Time Odyssey: A fun, interactive learning experience in UK museums designed for pupils aged 7 to 11.

Time Odyssey, created in partnership by Art Explora and the British Museum, is a major new national learning programme that takes students on a quest through their local museum – both physically and virtually.

Students meet characters lost in time - Revna - the Viking of the Sea, Cheng - a Trainee Scribe from Ancient China, Felix - future leader from Roman Britain, and Hori - a tomb painter from Ancient Egypt. Together they work in teams to tackle five quests and open the time portal to get their chosen character back home.

Art Explora and The British Museum worked with digital developer Arcade to create a new digital-learning-based adventure for school children aged 7 to 11 years old (Key Stage 2) based on core themes in the UK national curricula. Time Odyssey is designed to be played on tablets in the museum collections, assisted by teachers and museum staff.

Our ambition

Time Odyssey aims to increase access for schools to museums, removing the economic barriers that prevent many schools from taking school trips to museums. The digital adventure game offers an innovative and fun way for children to explore collections using the latest technology.   

Time Odyssey aims to inspire a life-long interest in arts, culture and heritage, developing children’s sense of entitlement to culture and heritage by transforming the traditional school trip into a cultural learning adventure.

How to participate

Time Odyssey is a national programme with a growing number of participating museums across the UK. Find your local Time Odyssey Museum Partner!

York Museum Trust

RAMM Exeter (Royal Albert Memorial Museum)

Great North Museum: Newcastle (Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums)

Contact: learning@greatnorthmuseum.org.uk

Curriculum links

Time Odyssey has been designed to build on key themes and topics in the Key Stage 2 of the UK curriculum. Students will learn about core themes including: Shaping our World, Cultural Connections, Communication, and the Environment, all with History curriculum skills built in. Each activity involves working together, developing key skills and, most importantly, having fun!

Students will be encouraged to:

• Understand life in different historical periods
• Work in teams to observe closely, analyse, and communicate information on collections in the museum
• Enhance their communication skills
• Be inspired to visit and explore museums

Travel Support for Schools 

Schools can apply for travel funding up to a maximum of £500. To apply for financial support, please fill in the form below or download it and send it to: timeodyssey@artexplora.org.

By facilitating transport costs, Art Explora is looking to open up participation to schools that face economic barriers to visiting museums and cultural heritage sites.   

New Technology 

Created by digital learning experts Arcade, the experience blends cutting-edge technology including Augmented Reality (AR) and AI segmentation with curriculum-linked activities and creative challenges. The quest uses a learning-through-play approach to build cross-curricular skills, confidence, and teamwork.

 About Arcade

ARCADE is a new type of digital practice founded by architects, tech pioneers, game developers and creative strategists. They specialise in using immersive technologies such as augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) to create three-dimensional digital experiences with the uncommon power to connect people to place through play.

“We work with a variety of sectors including heritage, arts & culture, sports, entertainment, visitor attractions, brands, retail, events and more, helping them to tell their stories in ways that are technically inventive, thoughtfully creative, and seriously playful” - Co-founder of Arcade

‍

Our partners