Scottish Maritime Museum - Dumbarton

The Scottish Maritime Museum provides a unique and stimulating learning environment which helps to put learning into context and brings learning to life. It provides the sensory experiences of handling real objects, dressing up and exploring original, restored buildings in a distinguished, historical setting.

Active Learning

Pupils learn best through activities and experience and we have a range of differentiated activities to support pupils of all abilities and learning styles.

Pupils can design and build a boat (supported either at school or in the museum), and enjoy seeing how well it sails in the small test tank. Pupils can also experience the moulding and shaping of the models, using original authentic tools. 

Culture and Heritage

The Scottish Maritime Museum has clear goals for its contribution to young people’s learning and development and aims to raise awareness and understanding of Scotland’s maritime culture and heritage. The Museum is fully committed to promoting an understanding of our rich cultural heritage, highlighting our contribution to industry, making the exhibits accessible for study and enjoyment as well as preserving them for future generations. 

Planning a Visit

Visits to the Museum, during normal opening times, can be booked by Schools. Visits, at additional times, can be booked by prior arrangement with the Education Officer or Visitor Services Staff. There is a small entry fee for pupils, depending on choice of activity. Contact museum staff for details.

Groups must have the correct adult-to-pupil ratio to visit the museum. We require a ratio often pupils per responsible adult; no charge is made for the adult accompanying each group. Younger pupils such as nursery school children, or adults and children with special needs, require a higher level, based on a ratio of six students per responsible adult. Some adults or children may require 1:1 assistance, and no extra charge will be made for the accompanying adult.

School Visit – Booking Recommended (free pre-visit available for staff)

Free pre-visits from teachers are also recommended to agree learning objectives and to make a Risk Assessment. At the pre—visit, the teacher will be shown the educational facilities, tour the Museum and receive a copy of the Guide for
Teachers and Helpers.

Sea Trials in Small Tank, Science and Technology: learning through experimentation about stability, forces, streamlining and hydrodynamics.

Various practical workshops and activities can be booked and tailored to fit your school projects. It is important for children to experience genuine artefacts, although it is sometimes appropriate to handle replicas. First-hand observations promote questioning and foster curiosity, which together enhance learning opportunities. Visitor Service staff can recommend the best combination of activities for your group depending on the time you have available, and the particular interest/topic of your class.

Guide for Teachers

Learning with objects, especially real artefacts, offers children the opportunity to develop many different and varied skills. These include:

Developing questioning, observation, exploration, investigation, problem solving, critical thinking. Handling real artefacts is exciting and encourages children to respect the past.

A guide for teachers, ‘Learning outside the classroom’ with links relevant to the Curriculum for Excellence, is available from the Museum. This can be accessed online or directly from the Museum.

The Guide for Teachers details the activities programme being offered by the Scottish Maritime Museum to enhance students‘ learning, either during a visit to the museum or through ‘outreach’ to schools. Since the Museum focuses primarily on the maritime history of ScotIand, our educational activities cover the broad areas of: Science, Technology Expressive Arts and Social Studies.

Guided Tours include:

• Propeller workshop
• Tracer AnaIyst’s office
• Records room
• Superintendent’s office
• Wax model making room – clay moulders and carpenters’ workshop
• Cutting room
• Exhibition room
• Dock area
• Experiment Test Tank and Carriage
• Inventions (Mumford helicopter, Denny hovercraft)
• Mini experimental tank
• Museum shop with wide selection of general and maritime souvenirs
• Cafe for light meals, snacks and drinks.

Sister museum of Scottish Maritime Museum - Irvine.