Our Museum – Early Years Book Launch at Ballymoney Museum
April 16, 2025‘Our Museum’ early years book project is a collaboration between museums and early years settings, supported by the Northern Ireland Museums Council.
About the Launch
On 11th April, Ballymoney Museum proudly hosted the launch of ‘Our Museum Day’.
The event was attended by Councillor Tanya Stirling, Deputy Mayor of Causeway Coast and Glens, Councillor Kathleen McGurk, and representatives from Libraries NI, who joined in the celebration. Children from Ballymoney Playgroup were the stars of the day, each receiving a museum superstar certificate and a copy of the book—featuring their own name as a co-creator.
The book was the result of a creative collaboration between Jamie Austin from Ballymoney Museum, Vicky McFarland of Tale Time Stories, and illustrator Kerrie McNeill, who worked closely with the children to bring the story to life. During the launch, Vicky hosted a special story time session to reveal the book, while Jamie treated the children to themed colouring sheets, stickers, and badges inspired by Kerrie’s illustrations.
The event was a joyful celebration of the children’s contributions and a warm invitation to return and explore the museum. It also strengthened the museum’s relationship with the playgroup and gave parents and carers the chance to see the finished book and share the experience with their children.
About the Project
The first five years of a child’s life are crucial in their development, and shape how children learn and grow for years to come. Museums are great places for them to discover and early experiences with museums can spark a lifelong connection with these amazing spaces.
Ballymoney and North Down Museum were chosen to embark on a pilot project to explore how museums can inspire and support our youngest visitors, and just as importantly, what we can learn from them. It also looked at how we could bridge gaps between museums, libraries, nurseries and the home.
Through playful workshops with artists and illustrators, children imagined stories set inside their local museum. They created their own characters, built their own plots — and brought it all to life in a beautifully illustrated book.
These storybooks will now live in the museum as a lasting legacy — for future generations to enjoy, read, and be inspired by. Copies are also being gifted to local libraries, nurseries, and of course, to the children themselves.
What Next?
Causeway Coast & Glens Library Services will be hosting a special event to celebrate the books being added to local library collections, making them available for the entire community to borrow and enjoy.
Meanwhile, the book launch at North Down Museum is set to take place in June. The NI Museums Council is currently producing a project video and carrying out evaluations, with the aim of expanding early years book projects like this one across more communities in the future.