Next stop for The Bobeam Tree – The Millenium Gallery in Sheffield!

Sheffield Museums is welcoming families to discover the magic of the Bobeam Tree at the Millennium Gallery this summer, with a new immersive experience designed especially for babies, young children and their grown-ups.

Created in partnership with the National Portrait Gallery and The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood, the Bobeam Tree is a magical, evolving installation that grows through children’s curiosity, imagination and emotions. Inspired by the Centre for Early Childhood’s Shaping Us Framework, the experience highlights the importance of social and emotional development in the earliest years of life.

Now open (from Saturday 20 June) and running until Sunday 30 August, the exhibition gives 0–5-year-olds the chance to play, learn and explore together through stories and creative activities inspired by Sheffield’s collections.

First introduced in 2025 as part of a special trail opened by Her Royal Highness The Princess of Wales at the National Portrait Gallery, the Bobeam Tree continues its journey across museums and galleries throughout the UK, bringing imaginative and meaningful early-years experiences to families.

At the Millennium Gallery, the Tree forms the heart of an interactive exhibition that encourages shared exploration and playful discovery. Designed to support early development, the experience offers opportunities for children and their grown-ups to connect through creativity, storytelling and sensory engagement.

The exhibition is divided into four sections, each designed to encourage interaction and curiosity. More than 70 objects from Sheffield’s collections are on display, including artworks by Gillian Ayres, Patrick Caulfield and Godfrey Sykes, alongside natural science specimens, toys, clothing and objects from across the decades.

Families can take part in a range of activities including dressing up, role play, reading and sensory exploration, creating space for moments of connection, imagination and joy.

Christian Guy, Executive Director of The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood, said:

“I’m delighted to see The Bobeam Tree has now grown in Sheffield, reaching even more babies and young children. I hope families across the city have fun exploring the museum, discovering new things and spending quality time together. Early childhood is such a golden opportunity to lay strong foundations that shape the rest of our lives and these everyday moments of connection can have a truly profound and long-lasting impact on a child’s developing brain.”

Lucy Cooper, Exhibition Curator at Sheffield Museums said:

“We’re delighted to welcome visitors to discover the magic of the Bobeam Tree in Sheffield this summer. Helping creativity flourish from an early age is an important part of Sheffield Museums’ work, through both our popular Fridays Under 5 sessions at Weston Park Museum and our Art at the Start activities at the Millennium Gallery. The Bobeam Tree offers our youngest visitors and their grown-ups a unique opportunity to immersive themselves in the wonders of imagination and inspiration, and the shared joys of creative discovery.”