Shows and Workshops at the Science Oxford Centre
As part of your visit to the Science Oxford Centre, you can choose from a range of curriculum-linked shows and workshops.
Our shows and workshops are designed to engage children of all ages, and provide plenty of opportunities for discussion and higher-order thinking. Children are encouraged to ask questions and share their ideas in an open and inclusive way.
Our shows offer intriguing and visual demonstrations to help develop children’s understanding of scientific concepts. Our workshops enable children to progress their understanding of scientific concepts and develop their enquiry and problem-solving skills, through creative and challenging practical science.
Workshop sessions are based on the Thinking, Doing, Talking Science approach, developed by Science Oxford and Oxford Brookes University, and provide accessible ideas for teachers to adapt for their own classroom use. Any recording done by the children during the workshops will be made available to teachers, so evidence of progression in their learning can be documented.
Workshop
Changing Materials
Years 3–5
This workshop is designed to develop children’s understanding of states of matter and changes of state, alongside their ability to make careful observations and use them to answer questions and consider ideas. They will learn how to use simple equipment to safely heat different materials with a small flame and will manage their own experiments and focused recording.
Workshop
Circuit Detectives
Years 3–4
This workshop is designed to consolidate children’s understanding of electrical concepts, as they work like electricians to identify different faults in a set of circuits and apply their problem solving skills to fix them. The children will work in pairs in a way that suits them and will record their findings as they progress through the challenges.
Workshop
Data Logger Discovery
Years 5–6
This workshop is designed to enable children to design and complete their own investigation, linked to light, using a data logger. Children will work in pairs and use data loggers to record their findings and interpret their results. For schools with no data loggers, there is an opportunity to borrow data loggers post-visit, as part of our kit loan programme.
Workshop
Exploring Evolution
Years 5–6
This workshop is designed to develop children’s understanding of variation, natural selection (‘survival of the fittest’) and the evolution of populations over time. Different interactive games and simulations will allow children to deepen their understanding of these key ideas and how they relate to each other.
Show
Light Fantastic
Years 3–6
Making use of our fantastic theatre, this show is both spectacular and thought-provoking and gives children a good basis for understanding the requirements for light in the National Curriculum. See light travelling in a straight line, but also how it reflects on different surfaces. Think about shadows and what causes them. Light is an endlessly fascinating subject but not easy to teach in a classroom. A dark theatre space offers great opportunities to explore light and dark in more depth.
Show
Planetarium: An Astronaut’s Adventure (Thursday and Friday visits only)
Early Years and Years 1–2
Immersed in our inflatable dome, children will have a 180-degree view of the night sky above them. They will then embark on an adventure like no other, travelling into orbit, landing on the Moon, and much more. Afterwards, they will retell their journey through the medium of ‘space yoga’, embedding their learning with movement and music. In this mesmerising introduction to the ever-expanding subject of Space, children will be able to explore – and ask – the biggest questions in the known Universe.
Show
Planetarium: Out in Space (Thursday and Friday visits only)
Years 3–6
Immersed in our inflatable dome, children will have a 180-degree view of the night sky above them. They will learn about the movement of the Earth, Moon and other planets, relative to the sun in our solar system, how and why the sky changes throughout the year and tour some of the other bodies in our solar system. Children will be able to explore the stars in a learning environment that is out of this world.
Workshop
Pond Dipping Workshop: Ecological Explorers
Years 3–6
Our pond dipping sessions are designed to ensure that all groups experience exciting hands-on science while working scientifically and developing important observational skills. Ecological Explorers will start by examining the pond habitat and collecting samples before returning to the classroom to identify what we’ve found using our scientific keys and equipment. We can work to classify our ecological finds, pick out predators, prey and producers and even explore food chains. Our observations can be used to consider life cycles of the different organisms and look at how different species are adapted to where they live. We encourage you to photograph the things we find so that you can use them in the classroom when we have returned the plants and animals safely to the pond.
Workshop
Puzzle Challenge
Years 3–6
This workshop provides children with a series of intriguing maths games and puzzles which will challenge them to think logically and experiment with numbers, patterns, shapes and angles. Children will be able to access the challenges at their own level and in a free-flow format. All of the activities can be replicated back at school so that children can investigate the ideas further.
Show
Science Surprises
Years 3–6
The Science Surprises show aims to get pupils thinking What, Why and How? We’ll share a series of experiments with them that have an element of surprise and the children have to try and work out what has happened and why. How can you change one liquid into another? Why does the box suddenly fall? During the show, the secrets to some of these surprises are revealed, whilst others will be set as a ‘back at school’ challenge for children to come up with their own solutions.
Workshop
Think the Link
Years 3–6
In this workshop, children will be challenged to spot patterns and similarities between a variety of rocks and materials, and to use some working scientifically skills to design an investigation to find the recipe for the ‘best’ snow. This session uses innovative ways to enable children to discuss, observe and think carefully about a range of curriculum-linked science topics, and will provide teachers with new techniques to use across the primary science curriculum.
Workshop
Topple, Bump and Roll
Years 2–6
This workshop is designed to develop children’s creative and problem solving skills as they apply their understanding of forces to a Design and Technology challenge. Children will work in pairs to build and test their own chain reaction machine (or Rube Goldberg Machine) using simple materials. Teachers may video their results as evidence of what they have achieved, and as inspiration to continue experimenting back in the classroom or at home.
Workshop
Water Explorers (April to October only)
Early Years and Years 1–2
Discover the wonderful world of water in a workshop that includes a carousel of creative activities and investigations. Children will be able to use our outdoor Water Lab exhibit to create dams, change the flow of water and turn waterwheels. They can build boats, investigate objects that sink and float, and use equipment to measure and move quantities of liquids.
Woodland Walk
Early Years and Years 1–6
Our Woodland Walks for school groups are designed to engage children of all ages with the woodland, ponds, meadows and grassland around the Science Oxford Centre. One of our experienced staff will lead the children and encourage them to use all of their senses to explore this inspirational and varied setting. No two visits are ever the same! There are opportunities to investigate the diverse habitats or the changing seasons and children will be encouraged to use their observations and discoveries to ask questions, share their thoughts and develop their ideas. They can search for evidence of what lives amongst the trees and plants and if they are lucky, they may even glimpse some of the animal life.
Show
Wow to Wonder
Early Years and Years 1–2
In this fun, interactive show we ask children lots of questions to get them thinking. Which item is the odd one out and why? What do you think will happen next? Can you see a pattern? Can you spot the difference? Every child will be encouraged to contribute by discussing their ideas, conducting an experiment in pairs and sharing their observations.
Workshop
Young Explorers
Early Years and Years 1–2
This free-flow workshop allows children to explore a range of activities at their own pace. Activities include developing early computing skills with our ‘BeeBots’, building bridges for the Billy Goats Gruff, and playing with our sensory bottles. Each activity supports the development of specific scientific skills such as sorting, testing, grouping and observing while allowing children to make choices and spend time investigating what interests them.
Exploring plants in the woodlands was an excellent hands-on activity which really allowed the children to activate their observation skills.
The Planetarium show was incredibly informative and so immersive for the children . They were all so excited to take part and it has made them very eager to start learning more in school.