Science Centres, Museums & Art Galleries

Science Centres, museums and art galleries across the country take part in Maths Week Scotland every year with special events, activities and exhibitions. Find out what is happening near you on our events page, or check out the places below which have taken part in Maths Week Scotland before and offer maths activities all year round.

Science Centres

Mathematics is one of the oldest sciences, so you will find lots of maths related activities at any of these science centres around Scotland:

Museums

Museum on the Mound (Edinburgh)

The Museum on the Mound is all about the history of money and banking, so you will find a lot of money related maths here, including a family trail and other hands-on activities such as cracking a safe. Admission is free.

National Museum of Flight (East Lothian)

Visit the National Museum of Flight at East Fortune Airfield and take part in our Museum of Flight Family Maths Trail. You can either print off a copy of the trail before your visit, or download it to your phone. Once you've answered all the questions, head to the Fantastic Flight hangar where you'll find more maths in all the interactive science activities.

National Museum of Scotland (Edinburgh)

The National Museum of Scotland cpvers a wide range of topics, so you will find maths connections in many of the displays there, in particular in the Science & Technology galleries. 'Earth in Space' also has a beautiful collection of navigational instruments used to measure the world, and there are lots of shapes and patterns to discover in the Art & Design galleries. There is also a downloadable 'World of Maths' trail, which was designed for schools but can be enjoyed by families too.

Summerlee Museum of Scottish Industrial Life (Coatbridge)

Come along to Summerlee Museum and take part in their free Family Maths Trail. Follow the map around the museum and solve the puzzles as you go. Pick up the trail for free in the exhibition hall, or ask at reception.

Art Galleries

Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art (Edinburgh)

There's lots of shapes, patterns, and more to discover at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art both indoors and outdoors, with free family trails to guide you round. They have also produced some Maths Week Scotland resources for schools, some of which are suitable for families too, in particular the Maths in Motion activity pack which includes reflections and follow-up activities for six different artworks.

The Pier Arts Centre (Stromness)

The Pier Arts Centre created a series of maths related activities that focus on their collection, for you to download and enjoy.

Activity 1: Ben Nicholson | Activity 2: Jim Lambie | Activity 3: Barbara Hepworth | Activity 4: Steven MacIver

Latest News and Events

News

How to Play Threes Away

We love a good dice game! If you travel with some dice in your pocket, you'll never be bored, there's so much you can do with them. Today's game Threes Away requires five dice - you'll also need to think strategically, and it encourages number recognition too.

News

Strategy Games: How to Play Queah

Learn how to play Queah - a strategy game from Liberia.

28th Sep
Event

Science Saturday at the National Museum of Scotland

Hawthornden Court, National Museum of Scotland | | Free
Celebrate Maths Tales at the National Museum of Scotland with our Science Saturday