- Create and take home your own cardboard minibeast! How many heads, legs and eyes will yours have?
- Come face to face with minibeasts – including tarantulas and snakes! – and discover that crawlies don’t have to be creepy, with special guests ZooLab (27-31 May only)
- Explore the skies without leaving your seat with our new planetarium show Constellation Close-up: Virgo
- Be a scientist in Experiment Zone – complete with goggles and lab coats. Find the solution you’re looking for by combining chemicals to see which ones fizz, heat, cool and solidify.
- Challenge your friends to a pulley chair race and see what sound looks like with amazing hands-on exhibits in our Wow Zone
- Feel what it’s like to be an astronaut in Space Zone- complete with a mock-up of the International Space Station.
- Nurture your young explorers in our new look Play Zone, a fascinating world where little ones can build, create, and learn.
Science Speakeasy: Fake or Fact? Adults only.
As AI becomes more powerful, more prolific and more public, it’s now easier for anybody to make believable fake images, news articles and social media posts. These deepfakes can be created by anybody and can fool anyone, and it takes time and skill to verify whether they’re real or not.
With elections this year for over half the world’s population, what impact will AI misinformation have?
A panel of experts, with specialties covering artificial intelligence law and conspiracy theory psychology, will explore how to fight misinformation, how to discern truth from lies, and the implications for trust – in the media, in governments, and what we see with our own eyes.
So join us under Gaia – our mesmerising 7 metre recreation of Earth – for a fun evening of lively debate. Paid bar available on the evening.
May Relaxed Sunday Session
Explore the science centre with less noise and enjoy relaxed performances in our planetarium and science theatre. Lighting and sound levels will be altered where possible, to accommodate those with sensory needs. For example, hand-dryers in toilets will be turned off for the session.
- Ear defenders are available to hire from reception for both adults and children. (£10.00 refundable deposit. Subject to availability).
- Sensory bags are available to hire, which include ear defenders, sunglasses and a range of fidgets. (£20.00 refundable deposit. Subject to availability).
- Visual story and sensory map available free of charge on arrival.
May Pre-School Day
Pre-school days give the perfect opportunity for you and your little ones to try new things, make new friends and have lots of hands-on fun.
- Special guests Star Bright Arts bring stories to life through music, movement and play.
- Enjoy exciting activities that have been developed with children’s physical, cognitive and social skills in mind.
- Each session is different, so there’ll be new things to try each time you visit – from storytellers and crafters to artists and musicians.
- Regular highlights include hands-on play in the Making Studios, a balancing path for adventurous walkers, and an immersive, child-friendly planetarium experience.
- Explore some new additions to Play Zone for under-7s. Cross bridges over the River Tyne and enjoy a coastal area complete with a boat.
- Come face to face with minibeasts – including tarantulas and snakes! – and discover that crawlies don’t have to be creepy, with special guests ZooLab (27-31 May only)
- Explore the skies without leaving your seat with our new planetarium show Constellation Close-up: Virgo
- Be a scientist in Experiment Zone – complete with goggles and lab coats. Find the solution you’re looking for by combining chemicals to see which ones fizz, heat, cool and solidify.
- Challenge your friends to a pulley chair race and see what sound looks like with amazing hands-on exhibits in our Wow Zone
- Feel what it’s like to be an astronaut in Space Zone- complete with a mock-up of the International Space Station.
- Nurture your young explorers in our new look Play Zone, a fascinating world where little ones can build, create, and learn.
Science Speakeasy: Fake or Fact? Adults only.
As AI becomes more powerful, more prolific and more public, it’s now easier for anybody to make believable fake images, news articles and social media posts. These deepfakes can be created by anybody and can fool anyone, and it takes time and skill to verify whether they’re real or not.
With elections this year for over half the world’s population, what impact will AI misinformation have?
A panel of experts, with specialties covering artificial intelligence law and conspiracy theory psychology, will explore how to fight misinformation, how to discern truth from lies, and the implications for trust – in the media, in governments, and what we see with our own eyes.
So join us under Gaia – our mesmerising 7 metre recreation of Earth – for a fun evening of lively debate. Paid bar available on the evening.
May Relaxed Sunday Session
Explore the science centre with less noise and enjoy relaxed performances in our planetarium and science theatre. Lighting and sound levels will be altered where possible, to accommodate those with sensory needs. For example, hand-dryers in toilets will be turned off for the session.
- Ear defenders are available to hire from reception for both adults and children. (£10.00 refundable deposit. Subject to availability).
- Sensory bags are available to hire, which include ear defenders, sunglasses and a range of fidgets. (£20.00 refundable deposit. Subject to availability).
- Visual story and sensory map available free of charge on arrival.
May Pre-School Day
Pre-school days give the perfect opportunity for you and your little ones to try new things, make new friends and have lots of hands-on fun.
- Special guests Star Bright Arts bring stories to life through music, movement and play.
- Enjoy exciting activities that have been developed with children’s physical, cognitive and social skills in mind.
- Each session is different, so there’ll be new things to try each time you visit – from storytellers and crafters to artists and musicians.
- Regular highlights include hands-on play in the Making Studios, a balancing path for adventurous walkers, and an immersive, child-friendly planetarium experience.
- Explore some new additions to Play Zone for under-7s. Cross bridges over the River Tyne and enjoy a coastal area complete with a boat.
