How Does It Work?

Free entry   —   All welcome   —   Includes activities for families (7+)

Ever wondered how our ingenious scientific instruments work?

Join our volunteers for an afternoon getting hands-on with some of our collections — and see our amazing objects in action.

And if you're visiting as a family, why not grab a Light and Space backpack to explore science stories in every gallery?

Get hands-on with real objects

Our team will show you ingenious scientific devices — so you can get hands-on and experience how they worked in practice.

Light and Space Backpacks

Grab a back pack at our welcome desk and discover amazing science stories in every gallery.

Family Scavenger Hunt Trails

From Spot the Animal to Mission: Morse Code, discover a world of stories, puzzles and treasures with our Family Scavenger Hunt trails.

Just to let you know ...

As these weekends are led by our volunteers, we may sometimes have to postpone or cancel them if someone is poorly.

Our apologies in advance if that does happen.

We'll let you know on the website and on social media if we have to change dates and times.