Posted on 27th Jan
From designing a robot to making your own lava lamp out of household objects, there’ll be plenty of scientific fun to be had at Mansfield Museum during half term.
The award-winning attraction, run by Mansfield District Council, is teaming up with Nottingham Festival of Science and Curiosity and there will be free activities for all ages to enjoy.
There will be a museum exhibition exploring toys and games produced during the Space Race years of the 1950s and 60s, from ray guns and space patrol walkie-talkies to moon shoes and flying saucers, running from Tuesday, 8th to Wednesday, 16th February.
There will also be a variety of science-themed displays created by local schools as part of a competition, which will go on display at the museum from 8th February to 19th February. The winner will be announced on 11th February.
The festival, meanwhile, will be broadcasting the daily Curiosity Show on Notts TV between 4pm and 5pm from 7th to 11th February.
There will also be other festival events being held at Mansfield Library and an electric racing car from Nottingham Trent University on show at the Four Seasons Shopping Centre.
Hands-on half-term museum activities running in tandem with the festival:
Tuesday 15 February, 10am to 12.30pm – Make your own lava lamp out of everyday objects.
Wednesday 16 February, 10am to 12.30pm – Make your own spinning top and find out how MRI medical scans use magnets to create internal images of the body.
Thursday 17 February, 10am to 12.30pm – Make your own paper helicopters and find out how design and size affect the way it flies.
Friday 18 February, 10am to 12.30pm – Colour and design your own cube robot.
Coun Stuart Richardson, portfolio holder for regeneration and growth, said: “Making science fun is what this festival is all about. The activities will be suitable for schoolchildren of all ages – and their parents, too! There’s no need to book. You can just turn up and take part.
“What we, as a council, are hoping to achieve from this partnership with the festival is the raising of aspirations among our younger citizens in Mansfield.
“The best jobs of the future are likely to be in the science and technology sectors and we would like to see many more local schoolchildren of today going on to succeed in those fields of employment.”
Megan Shore, the festival producer, said: “We’re so excited to be able to work with Mansfield District Council to bring the festival back out into spaces across the area and we’ve put together such an exciting line-up of activities, especially including some in-person workshops!
“We’re looking forward to engaging with new audiences, celebrating all the wonderful science happening in our region and hearing what people across Nottinghamshire are curious about.”
More details about festival events happening in Mansfield and elsewhere in across the county, from Monday 7th to Saturday, 19th February, can be found on the festival website at https://nottsfosac.co.uk.
Keep checking the Museum Facebook page at www.facebook.com/
