While the National Museum of Ireland-Natural History is closed for important building works, get curious this summer with some short 'Museum at Home' activities.

At the Museum you can see all the different marine animals found around the Irish coastline, including some very large whales, dolphins and sharks!

Explore the activities below to find out more about Ireland's marine biodiveristy!

Watch Back: Nature Heroes - Meet the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group

Meet a "Nature Hero" and special guest from the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group and learn about the whales and dolphins around our coast and what makes them different to fish, like sharks. In this online event you'll get a sneak peek inside the Museum to see some of these animals on display and learn more about how you can become an "Ocean Hero" too! 

 

Colouring Sheet: Fin Whale  

Whale hello there! For a quiet and calming activity that everyone can try at home, download and print the colouring page of the fin whale skeleton. Get creative with some coloured pencils, pens and crayons.
Fun Fact: This fin whale was found in Bantry Bay, Co Cork in 1862 and is about 20 meters long! 

Event duration: 35 mins
Activity duration: 10 mins +

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Watch Back: Jawsome Sharks

Explore the fascinating world of sharks! Join a National Museum of Ireland – Natural History Educator to investigate basking sharks and other ‘jawsome’ sharks found at the Museum in this fun interactive event for families, as part of the Let’s Talk Science Festival for Science Week 2021.

Activity Sheet: Shark Search 

Download and print this wordsearch and have fun finding a range of words related to sharks. Discover more about what makes a shark different to other fish!

Colouring Sheet: Basking Shark

Download and print the colouring page below for a quiet and calming activity that everyone can try at home. All you need are coloured pencils, pens or crayons and some creativity! 

Event duration: 22 mins
Activity duration: 30 mins +

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Don’t forget you can also find your favourite animal or fossil on display this summer with an online tour of the Museum using the 3D Virtual Visit. 

Why not let us know how you got on by emailing educationnh@museum.ie or post a photo online through Facebook, Twitter or Instagram using #MuseumAtHome.