What is Takeover Day?
Takeover Day is when museums, galleries, and heritage sites invite children and young people to take over tasks usually done by adults. Pupils can become tour guides, curators, welcome hosts, press officers or conservators for a day.
The annual event was established by Kids in Museums to help cultural institutions empower young people and give them meaningful roles in their organisations. Over 5,000 children and young people take part each year.
Climate action
Takeover Day 2021 is the first themed event, timed to coincide with the UN Climate Conference COP26 in Glasgow. This year children and young people got involved on the theme of climate action.
In association with Kids in Museums, the Horniman Museum and Gardens invited 30 primary school children to create a temporary installation on climate change problems and solutions.
Pupils from three local primary schools; Fairlawn, Holy Trinity and Perrymount joined us for a workshop on climate change delivered by Dr Emma Nicholls, our Deputy Keeper of Natural History.
Children wrote labels encouraging positive change for display cases in our Natural History Gallery. Pupils’ work will be on display 11–14 November 2021. We hope that visitors will enjoy the installation and take home some inspiration for positive ways to help the planet.
The King penguin lives in the Antarctic, they are usually in groups. Due to climate change, they are at risk. Ways we can prevent this is walking more, and control your diet as meat puts pollution in the air.
Koalas are in danger because of forest fires, caused by climate change. We can help stop climate change by growing trees and taking more care of plants. We can also help by switching off the lights.
The Indian crab is in risk of going extinct because of ocean acidification from carbon in the atmosphere. And we can stop that by turning off the TV and turning off the lights.
Many species of langur are in danger, we need to help them!! These monkeys are sacred to Hindus. Due to deforestation and human disturbance, they’re getting closer to extinction.
