
The Café:All children love to role play in a café and this one comes with a play table and chairs, work surfaces and toy food. Children can put on an apron, pick up a pan and pretend to make some delicious food for their customers.
Matilda and Jemima really enjoyed playing in this section, making friends with some of the other children that were playing too.
Gas Street Basin:A popular Birmingham area gets included in Mini Brum with a pretend narrow boat. You can pretend to steer the boat and people can sit on board and have a rest.
Fashion Studio and Hairdressers:Matilda loved the variety of clothes to dress up in. She could be anything, from a clown to a tiger. Her favourite being a tiger costume. Here’s her best tiger pose.
With a great selection of outfits and props, this will be a very popular section. I even joined in with the clown wig wearing in the hairdressing section. Not sure Matilda was impressed with my look though. Ha!
The Shop:Jemima filled her shopping basket up with a variety of stock in the shop and stood in a queue waiting for the cashier to scan through items and place them into a reusable shopping bag.
Jemima has the ‘waiting in a queue look’ down to a tee.
Dentist: Both girls are loving brushing their teeth at the moment (all kids go through stages right?) and so this section was great fun with giant toothbrushes and pretend teeth. I’m loving their concentration faces.
Doctors: In this section you can dress up as a doctor or a nurse, check your height and your pulse and put your head through some boards with human skeletons on. A chance to talk to your little ones about keeping fit and healthy and different ways that we can do that.Matilda enjoyed dressing up as a nurse… Whilst pretending to be a vet.
Vets: This section was great and possibly my favourite. Just because I love animals and love how into the role Matilda got. She may have been wearing a nurses outfit, but she made a fantastic vet. Holding onto her once poorly dog and ringing up the owners to tell them that the dog was now better.There were a variety of animals needing looking after. Even an elephant. Not your every day type of vets.
Car Workshop:
A popular section that always had people in was the workshop. This was where you could be an engineer and create things. Make your own car with your friends or family and race them to see who made the fastest car.
Change the tyre on a car and see how the inside of an engine is put together (in basic child terms) then see if it passes its Brum MOT.
Yet another section that allows children the chance to be creative and test new ideas.Train Station:A chance for all those train lovers to play with trains on a track, build the track and see what routes you can come up with.
Running Track:Like the landmark Alexander Stadium, there’s a running track at Mini Brum and children can check out their speed. Can they run a lap faster than their friend?
Clock Tower:The University of Birminghams clock tower makes an appearance and gives children the chance to learn about cogs and how they work when put together correctly. Jemima loved playing with this with her dad.
Sensory Garden and Park:Feel different textures, hear different noises and smell different scents. This play garden has lots for little ones to see and experience.
Museum: 
Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery is a focal part of the City Centre and in Mini Brum bits of the museum are found all around the Mini Brum in every section. You get to see old objects from earlier years. Some you will remember, some you may not. But all a good talking point and a moment to share with your little ones.Market Stall and Ice Cream Stall:
In the centre of Mini Brum you can find a market stall and ice cream stall. Both incredibly popular with children. The ice cream looked rather tasty, even if it was fake.Den Building:This section is full of materials to build your very own den. How big will it be? How many children can fit in it? Kids can use their imagination and make whatever they would like.
Alongside the scenario and role play areas, Mini Brum has a cafe area (coffee corner, equipped with baby food/milk warming facilities), toilets, lockers and a buggy park.
This really is a section of Thinktank that you could come to and spend a morning or afternoon with your children. And they really wouldn’t get bored.And what’s even better is its included in the price of your entry to the Thinktank, so you don’t have to pay any extra and could utilise the rest of the museum including the kids city on a lower floor and the sensory science garden outside.A day out at Thinktank is going to be very very popular with this new addition.With that in mind, you, like me, might be wondering how it works, is there a time limit? The answer is no. Is there a limit in numbers? Yes, a maximum of 300 people will be allowed in this section at any one time. Will it close during the day to be tidied up? No, they’re employing enough staff to tidy up as the day goes by.So, what did we at SmallHouseBigTrips think?Jemima gives you the answer here…
It’s a great big thumbs Up!We will be back again soon.Thank you Birmingham Museums and Thinktank for inviting us along to see the fantastic Mini Brum.If you would like to book tickets to Thinktank, follow the link here: https://www.birminghammuseums.org.uk/thinktank/visitJust remember Mini Brum opens on Saturday 25th May 2019.And a little heads up if you have an under 3 year old, they go for free and an adult membership for a full year is only £40. Just think how many trips you could fit in for a year…
