National Museum of Scotland for Guides

Before the trip

Ensure you have the group register and emergency contact numbers for all leaders and students
Wear yellow shirt for easy identification
Charge your phone fully and bring a power bank
Review the risk assessment for the day’s route and activities
Remind students to bring a raincoat or umbrella in case of light rain

Downloads

▶️ Risk Assessment for this trip

▶️ Scavenger Hunt

▶️ Registers for this trip

▶️ What to do in an emergency?

A World of Stories

The National Museum of Scotland, located in the heart of Edinburgh, is one of the country’s most significant cultural institutions. It brings together Scotland’s rich heritage, global history, natural sciences, world cultures, design, and technology under one roof. The museum is housed in two interconnected buildings: the Victorian-era Royal Museum, known for its grand, light-filled atrium, and the modern Museum of Scotland extension, characterized by contemporary Scottish architectural design.

Inside, visitors can explore a vast range of galleries covering everything from ancient Scottish artifacts—such as the Lewis Chessmen and the iconic Maiden execution device—to exhibits on ancient civilizations, dinosaurs, space exploration, and cutting-edge robotics. The museum is also home to interactive displays, making it engaging for visitors of all ages.

The Timetable for the Trip

0:00 – Go to your meeting point
0:40 – Arrive at the National Museum
0:50 – The group gathers outside the main entrance. Activity Leader gives an introduction to the museum’s history. Students are divided into groups for their Scavenger Hunt.
0:55 – Begin the self-guided tour of the National Museum
2:00 – Regroup at the museum’s rooftop terrace for a wrap-up. Activity Leaders answer questions, collect feedback, and take a group photo.
2:10 – Prepare for departure; students gather belongings and use restrooms if needed.
2:20 – Leave the National Museum

A great way to organise this trip is to take the group into the upper floor (once you enter, go upstairs). Then, you can describe the layout of the museum which will help with the student's scavenger hunt.

You can then release the group for free time, but it is essential you tell them a meeting point and time to regroup.

When you regroup, ask them if they completed the hunt, collect any papers back, and ask them what they enjoyed seeing in the museum. If you finish before 17:00, the group can stay and explore more if they wish.

T- Rex

One of the show-stoppers in the Natural World galleries is the Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton. It’s a cast of one of the more complete T. rex specimens ever found (the original is in the Museum of the Rockies, Montana). Standing at about 12 metres in length, it dominates the space and immediately captures your imagination. The display not only showcases the fossil architecture, but also prompts questions of paleontology: how dinosaurs lived, how their remains are preserved, and what role they play in understanding prehistoric ecosystems.

Interesting fact: This T. rex is the second-largest and most complete skeleton ever discovered.

Dolly the Sheep

Dolly is famous as the first mammal cloned from an adult somatic cell (1996), and you can see her in the museum. Her preserved body brings home the huge scientific implications of cloning and biotechnology, including ethics, genetics and what it means to be “identical.” The display includes how she was created at the Roslin Institute and what her legacy is — in science, law and public debate.

Interesting fact: Despite her fame, Dolly lived only six years before being euthanised due to a progressive lung disease and arthritis.

Mary, Queen of Scots' Jewelly & Silver Casket

Within the Scottish History and Archaeology galleries, there is a very rare silver casket associated with Mary, Queen of Scots. The piece is one of Scotland’s most treasured royal artefacts. The craftsmanship is remarkable: early French silver, delicate detailing, and a provenance (history of ownership) that ties it to one of the most controversial monarchs of the 16th century. Viewing this piece gives insight into both the artistry of the era and the politics & personal drama of Mary’s life.

Interesting fact: Objects with firm provenance (i.e. clear, documented history) connected to Mary are extremely rare, making this casket especially precious.

The Guy Fawkes Lantern

This is a hoard of silver metalwork from the early medieval period, discovered in Shetland in 1958. The treasure includes brooches, jewellery, and items likely used for feasting. Displayed in the World Cultures / Scottish History galleries, it helps tell stories of early Scottish and Pictish lives, their craftsmanship, trade and society. The design and materials show connections across the Norse world and the British Isles.

Interesting fact: It dates to about 750-825 AD, making it over 1,200 years old!

Monymusk Reliquary

The Monymusk Reliquary is a small, house-shaped shrine from around the 8th century, combining Gaelic, Pictish and Anglo-Saxon design and metalwork traditions. Made of wood and covered in thin bronze & silver plates, its style and craftsmanship are outstanding for its age. Although its contents are long gone, its existence reveals much about early Christian Scotland, art, ritual and spirituality.

Interesting fact: Earlier scholars speculated it might have been the “Brecbennach of St Columba” (a sacred banner/seal used in battle), but this is now considered unlikely.

Window on the World

This is a spectacular installation in the Grand Gallery: “Window on the World” displays over 800 objects from many cultures, time-periods and disciplines. It spans multiple levels (levels 1, 3, 5) and gives a sweeping view of the diversity and depth of the museum’s collections: from tiny glass pieces and scientific instruments to large structural objects like girders. It’s a kind of visual feast, juxtaposing unexpected juxtapositions, encouraging reflection on how museums collect, preserve, and show human and natural history.

Interesting fact: It is the largest single museum installation in the UK.

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