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 is all around us and helps us understand our amazing planet Earth. At the Science Oxford Centre, the team is ready to challenge children and families to see the world differently. Discovery and play are top of the list with over 20 interactive exhibits in the Exploration Zone to try out. We’ll be exploring nature with bug safaris and wild walks in the 15 acres of woodland around the Centre. And, what’s more, there will be a range of immersive activities and shows for pupils to celebrate the wonders of ‘Our Diverse Planet’ with Wow to Wonder and Evolution workshops. We have 19 schools booked to visit the Centre over British Science Week!
The Science Oxford electric van is packed up and ready to take our fabulous science shows and workshops on the road to over 40 primary schools in the region. In our popular Inventing Isobel show young Inventors work out important questions – Does chocolate burn? Can you make an anchor out of polystyrene? Which material makes the best bouncy ball? We’ll discover the properties of light (and dark) in our dramatic Light Fantastic Show, plus our kit loan of magnifiers, puzzle challenges, marble mazes and more is booked out across the county, ready to engage children in curious classroom science. We’re also taking hands-on STEM challenges and our out-of-this-world Space Day on tour to 300 secondary school students as part of our Careers Programme.
That’s not all – we’re kicking off British Science Week celebrations with the nation’s favourite science competition, FameLab. At the Oxford Regional Final (6 March) nine brave contestants, including university students, lecturers, researchers and a pharmacist, battle it out for a place in the national or even international final at Cheltenham Science Festival in June. They’ll be packing their expertise into three compact minutes of witty bants in front of the judges, including Lucy Rogers (Robot Wars), and an enthusiastic audience at the Science Oxford Centre theatre tonight. Come and cheer them along!
Andy Kensley, Head of Education Outreach, says, “British Science Week is always the busiest time of year for our hard-working team, and we try to accommodate as many requests for outreach and Science Oxford Centre visits as we possibly can. Schools consistently report that our activities are a great way to inspire their children about science and enhance their curriculum. It’s incredibly rewarding to see the excitement and buzz grow over the three weeks”.
The science love doesn’t stop with British Science Week, don’t forget the Science Oxford Centre is open all year round for schools and families to enjoy. Check our website for more details.
For more information about British Science Week visit their website at britishscienceweek.org
