On October 26, a new, fascinating underwater world for children will open in the Maritiem Museum Rotterdam. The kids exhibition ‘Plons! De toekomst van de zee’ ('Splash! The Future of the Sea') is the long-awaited successor to 'Professor Plons'. Discover it during the autumn holidays!
For more than thirty years, children learned playfully about the maritime world with Professor Plons. This iconic exhibition is now making way for a new exhibition that highlights life with water in a unique way.
In the new exhibition, young visitors are fully immersed in the fascinating underwater world. The new exhibition allows children from four to 12 years old to think about the opportunities that the sea offers to meet the challenges surrounding climate, pollution and the energy transition.
The kids are challenged to activate their creative brains at interactive 'making places'. Here they can, for example, design a sea farm, collect plastic from the sea, or colour and scan fish and then release them into the sea. Children playfully collect energy from sources such as wind, waves and sunlight.
At the end of the visit they receive their results and a digital gift: a photo of themselves in a submarine. Another highlight is a spectacular installation that responds to movements. In three zones – the coast, deep sea and open ocean – the underwater world comes to life, with plants and animals responding to visitors.
There is various play equipment for the little ones, such as a large ship in the centre of the room. All kinds of maritime games can be played on deck; children can raise the flag to signal, tie knots and see which cargo they want to take with them on the ship.
In the hands-on exhibition, children are challenged to develop skills such as creative thinking, being solution-oriented and working together. The exhibit shows children that actions have an effect: positive or negative. Also, it invokes interest in the maritime world and create understanding for responsible and sustainable handling of flora and fauna.
“The Maritime Museum has a reputation to uphold as a family museum,” says Bert Boer, General Director. “With the realization of the new exhibition, we are introducing a young generation to the maritime world. But not only that. For many, Plons! is the first introduction to a museum in general. We are committed to ensuring that children can learn through play.”
When are you going to visit the Maritime Museum with the family?