Queen Victoria & King Albert Children's Museum

We went to the Queen Victoria and King Albert Children's Museum to see the historical toys, clothes, strollers, beds, etc. through the years. But first we had a little ice breaker into how toys were made in years past and compared them to how they are made today. Whether they are interactive with other kids, marketed to children, and if they are/were gender bias. Eye opening, but I knew there was some from when I was Art/Graphic Design college. 

Throughout my wonderings through each exhibit I watched how other kids and their parent's or chaperone interacted with them. I also saw kids sitting on the floor simply drawing a relic behind the glass encasing. I got some photos of this.... But with NO faces of any child. I even looked through them after I uploaded them to my computer to make sure everything was ok. 

Suzanne, Kevin and I went to this really cool museum, the Royal Hospital Museum. It was small, but cool at the same time!!! 

The Royal Hospital when it was first built

Joseph Carey Merrick was probably the man who laid the foundation for people with deformities and disabilities here in the UK (London). Its a sad story!! So you are probably wondering who is this Merrick guy? Well, you may have heard of the "Elephant Man?" This was him. He, from what I read, lived a very sad life. Never really forming that personal relationship with a woman. He had made many friends with, doctors, royals, and such. But the underlying thing was that they were curious about him.

This isn't his actual bones, it's a replica of them though. You can see the deformities in his bones.... they were all tumors.

Close up of the skull

This hat with a bag on the bottom of it, was his security blanket. He would wear it when he would go out into public. 

While he lived in the hospital for most of his life, people would send him things, flowers, books, etc. And he would write them a "Thank you" letter in return for the gifts. That was pretty sweet!!! Here is one of those letters.

Florence Nightingale was one of the nurses who were inspired and she opened a nursing school for those who wanted to learn the skills and become a working nurse.