Helsinki Technical Museum – The Ghost and the Invention Device

A Children’s Exhibition

This children’s exhibition in Helsinki Technical Museum is an interactive and child-centered learning environment that includes versatile learning methods. The environment together with museum objects support children’s creative museum engagement and encourages them to observe, handle and understand technology as a part of their everyday life.

The exhibition tells a story about the Ghost of the Museum. The Ghost requests children to learn about technology via play, mysteries, hands-on tasks and inventing.

The exhibition includes different areas with different viewpoints into technology: essence of technology, stages of invention, values and relevance of technology, collaboration, Finnish inventions and changes that have taken place in technology in the long run. As a culmination of the museum tour children can switch on The Ghost’s Invention Device by using the new skills they have learned in the exhibition.

A big number of versatile learning methods may be used in the exhibition and in museum activities, e.g. timelines, measuring, hands on, observing, classifying, inventing, arts and crafts, collaborate thinking, storytelling, tinkering, engineering, physical exercises…

The exhibition consists of 5 interactive and approximately 10 hands-on  exhibits and showcases.

The visitors get to observe the inside parts of telephone devices from different eras. Also, there is a big garbage sorting machine with mechanical conveyor belt and pucks which helps children to understand the garbage sorting principles and test themselves if they are getting it right.
There is a learning area where children can test their ability and creativity by making their own inventions out of common materials and tools found in everyday life.