Star Soup
Tue 24 October | 11 – 11.45am and 1 – 1.45pm
The North Wall Arts Centre, OX2 7JN
Age 7 – 12
We’re all made of stardust, but what makes a star? The UKAEA fusion machine has the power to make a real star just south of Oxford. This family science show shares the recipe, using spectacular demonstrations, with a chance for you to help perform experiments on stage. Set the temperature to 150,000,000°C and let’s get cooking... PERFORMANCE
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Plastic Drastic Fantastic! workshops
Tue 24 October | 11am – 12pm and 1pm – 2pm
Museum of Oxford, OX1 1BX
Under 7s / Age 7 – 12
Following on from their performance of Plastic Drastic Fantastic! at Pegasus Theatre, Akademi dance company invite families with children aged 11 years and under to take part in a workshop based on the show. Join a journey through the fantastic and drastic world of plastic! Get creative together in a fun, interactive experience for the whole family. All abilities welcome. - WORKSHOP
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Among Us: a game of teamwork and betrayal
Wed 25 October | 1 – 3pm
Oxfordshire County Library, OX1 1DJ
Age 7 – 12 / Teenage / Adult FREE
Have you heard of this social game but never had the chance to play? Join a session of the hit computer game Among Us in Oxford’s central Makerspace Suite. A perfect opportunity to
mix subterfuge with bluffery, with or without your friends and family. Under 16s must be accompanied by an adult. - WORKSHOP
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Glow Your Own (3 of 6)
Wed 25 October | 5 – 6.30pm (also 1, 8, 15 November)
Online event
Age 7 – 12 / Teenage / Adult
Get ready for the Oxford Light Festival by creating your very own moving lantern. This weekly workshop series will help you build your own creative circuit with sensors that control LEDs and motors. Receive an Arduino starter kit (sent to UK addresses by post) and use tools like Tinkercad to combine art and engineering. Six live video sessions recorded to watch again on if-oxford.com
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Mined over matter
Fri 27 October | 1.30 – 3pm
STFC RAL Visitors’ Centre, Harwell, OX11 0FA
Age 7 – 12
Join Chris Toth from STFC’s Boulby Underground Laboratory for a family-friendly guide to the bizarre mystery that is dark matter. Ongoing work to find this elusive stuff happens over 1km deep underground in Yorkshire! Find out more at a light-hearted talk with time for questions followed by exciting hands-on activities for all ages at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory. - TALK / INTERACTIVE
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Breakdance: introducing the Solar System
Friday 27 October | 4 – 5pm
Museum of Oxford, OX1 1BX
Age 7 – 12
The Universe is vast and mysterious, containing all of space, matter, energy and time (including you!) This dance workshop gives a brief overview of our Solar System and what makes it special. Watch breakdancing and push against the Earth with your own hands and feet to explore the identity of home and our neighbour planets and understand why they all are so different! - WORKSHOP
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Warning Notes by Mark Anderson
Fri 27 and Sat 28 October 4 – 8pm
Location to be revealed
Age 7 – 12 / Teenage / Adult
A captivating sound-world that comes alive through an ever-changing outdoor live performance. Using an ensemble of visually striking ‘instruments’ - gongs, bells, whistles and explosive events - Warning Notes gives a voice to the social and ecological alarm rippling across our planet. A hypnotic and playful invitation to contemplate our future together. Workshop and accessible performances available. - INSTALLATION / PERFORMANCE
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Braintastic! Your Irrational Brain
Fri 27 October | 5 – 6.15pm
Oxford Playhouse, OX1 2LW
Teenage / Adult
This interactive game show uses demos, experiments and quizzes to show how brains trick us into making irrational decisions every day. Get your voting device ready and navigate the quirks of your brain. This challenge helps you understand human defaults. Can you spot and learn from unconscious bias to make smarter choices? To fully take part, you will need a smartphone or tablet to access the game app. - PERFORMANCE
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Deep science: the search for dark matter
Fri 27 October | 7 – 8.15pm
STFC RAL Visitors’ Centre, Harwell, OX11 0FA
Teenage / Adult
85% of the Universe’s mass is missing, possibly hidden as sub-atomic particles that can’t be directly seen. The global race to prove (or disprove) this theory on, with Australia, USA, China and others in the running. Sean Paling from STFC’s Boulby Underground Laboratory will give an update on the search for this dark matter, with an overview of life, science and work 1.1 km deep beneath the Yorkshire Moors. - TALK
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Women in science
Sat 28 October | 10 – 11.30am
Meet at Carfax Tower, OX1 1ET
Teenage / Adult
Explore the history of female researchers in Oxford during a walking tour. Retrace significant moments when women at Oxford University were first allowed to study (1879) and first awarded the University degrees (1920). Join an inspiring walk to discover the powerful story of some of these women, from chemist Dorothy Hodgkin to vaccinologist Sarah Gilbert, and their pivotal achievements in science. - WALKING TOUR
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Watermelon Lullaby
Sat 28 October | 10am – 12pm
Oxfordshire County Library, OX1 1DJ
Teenage / Adult
Rootical Folklore is an exploration of African and Caribbean Folklore through plants from storyteller Natty Mark Samuels. Rootical means the generation of an idea, and emphasises the spiritual significance of plants, rather than them simply being sources of food and medicine. Watermelon Lullaby is an interactive workshop using tales, chants, dialogues, poetry and monologues. WORKSHOP
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Surprising science
Sat 28 October | 11am – 12pm and 2 – 3pm
Pegasus Theatre, OX4 1RE
Age 7 – 12
A family show packed with science tricks, stunts and puzzles with Dr Matt Pritchard. Discover scientific secrets behind gravity-defying illusions and impossible-looking balances to flex your scientific enquiry and creative thinking. Learn new science tricks, using household objects, that you can use to amaze your friends! - PERFORMANCE
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Experimental drawing: evolution & creativity
Sat 28 October | 2 – 4pm
Oxford University Museum of Natural History, OX1 3PW
How do creative ideas grow and evolve? Artist Julia Thaxton leads this experimental drawing workshop, using exhibits within the Museum of Natural History to inspire a journey of creative exploration. No drawing experience necessary, just bring your curiosity and imagination. Return to continue your practice when the museum is open throughout the year. - WORKSHOP
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Feedback Loops
Sat 28 October 3 – 4.15pm
Oxford Playhouse, OX1 2LW
Teenage / Adult
Words alone cannot always describe inner thoughts and feelings. The rhythm of ambient electronica builds dance performance in a unique production. Heart-rate, blood pressure, skin conductance and movement data can track episodes of depression, epilepsy and multiple sclerosis in clinical settings, and Feedback Loops represents these biometric data through music generated from a performer’s bodily metrics. Join the creators for a post-performance panel discussion to explore lived experiences in new ways. - PERFORMANCE / DISCUSSION
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Robot racing
Sun 29 October | 11am – 3pm
Iffley Road Sports Centre, OX4 1SR
Age 7 – 12 / Teenage / Adult
Robot racing returns! Control mini robots in races, watch bigger machines tackle obstacles on the Roger Bannister track and find out why robots go places you wouldn’t want to go yourself. Scientists and engineers from UK Atomic Energy Authority and Oxfordshire Advanced Skills will be on hand to answer questions and show that playing Jenga is a useful skill when working on fusion machines. INTERACTIVE
