What do you get when you mix three small children and a jar of 'empty' pond water?
....Three blank stares, three sets of shuffling feet, and hundreds of unseen organisms waiting for their moment in the spotlight.
Let's be honest: diatoms can be a bit of a hard sell for youngsters, who come to the museum with visions of dinosaurs and big blue whales dancing in their heads. At first glance, a container of white powdery stuff, a jar of slightly scummy water and some photos of strange looking magnified shapes don't collectively say "come over here and look at us! We're cool!".