Our Museum – Early Years Book Launch at North Down Museum
November 17, 2025About The Launch
Following the Ballymoney Museum launch in April 2025, ‘Our Museum’ celebrated the second pilot book with a special event at North Down Museum in June 2025.
The book, Max’s Magical Visit to the Museum was the result of a collaboration between Bright Sparks Montessori Pre-School, author-illustrator Ellan Rankin and North Down Museum Education Officer, Ruth Verner. Together, they created a story that brings the museum’s rich history to life through the eyes of a child discovering its treasures for the first time.
During a lively ceremony on Tuesday 17 June, The Deputy Mayor of Ards and North Down, Councillor Vicky Moore, congratulated the young artists and presented each child with a certificate and their very own copy of the book — complete with their name listed as a co-creator!
During the launch, the children played games with movement and music and even became mini museum detectives using Max’s magical key that unlocked the museum galleries.
Max’s Magical Visit to the Museum now has a special place in the Story Corner of the museum’s Little Historians Gallery and is available at libraries across the borough — including Bangor, Comber, Donaghadee, Holywood, Newtownards, Portaferry, and on the Bangor Mobile Library.
The project has shown just how magical museums can be when seen through the eyes of a child — full of stories waiting to be told and adventures waiting to begin.
About the Project
The ‘Our Museum’ Early Years Book Project is an initiative developed by the Northern Ireland Museums Council (NIMC) to strengthen connections between museums, early years settings, libraries, and the home. Recognising that the first five years of a child’s life are vital for cognitive, emotional, and creative development, the project aims to make museums welcoming and inspiring places for young children and their families.
The project was undertaken with Ballymoney Museum and North Down Museum and through playful workshops with artists, illustrators, and museum staff, children were invited to imagine their own stories inspired by the collections and spaces of their local museum. From designing characters to shaping plots and adding their own artistic touches, each group of young creators brought their museum adventures to life in a beautifully illustrated book.
These books have since been gifted to participating nurseries and children, added to museum reading corners, and catalogued within Libraries NI’s collection — allowing the stories to reach children across the wider community. The project supports creative learning across the Foundation Stage curriculum and fosters confidence among early years educators to engage with museums as learning environments.
Pilot Phase 2024–25
- Participating museums: North Down Museum & Ballymoney Museum
- Early years partners: Bright Sparks Montessori Pre-School & Ballymoney Nursery School
- Children involved: Over 60
- Libraries NI involvement: 19 libraries now stock the co-created books
Evaluation Highlights
Feedback from nurseries and libraries demonstrates the project’s strong impact:
- Nursery staff observed development across the Personal, Social & Emotional, Language, The Arts, and World Around Us areas of learning.
- Confidence levels among nursery staff in bringing under-5s to museums rose from 5/10 to 10/10 following participation.
- Only 30% of children had previously visited a museum; following the project, nearly half had returned for another visit.
- Families reported enjoying reading the books at home.
- Libraries NI reported that the books have been borrowed by the community.