For Adults
English Corner
Tuesday 4 October, 1pm-2.30pm
Free English conversation classes using the Museum’s collection as inspiration for discussion.
Drop in, free, adult
After the bees: Poetry meets science
Saturday 22 October, 2-4pm
Albert Einstein predicted that: “If the bee disappeared off the surface of the globe, then man would only have four years of life left.” Take part in a workshop exploring this idea and see a series of visual artworks comprising moving images, portraiture, photography, writing and sculpture, informed by beekeepers, ecologists and sustainability specialists.
Adult, Book on the day at Manchester Museum
Urban Naturalist
Sunday 23 October, 2-4pm
Friendly, practical workshops run by leading naturalists. From wild food-foraging and composting to bird song and insect identification, explore biodiversity on our doorstep.
Museums are treasure troves of information about where animals and plants live. Making the information available is challenging – but you can help. As part of We Dig Bio, find out about online projects such ‘Notes from Nature’, ‘Herbaria@Home’ and ‘Reading Nature’s Library’ and have a go yourself at deciphering museum labels.
Adult Event, Free, Book on mcrmuseum.eventbrite.com or 0161 275 2648
Ocular Bionica: Hands-onica
Monday 24, Wednesday 26 and Friday 28 October, 11am-2pm
Create your own low-tech animations inspired by Ocular Bionica, artist Lucy Burscough’s stop-frame animated film about hybrid human-digital vision. You can also chat to Lucy about the making of the film and the cutting-edge bionic technology explored within in.
Also on Manchester Royal Eye Hospital Atrium, Thurs 20 October, Friday 21 October, Tuesday 25 October and Thursday 27 October between 11am-2pm.
All Ages, Free, Drop-in
Ocular:Bionica
Thursday 29 to Sunday 30 October, 10am-5pm
This painted stop-frame animation film tells the story of Ray, a patient who has lost his central vision to age-related macular degeneration. He becomes the first person with condition to see with the help from new technologies, highlighting advances in this treatment of sight loss and what it means to humanity.
The Study, All Ages, Free, Drop-in
Manchester Museum: Late for Manchester Science Festival
Thursday 27 October, 6-9pm
Enjoy a late-night view of the museum with the launch of vision technology-inspired project Ocular Bionica and an after-hours look at the Animal Kingdoms exhibition. You can also take a science literary tour hosted by authors from the Very Short Introductions book series, going behind the scenes and exploring topics as diverse as the ice age and molecular biology.
Adult Event, Free, Book on
For Families
Baby Explorers
Tuesday 11 October, 10.30- 11.15am & 11.30am-12.15pm
Baby Explorers is an interactive story and sensory play session. Specially devised stories, inspired by the Museum’s collections, include music, songs, props and real objects, supported by a range of playful sensory resources for babies to explore. Sessions take place in the Nature Discovery gallery, floor 1.
For babies who are not yet walking and their parents, grandparents and carers. Free, book one week in advance on mcrmuseum.eventbrite.com or 0161 275 2648 after 2pm
Musical Baby Explorers
Tuesday 11 October, 1-1.45pm
Live music and songs inspired by Manchester Museum’s collections, supported by a range of playful sensory resources for babies to explore. A space to play, share and discover together. Please note that Baby Explorer sessions are approximately 45 minutes long with tidy up time between each session. Sessions take place in the Nature Discovery gallery, floor 1
For babies who are not yet walking and their parents, grandparents and carers. Free, book one week in advance on mcrmuseum.eventbrite.com or 0161 275 2648 after 2pm.
October Half Term Baby Explorers
Tuesday 25 October, 11am – 2.30pm
Baby Explorers is an interactive sensory play session, supported with a range of playful sensory resources for babies to explore. Sessions take place in the Nature Discovery gallery, floor 1
Drop in, free, babies who are not yet walking and their parents, grandparents and carers
Magic Carpet
Friday 28 October, 10.30-11.30am & 11.30am-12.30pm
Magic Carpet is an interactive, creative, story making and activity session that forms connections to the Museum’s collections. Stories are specially devised to enable the youngest visitors to explore the collections. They include songs, active rhymes and movement and opportunities to discover and handle real museum objects. They are also supported by a range of tactile resources to promote sensory play and exploration. Come along, make new friends, play and explore.
Please note that Magic Carpet sessions are approximately 45 minutes long with tidy up time between each session.
Sessions take place in galleries or the Discovery Centre rooms.
For active toddlers, parents, grandparents and carers. (Younger siblings welcome too) Book one week in advance. on mcrmuseum.eventbrite.com or 0161 275 2648 after 2pm.
Part of Family Arts Festival
Autism Friendly Early Opening
Saturday 8 October, 9.15-10.30am
See, Make and Do at the Museum
Early openings at the Museum aimed at children who have autism and other needs, along with their families and carers, and siblings.
Activities take place before the Museum opens to the general public and there will be a quiet room available too. See objects, do activities and make creations inspired by one of the Museum’s galleries. A different gallery will be open at each early opening.
In October the Nature’s Library and Vivarium (Live Animals) galleries will be open earlier. Second Saturday of every month.
Drop-in, free. Autism Friendly: suitable for children and young people aged 5-16 with a parent or carer and siblings welcome
Journeys Festival International
Saturday 8 October, 11am-4pm
Join part of the city wide Journeys Festival International celebrating the artwork, music, creativity, culture and experiences of refugee artists.
The Museum will be showcasing some of the work of the University of Manchester’s Division of Psychology and Mental Health, Parenting and Families Research Group, with the Syrian Refugee Community. There will be live music, digital kite flying, coffee shop conversations with refugee artists and pop up performances from The Royal Exchange and Community Arts Northwest.
Journeys Festival International is produced by ArtReach
Drop in, free, families
October Half Term Activities: Animal Prints
Monday 24 – Friday 28 October, 11am-4pm
Be inspired by rare animals and plants and create an animal print of your own to take away. Visit new exhibition ‘Extinction or Survival?’ on floor G. From the Dodo to the Giant Earwig, species extinctions have happened since life first evolved. Discover how humans have influenced the survival of animals and plants; and what we can do to help.
Drop in, free, families
Part of Family Arts Festival
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Solar System
Tuesday 25 October, 11am-4pm
Hold and study real pieces of the Moon, collected by the Apollo astronauts, as well as pieces of Mars and 4.5-billion-year-old meteorites. Plus, take part in a meteorite impacting experiment, plan your own space mission, see how volcanic eruptions reshape the surface of a planet and watch a comet being created.
Drop in, free, families
Juice from Oranges, Rocks from Space
Wednesday 26 October, 11.30am – 12.15pm & 1.30-2.15pm
A new poetry performance from Helen Clare, about exhibits from around the Museum; where they came from and the journey they’ve made. There will be happy poems, sad poems, gory poems and fun poems – and opportunities for children to join in and create too.
Find out about the giant carved tusk, a moth, bloodworms, a man who was murdered and left to rot in a bog, a Greek God, Stan the T. Rex, and an ancient rock from out of space.
For children aged 8-12 and their parents/carers
Free, book on mcrmuseum.eventbrite.com or 0161 275 2648
Big Saturday: Science Spectacular
Saturday 29 October, 11am-4pm
A fun-filled family day of science challenges, live experiments, and interactive demonstrations. Draw some sketchy science, crack top secret computer codes, play with moon rocks and meteorites, find out how the body fights disease, investigate the building blocks of life, explore the science of saving species … and much, much more.
Drop in, free, families, with children aged 5 plus
