With February half-term coming up, Manchester’s Science and Industry Museum has a series of free family events set to run.
It’s all about planes, trains and automobiles for families this February.
Families can find out how the teams behind Rolls Royce and the first passenger railways changed the way we travel in an interactive, high-speed science show. In the workshops, visitors can try their hand at getting goods from Liverpool docks to Manchester’s factories by creating their own machines or get themselves moving by designing their own mode of transport.
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Children aged four and under can also enjoy two activities specifically designed to spark creativity in youngsters. Construction packs will be on offer, giving young people the tools to transform into mini builders and mechanics as they make their way through the museum. In the other activity, they can join a Makaton-friendly adventure that will get them whirring like a cog and turning like a crank.
Families can also take a trip to the world’s oldest surviving passenger railway station, find the sun shining in an exhibition all about Earth’s nearest star, experience the sights and sounds of historic textile machines and discover how computing took off with the Manchester Baby.
What’s on at Manchester Science and Industry Museum?
Science Showdown: Terrific Teams
Daily – Recommended for ages 5+
A battle of experiments as the Science and Industry Museum pits three historical teams who changed the way we travel against each other. Who will win? You decide!
Made Up Machines
Booked workshop, daily – Ages 7+
Ordinary objects become extraordinary machines when you use your imagination. Work with your group to create a machine that transports goods all the way from the docks of Liverpool to the Manchester markets. Will you push it, pull it, drop it or lift it?
Make It Move
Drop in, daily – Ages 3+
Do you like to move it? Use your imagination to make something that moves. Roll the challenge cube for inspiration and test your creation in the Experiment Zone!
Construction Packs
Drop in, daily – Ages 4 and under
Borrow a Construction Pack from the front desk and let your toddler take the lead. Use your packs to help little ones transform into mini builders and mechanics as they make their way through the museum.
Mini Movers
Drop in, daily – Ages 2 – 4 years
Especially for young visitors, this Makaton-friendly adventure around the museum will have you whirring like a cog and turning like a crank to find out how our bodies work like machines.
Weavers Wanted
Daily – Recommended for ages 5+
Weavers, scavengers and piecers of all ages are wanted! Learn all the tricks of the trade as the Science and Industry Museum turns cotton into the thread that made everything from napkins to knickers!
Manchester Mills
Daily – Recommended for ages 7+
A thunderous demonstration of historic mill machinery will show you the whole journey of how cotton is processed from its raw state to the finished product—a piece of calico cloth.
The Sun
Open daily until 29 March 2020
Tickets: Adults £8, concessions £6. Kids go free with a paying adult.
Kids go free to see this major exhibition. From ancient myths, to health and wellbeing, solar power and more, take a look at our closest star and the different ways it affects our lives. There are amazing objects to see and interactive games to try. Feel the heat at the indoor beach, stand in the middle of a solar storm and watch the sun rise over Antarctica as we bring the science behind the Sun to life. Don’t forget to pick up a free family trail to help you explore the exhibition together.