Events details
Be a palaeontologist!
Ever wondered what palaeontologists actually do? Join Dr Fiona Gill to find out, with an interactive session exploring fossils and geological time. Children will handle and identify real fossils, help to build a fossil timeline and create and name their own fantastical fossil creature to take home. This event is suitable for children under 8.
Showtime: 10.30am
Music to your Ears
How do we make sounds, record sounds and see sounds? This exciting presentation by David Price from science made simple, with lots of demonstrations and audience interaction, reveals the secrets from the basics of sound to the latest in music technology. Witness the ultimate ‘hands-free’ instrument and see a musical instrument played with a blowtorch! Discover what sound is, and see what it actually looks like. Find out how our ears pick up sound, and how they can be damaged by loud music. Uncover the mysteries of how CD players and MP3 players work, and have some fun with synthesised voices! This event is suitable for children 8-14 years old.
Showtime: 11.00am
Slimy seas
The oceans might just seem wet but they are also sticky, gooey and squelchy! Creatures across the seas use slime to help them stay alive but how does it help? Join in with this interactive show to discover how slime makes a sea snail move, why it protects an octopus and if it helps a parrotfish sleep at night. This event is organised by the National Maritime Aquarium, a member of the UK Association for Science and Discovery Centres. The event is suitable for children under 10.
Showtime: 11.30am
Lucky Dip
A sensational science show where you decide what will happen! David Price from science made simple will present a random selection of his favourite science tricks for your amusement. Will you see the floating sausage, the burping pot or the funny forks? Take your pick then sit back and watch as the hilarity unfolds. This event is suitable for children 8-14 years old.
Showtime: 12.30pm
Buzzing!
Be amazed, be amused, be afraid: it’s Buzzing! Join Anneliese Emmans Dean as she brings to life her book Buzzing!, which was shortlisted for the 2013 Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize. Discover the factabulous world of garden invertebrates through Anneliese’s projected close-up images, her ‘edu-taining’ poems and musical interludes – with plenty of audience participation along the way. Learn how you can make an important contribution to science, without a lab, without high-tech equipment - just by stepping out into your garden. This event is suitable for children 8-14 years old.
Showtime: 1.00pm
For events for children 14 years old and over, see The tiny world of the cell, Close encounter with the 3D mind and Building galaxies in the office.
Attending these events
Admission is free. Seating for the shows and participation in the workshops will be on a first come, first served basis. Please note that at the family activities children must be supervised by a responsible adult at all times and no adults will be admitted without an accompanying child.
Enquiries: Contact the events team.