Science Oxford is the UK’s first indoor-outdoor primary science education centre with a hands-on Exploration Zone and 15 acres of woodland and ponds. This is STEM on another level and follows the ‘thinking, doing, talking science’ programme that offers a more practical, creative and challenging STEM environment.
Their hugely popular Family Days gets you 2 hours in the Exploration Zone then you are welcome to access the outside Water Lab (open April – October) and woodland for the remainder of the day. The Exploration Zone is incredibly engaging with stations of activities around a big room which appeal for a range of ages – my 5, 9 and 11 year old all love it and we’ve been going for a good few years. The activities are mind opening and different from what many children will have experienced: watching water freeze through a magnifying glass, balancing objects on a spinning disc, blasting things into the air on the air table, building circuits and more!
And it’s not just for kids, oh no, I think I learned more about STEM in those 2 hours in the Exploration Zone then I did in my whole secondary education (STEM subjects weren’t my strong subject). Any chance of a grown-up day Science Oxford?
A splash in the Water Lab then stomp around the woods Lord of the Flies style is a beautiful ending to the day.
