Professional Development Portfolio Academic Enquiry: The Victoria and Albert Museum of Childhood, Bethnal Green, London

The Victoria and Albert Museum of Childhood

The V&A Museum of Childhood houses the collection of childhood toys and objects ranging from the 1600’s to present. Among some of the collective toys are puzzles, books, clothes, and play and learning. Combined, these objects allows one to see how children learned and lived through the years.

The front room of the gallery showcases the museums community projects involving emerging artists showing the balanced relation between children and toys. Followed by the entrance /front room is the first floor where you will find four galleries separated to the left and the right of the gallery. The left of the gallery houses the childhood gallery displaying babies, what we wear, who will we be? And good times. Also to the left of the gallery on the first floor one can find the creativity gallery which is divided into four sections Imagine, be inspired explore, and make it happen. This section of the gallery also offers arts and crafts and a sensory pod for school children, but I also participated in both and I found them to be engaging and learning. To the right of the gallery exhibits moving toys, also divided into four sections, pushes and pulls springs and cogs and look and see (optical illusion toys).

I found the Childhood Museum to be educational informative and inspirational. Many of the toys on display were a familiar reminder of my childhood and others I had used in my past profession as an educator for role-playing, hand and eye coordination, and word play. My visit to this museum proved to be very beneficial, as I have since incorporated the product of toys and the activity of learning within my practice. It has become a vehicle for my research subjects of my feathered friends birds.