Tag: Jodrell Bank

12 places to take Science mad kids in the North West

As the parent of a science mad child, we seem to spend a lot of our free time in science museums and visitors centres getting hands on with the sciences. As a result we’ve had some brilliant days out in our hometown of Manchester and across the North West. Today I’m sharing with you some of our favourite places to visit in the North West (and a little bit beyond) for science mad kids.

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12 places to take Science mad kids in the North West

Manchester Museum of Science and Industry

I can’t even contemplate writing about science in the north without mentioning the Manchester Museum of Science and Industry. It’s a huge and iconic site, you can pop in for a quick hour or very easily spend a whole day exploring, learning and getting hands on. They have a wide range of permanent and temporary exhibits as well as lots of hands on things to do.

They have a vast number of permanent displays including the Power Hall, Air and Space Hall, Textiles Gallery, Revolution Manchester and explore some artefacts from the Liverpool and Manchester Railway. Take a ride on one on the working steam trains along the track at the museum.

It’s such a great day out, slap-bang in the heart of Manchester City Centre. Find out what’s on at the Manchester Museum of Science and Industry on their website.

Tim Peake science

National Science and Media Museum, Bradford

The National Science and Media Museum, located in Bradford, West Yorkshire. The museum explores the science and culture of light and sound technologies and their impact on our lives. With the aim of inspiring the scientists and innovators of the future, it invites visitors to see more, hear more, think more and do more. It was previously the The National Museum of Photography, Film & Television and has its own cinema and lively collection of events. It was also the first place outside of London to show Soyuz TMA-19M – the space capsule that brought British astronaut Tim Peake back to Earth after his months-long stint on the International Space Station.

For more information, visit their website.

Catalyst Science Discovery Centre, Widnes

The Catalyst Science Discovery Centre is the only museum in the UK which explores the science and technology behind the chemical industry. Packed with lots of hands-on exhibits, activities and demonstrations it’s one of our favourite places to visit with our son. They have an ever-changing programme of hands on exhibits as well as a fabulous observatory, a “Scientrific” Gallery and the Alchemy Theatre & Catalytic Discovery Lab.

It’s a brilliant science-packed place to visit, we love it there! For more information about the Catalyst Science Discovery Centre, visit their website.

Jodrell Bank Observatory, Cheshire

Most people will recognise the Jodrell Bank Observatory in Cheshire as the place where Stargazing Live is filmed. Jodrell Bank is owned and run by the University of Manchester and it is the home of the Lovell Telescope, the third largest steerable radio telescope in the world. It is open to the public and has a lovely new visitors centre as well as fantastic hands-on exhibits and gardens to explore, as well as the chance to have a look at the Lovell Telescope up close and personal.

You can read about our visit to Jodrell Bank Observatory here. For more information about Jodrell Bank Observatory visit their website.

Jodrell Bank science

Manchester Museum

Manchester Museum is such an iconic place to visit for Mancunian children. It has so many interesting things to explore and is packed full of science exhibits. There are lots of natural history exhibits, plus geology, archaeology, botany and Earth sciences to go and see. The big draws for us are Stan the reproduction cast of a fossilised Tyrannosaurus rex and upstairs the frog filled Vivarium, home to a large collection of endangered Costa Rican Frogs.

We visit Manchester Museum with almost alarming regularity. It’s a brilliant place to spend a few hours exploring and learning about all kinds of things. For more information about Manchester Museum, visit their website.

Eureka! The National Children’s Museum, Halifax

Eureka! is an interactive educational museum for children in Halifax, West Yorkshire, with a focus on learning through play. Ideal for children up to the age of 11, and a great day out in general. There are six unique zones to discover, each filled with hundreds of interactive exhibits designed to inspire enquiring minds to find out about themselves and the world around them. With a name like Eureka! you know there’s a heavy leaning towards science and discovery there too!

For more information, visit their website.

World Museum, Liverpool

The World Museum is home to exhibitions about space and time, as well as the natural and physical sciences. My son especially loved the Clore Natural History Centre, which is packed with geological finds, as well more than 20,000 of the most unusual and fascinating items from their huge natural science collections. You can get hands on with many of the exhibits, which is very exciting. Up on the fifth floor, you’ll find their space and time gallery, and they also have a planetarium where you can watch all kinds of spaced themed shows. Read about our visit here.

For more information, visit their website.

Visiting the World Museum, Liverpool

Magna Science Adventure Centre, Rotherham

Magna Science Adventure Centre is an educational visitor attraction, located in Rotherham’s former Templeborough steelworks. It’s a fantastic day out, packed with hands-on experiences and interactive exhibits. Explore the wonders of science and technology in the four pavilions – Air, Earth, Fire and Water.

Splash in water, work a real JCB, wow at the fire tornado and even explode a rock face! Magna is a coats-on experience set in the vast, former Templeborough steelworks. The awesome Big Melt Show brings the story of steelmaking to life. The fun continues outside with our huge adventure playground and summertime splash park.

For more information, visit their website.

The National Videogame Museum, Sheffield

The National Videogame Museum collects, preserves, exhibits and interprets videogames for everyone. It’s an incredible interactive museum dedicated to exploring the culture, playfulness, design and people behind videogames, as well as encouraging visitors to develop their own game-making abilities. A visit is a must for any aspiring gamer!

For more information, visit their website.

11 places to take Science mad kids in the North West

Eureka! Science + Discovery, Wallasey

New for 2022, Eureka! Science + Discovery in Wallasey brings together the interactive experience of Eureka! in Halifax with science and discovery centre innovation, created for children aged 7-14.

For more information, visit their website.

MathsCity, Leeds

MathsCity is the home of hands-on maths, located in the heart of Leeds. Climb inside a giant bubble or a kaleidoscope. Try their laser Ring of Fire. Meet the challenge of our fascinating puzzles. Explore and discover the wonderful and surprising world of mathematics at MathsCity with over twenty interactive exhibits. You can count on MathsCity to show you a good time!

For more information, visit their website.

A little bit further afield…

Xplore! Science Discovery Centre, North Wales

Xplore! Science Discovery centre is where science lives in North Wales. They are chock full of spellbinding science, incredible experiences, and it’s a chance for the whole family to get involved with science and to learn more about the world around us.

For more information, visit their website.

There are so many fantastic places to visit in the North West. Where are your favourite places to take the kids to learn about science?

12 places to take Science mad kids in the North West

Days Out: Jodrell Bank Observatory in Cheshire

Most people will be familiar with the Jodrell Bank Observatory in Cheshire as the place where Stargazing Live is filmed. Jodrell Bank is owned and run by the University of Manchester and it is the home of the Lovell Telescope, the third largest steerable radio telescope in the world. It is open to the public and has a lovely new visitors centre as well as exhibits and gardens to explore, as well as the chance to have a look at the Lovell Telescope up close and personal.

We visited Jodrell Bank one sunny but bitterly cold day in February. It’s not actually that easy to find as the signposting is few and far between, but if you look for the giant telescope and head towards that you’ll eventually find it (or just use sat nav like normal people). There was ample parking in the car park and it cost £7 per adult and £4.95 per child to get in, which we felt was good value for money.

The visitors centre is not huge, it houses the cafe, shop, reception and a display room with information about various parts of the universe as well as a clockwork Orrery, something I’d never seen before but instantly wanted to have one in my house. An Orrery is a mechanical model of the solar system. There was a handle at child height which we turned and watched the planets and the moons on the ceiling move around. It was something quite special and we spent a lot of time looking at it and talking about the planets.

Jodrell Bank

From the visitors centre we went outside, there were gardens to explore, but as it was very cold we decided to head straight for the outdoor science experiments area. There were a number of large scale experiments to try, each with a plaque explaining what to do. We particularly liked the “Whispering Dishes” or parabolic reflectors, two dishes opposite each other, but some distance apart, one person would whisper into the dish and the other could hear it. It was brilliant and very popular. 

Jodrell Bank

We were close to the base of the telescope, there is a large fence around it so you can’t actually go and touch it, but you can get very close. The Lovell Telescope is huge and the dish measures 78 metres across, I was in awe of the size of it, even though I remember visiting as a child.

Jodrell Bank

Having spent around an hour outside conducting experiments in the cold, we headed into the Space Pavilion to have a look at some of the indoor exhibits and to discover how the scientists at Jodrell Bank use radio telescopes to learn more about distant objects in space. 

Jodrell Bank

There were lots of hands on exhibits to look at and play about with, as well as a little room where you could sit and watch a film about space. The boys loved it in here, the was lots for them to look at and learn about. I felt the Space Pavilion would have benefited from having someone there to help explain and demonstrate some of the exhibits, but I like to have things explained to me. 

Jodrell Bank

After a few hours exploring we felt ready for a hot cup of tea and some cake, sadly the Planet Pavilion Cafe was heaving, so we headed to the shop to buy some space souvenirs and experiments we could try at home, then hopped in the car and left.

Jodrell Bank

We’d had an especially lovely afternoon at Jodrell Bank. We’d explored both the observatory and the outer edges of the universe, learned a little bit about science and got some fresh air. It was a great afternoon out and we are planning to return in the summer when it’s a bit warmer.

For more information about Jodrell Bank visit their website.

Jodrell Bank Discovery Centre, The University of Manchester, Macclesfield, Cheshire, Sk11 9DL