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Taiwanese delegation visits the Science Oxford Centre
Thursday 26th September 2024
On Wednesday 25th September, The Oxford Trust welcomed representatives from the Taipei City Government Department of Education in Taiwan to the Science Oxford Centre as part of their trip around the UK to gain insight from organisations in the field of science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM) education and draw inspiration to enhance the development of STEAM education within Taiwan’s basic education system.
Expectation versus reality in the woodland
Tuesday 13th August 2024
Every adventure has some risks. And even though the outdoor activities at the Science Oxford Centre are a wonderful way to explore nature, part of my job is to assess and describe their risks so that all our visitors can be prepared.
The super buzz of World Bee Day
Monday 20th May 2024
We love the buzz of energy every Saturday in the Science Oxford Centre, as families share in the excitement of discovering and exploring science.
Celebrating the UK’s largest annual tree celebration – National Tree Week
Friday 24th November 2023
National Tree Week runs every year at the end of November, marking the start of the best period of the year to plant trees. Ignore those photographs of dignitaries planting trees in the middle of a hot summer to mark the opening of a new housing development.
The science of popcorn and beyond! Summer Cinema entertains communities
Monday 25th September 2023
From the science of popcorn to Super Mario Bros., over 100 children and young people enjoyed a brand new series of summer cinema and family fun at the Science Oxford Centre
Building communities at the Science Oxford Centre
Thursday 2nd February 2023
We believe the Science Oxford Centre is for everyone. This February half-term, we’re doing things a little differently, and welcoming children and their families from Oxford-based community organisations to our Centre.
Presenter Network Oxfordshire is back for 2022!
Saturday 24th September 2022
Calling Oxfordshire presenters! If you love inspiring audiences in museums, discovery and visitor centres, science communication or the media, the Presenter Network is for you! Our Education Programme Officer, Ian Snell, dons his ‘Presenting-hat’ as leader of the Oxfordshire Hub and tells all…
“Science Oxford changed my life”
Wednesday 31st August 2022
We met Steven Williams at the Wood Centre for Innovation to find out how Science Oxford changed his life.
A hot summer in the woodland
Tuesday 19th July 2022
As summer temperatures reach the highest ever recorded in the UK today, the effects on the natural world and how to look after our green spaces and wildlife is on our all minds. Luckily, we’re in good hands at the Science Oxford Centre with our Outdoor Learning and Ecology Manager, Dr Roger Baker — read his woodland update, and top tips to keep a cool head in these unprecedented times.
Young scientists shine at Big Science Event summer finals
Tuesday 12th July 2022
The sun shone for the finals of our Big Science Event 2022 this week. Held at the Science Oxford Centre in Headington on 11th & 12th July, children from 24 primary schools across Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire were competing in this year’s grand final – a competition to find the county’s most engaging and experimental young scientists.
Summer of Science – hands-on family fun with Science Oxford
Thursday 7th July 2022
Summer is here and we’re looking forward to a jam-packed programme of hands-on science! Our popular Summer Science Camps are back at the Science Oxford Centre during the holidays, for children age 6-9 (August 15-19) and 9-12 (August 22-26). Our week long camps run from 9am – 3.30pm and are designed by our skilled staff for children who love science and want […]
Teachers inspired at the Primary Science Conference
Monday 4th July 2022
The Science Oxford Centre was filled with primary teachers from across the Oxfordshire and Reading areas on Monday 4th July for the annual Primary Science Conference – the first full day in-person conference since before the pandemic.
Catapulting careers in STEM – meet our placement student
Wednesday 11th May 2022
If you’re considering a career in STEM, there’s a world of opportunity waiting! Earlier this year we were delighted to welcome a PhD student from Sheffield University, Ruth Thomas, who joined us for her Professional Internship placement. Ruth explored her interests in science outreach and communication with our thriving education and engagement programmes at the […]
A not completely alive Live Lab session
Tuesday 10th May 2022
If you visit the Science Oxford Centre for a Family Day this summer, you just might see something unusual. Our pop up ‘Live Lab’ is an interactive space where families get to meet a scientist, student or researcher – or one of our expert team.
British Science Week – back with a bang!
Tuesday 8th March 2022
With British Science Week (BSW) just around the corner, we’re excited to be engaging with so many schools and families. British Science Week is a ten-day national celebration of science, technology, engineering and maths that will take place between 11-20 March 2022. This year, the theme is ‘Growth’, which is apt as our BSW programme has […]
Centre awarded Learning Outside the Classroom Quality Badge
Tuesday 22nd February 2022
We are thrilled to announce our Science Oxford Centre was recently re-awarded the Council for Learning Outside the Classroom’s Quality Badge, a seal of approval that shows to schools that our primary education programme is of a high standard. The Quality Badge certificate was first awarded in 2019 after the Centre opening and reflects our […]
Give a little love to our woodland and world at the Science Oxford Centre
Tuesday 9th November 2021
On Science and Innovation Day at #COP26, climate change and our environment are at the forefront of our minds as we check in with our Outdoor Education and Ecology Manager, Dr Roger Baker, for news on our 15 acre woodland at the Science Oxford Centre in Headington. Read on to find out about National Tree Week, the […]
Inspiring change at the Science Oxford Centre
Monday 27th September 2021
Science Oxford is delighted to have taken part in ‘Project Inspire’ with the Association of Science and Discovery Centres‘ (ASDC) this spring and summer and inspired change in our Centre! In March of this year, we were lucky enough to be chosen as one of eight UK Science Centres awarded a grant of £15,000, to […]
Summer woodland delights at the Science Oxford Centre
Wednesday 11th August 2021
Enjoying the outdoors this summer? We were delighted to finally welcome back visitors to our Centre this season, where we are lucky enough to have 15 acres of woodlands, grassland and ponds to explore. The Science Oxford Centre is the only indoor-outdoor science centre for children and families in the UK, and we love seeing people […]
Wantage Church of England Primary and The Disraeli School win Science Oxford’s Big Science Event 2021
Friday 2nd July 2021
A team of children from Wantage Church of England Primary School Nursery won this year’s Big Science Event for Oxfordshire with their experiment on What makes snow melt faster? and The Disraeli School’s Year 2’s experiment Will a grape turn into a raison? are the 2021 winners of the Buckinghamshire competition. Runners up in the […]
The science of gardening – top tips for National Gardening Week
Monday 26th April 2021
As spring arrives, we’re championing the great outdoors for National Gardening Week – the UK’s biggest annual celebration of gardening, organised by the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) 26th April – 2nd May. We’ve all appreciated our green spaces during lockdown, and new research from an RHS study announced this week shows that gardening just two to […]
Science Oxford receives Project Inspire grant for digital engagement
Friday 12th March 2021
Science Oxford is delighted to announce successful funding from the UK Association for Science and Discovery Centres (ASDC) for their Project Inspire: Digital Engagement and Innovation Programme. The project is in collaboration with the Inspiring Science Fund, a partnership between UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and Wellcome. Science Oxford is one of eight UK Science […]
Branching out: celebrating National Tree Week at the Science Oxford Centre
Tuesday 24th November 2020
Planting trees seems more important than ever under the current circumstances – a chance to create positive change. This year we have been funded by the Tree Council Branching Out Fund to plant 25 trees in the 15-acre woodland surrounding our Science Oxford Centre in Headington. These will be dug in by a group of […]
Anneliese Dodds MP visits the Science Oxford Centre
Monday 28th September 2020
Anneliese Dodds MP took time out to visit our Science Oxford Centre recently with her daughter for one of our Family Open Days. During the week, the Centre is open for school visits but every other Saturday we welcome families to our Family Open Days, where they can try the hands-on exhibits in the Exploration Zone […]
Experiment with Kitchen Science
Wednesday 24th June 2020
Have you’ve been inspired by our Big Science Event at home? Are you’re looking for investigation ideas for all the family? How about some fun kitchen science? From baking cakes to melting chocolate, our Science Oxford furloughed team have kept busy with projects at home. Head of all things tech, our Technology Projects Officer Sarah […]
Science Oxford supports Science Centres for our Future Campaign
Tuesday 2nd June 2020
Science Oxford joins over 40 members of the UK Association for Science and Discovery Centres’ (ASDC) nationwide campaign to call for Government to set up an Emergency Resilience Fund to support our world-class network of regional science centres. The campaign is being supported by some of the UK’s leading science advocates – including Professor Alice […]
Science Oxford’s Bridget Holligan wins Beetlestone Award
Monday 1st June 2020
Our very own Head of Education and Engagement, Bridget Holligan has been awarded the 2020 Beetlestone Award for informal learning in science. She talks about her 27 years of involvement in science education, working for Science Oxford and what it means to win the award. Curioxity… For the first 15 years of my career in […]
Cats, Easter eggs and Rube Goldberg machines – deliver the Science Oxford Challenge
Friday 10th April 2020
We’re all facing new challenges at the moment, and looking for creative ways to bring fun and learning into the home during ‘lockdown’. So why not get your household and family together and take our Easter Science Oxford Challenge, for the chance to win a free family visit to the Science Oxford Centre, Exploration Zone and […]
Expert Explainers Tell All at the Science Oxford Centre
Wednesday 11th March 2020
This term Science Oxford has been involved in a national programme to increase diversity and inclusion in science. We are one of just 15 organisations who are delivering initiatives as part of the UK Association of Science and Discovery Centre and the Science Museum Group’s Science Capital Programme. The initiative focuses on embedding good practice […]
Helen & Douglas House children visit the Science Oxford Centre
Tuesday 10th March 2020
We were pleased to have children from Helen and Douglas House visit our new Science Oxford Centre at Stansfeld Park, Headington. Helen & Douglas House is an Oxford-based children’s hospice that cares for terminally ill children and their families when they need it most. They provide round-the-clock care for children in a peaceful ‘home-from-home setting’, […]
Oxford champion will go to FameLab UK final
Tuesday 10th March 2020
We celebrated the launch of British Science Week with the Oxford FameLab Regional Final 2020 at our new Science Oxford Centre Theatre at Stansfeld Park. Our eight brave and brilliant finalists battled it out on stage but it was Maria Violaris who won the day and was crowned the queen of science chatter! With just […]
Explore our world with British Science Week
Friday 6th March 2020
British Science Week is officially here. The Science Oxford team is excited to bring hands-on science-inspired fun to over 5000 school children, families and adults across Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire over the next three weeks! The national celebration runs 6–15 March 2020 and champions science, technology, engineering and maths with the theme of ‘Our Diverse Planet.’ […]
Science Oxford’s STEM Insight Week: A first byte into big data
Monday 2nd March 2020
In February, the Science Oxford team ran a STEM Insight Week on Computing and Coding for fifteen Year 10 students from schools across Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire. The idea of our Insight Week is to give young people the opportunity to hear about the science relating to particular businesses and the career opportunities available. One of […]
FameLab back with a Bang – Oxford’s battle of the brains begins
Monday 17th February 2020
This February, we put science centre-stage and hosted FameLab UK’s first round of Oxford heats, where sci-curious stars of the future battle it out for a place in the nation’s favourite science competition, in partnership with Cheltenham Festival. With the help of makeshift props and witty bants, thirteen contestants had just three minutes to entertain […]
Science Oxford Centre trialling post-visit activities for schools
Monday 10th February 2020
The Science Oxford Centre (SOC) team is currently trialling a series of post-visit activities for teachers to try out at school. Teachers have many calls on their time and we recognise that any resources we create need to be clear and easy-to-use. To this end, we have developed a set of five activities: the idea […]
Science Oxford Centre now open for bookings for summer term
Tuesday 14th January 2020
With visits from over 1200 pupils from 21 schools and fabulous reviews from both children and teachers, the Science Oxford Centre is now taking school bookings for the summer term. In the spring and summer months the 15-acre woodland surrounding the Centre really comes into its own. As well as sessions in our Exploration Zone, […]
Playforce donates generous prizes for our Big Science Event 2020
Wednesday 18th December 2019
Playground experts, Playforce are kindly donating generous prizes to the winners of our 2020 Big Science Event competition for primary school pupils. The winning schools in Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire will each receive a £1000 voucher to install playground equipment of their choice. How good is that? With 20 years of experiences and 8844 playgrounds under […]
Year in review 2019: One giant leap for Science Oxford…
Friday 13th December 2019
In a year which saw the 50th anniversary of the 1969 Apollo moon landing celebrated globally, Science Oxford took a giant leap of its own and launched the brand-new Science Oxford Centre in Headington. From hands-on schools exploration and family visits, to woodland walks and expert talks, we’ve welcomed over 2700 pupils from 37 schools […]
From acorn to oak – celebrate National Tree Week
Wednesday 27th November 2019
Surrounding the Science Oxford Centre at Stansfeld Park, we have 15 acres of beautiful woodland, making it the largest within the ring road. National Tree Week (23rdNovember – 1stDecember) signals a full-on week of planting at Stansfeld, a vital part of our woodland rejuvenation project. National Tree Week comes during the ideal tree planting season […]
Search for new science stars comes to Oxford
Wednesday 27th November 2019
It’s time to nourish those neurones as the UK’s longest running competition for the science stars of the future comes to Oxford this winter. Science Oxford is delighted to announce the launch of FameLab UK 2020 and applications are now open. FameLab is a UK-wide competition to find the new voices of science and engineering. […]