Enjoy summer at the amazing Science Oxford Centre, open every Saturday for a unique science-themed experience!

Summer of science at the Science Oxford Centre

After celebrating the solstice, it’s officially time to go outside and enjoy summer – so why not bring your family to visit the Science Oxford Centre in Headington? Our Summer Family Days offer a unique indoor-outdoor science-themed experience in the Exploration Zone and 15 acres of woodland, and are now open to visitors every Saturday, with extra school holiday activities on Saturdays from 24^th July – 28^th August.

Explore our nature trails in the woodland with a summer activity sheet, where you can discover and learn about native wildlife from bugs to biodiversity. Families can have fun identifying busy pond life from the decking, or dip into our Pond Discovery activity on Saturday 10th July, where kids can try out pond-dipping and water-testing with our nets and ID sheets to learn about rivers and streams, and even take home their own water-testing kit to contribute to Freshwater Habitats Trust’s Waterblitz project. Look out for our newts!

In the Exploration Zone, children get hands-on with our interactive exhibits, where they can create and test flying designs at the Air Table, marvel at momentum with spinning discs at the Turntable, and try to beat the Scarf-shooter. Mini-engineers can build a giant magnetic ball run, or test what’s hot and what’s not with the Curious Camera. Budding botanists can examine mini-beasts and plants magnified under microscopes, or play a game of ‘Guess What?’ and try to spot the fossilised dino-poop. Brainiacs can solve puzzles, light up circuits and get the cogs whirring with our fun, mind-melting activities.

On Saturdays during the school holidays, (24^th July – 28^th August) you can find Explorer QR codes for fun challenges and brain-teasers hidden in the trees. We’re buzzing about our bee-themed day on Saturday 7th August! Bees are good for the garden and the planet, join us for a ‘hive’ of activities to learn about and celebrate these amazing insects and see if you can spot our new beehive! Plus, we’ll be making a big splash with a watery surprise later this summer…

Your summer visit includes two hours in the Exploration Zone (COVID-secure measures apply) and access to the woodland all day. You can enjoy your lunch at our picnic tables.- and don’t forget your wellies!