Museum of the Great Southern’s Discovery Centre brings school holiday program on Viking history to Albany

Grab your helmets and get ready to board your longship as the Museum of the Great Southern’s Discovery Centre brings the history of the Vikings to Albany with immersive, hands-on activities for the school holidays.

The two-week program will kick off on March 30 with several fun and educational activities planned.

“This immersive, hands-on and, above all, fun program will encourage visitors to consider what we know about Vikings and how much is actually true,” Museum of the Great Southern manager Catherine Salmaggi said.

Designed for kids from an early age up to 14 years, the program includes crafts, role play, puzzles and the chance to try on Viking armour.

Bookings are not required for the Discovery Centre events so anyone is welcome to drop in and take part, though anyone under the age of 12 must be supervised by a parent or guardian.

“In our Discovery Centre program, we show what everyday life in Viking times was like,” Ms Salmaggi said.

Booking is required for the Warrior Workshops, however, which will be hosted at the Co-Op Building on April 3 and 10.

While the program is first and foremost meant to be fun, Ms Salmaggi said the museum staff hoped to encourage children to think about history critically through evidence.

“We want younger visitors to think about past events, in this case through the use of evidence in the form of writing, pictures, and objects,” she said.

The program will run from March 30 to April 14 and tickets for the Warrior Workshops are available on the museum’s website.