Physical Sciences: Light, Sound, Forces and Engineering Workshop
Explorer Dome
LIGHT (EYFS/KS1/KS2/KS3):A fabulous, fun, high energy romp through light and colour. Investigate what light is, where it comes from, how it travels and how we see. This dazzling and enlightening display of effects and experiments is made all the more impressive inside the pitch dark of the dome.
SOUND (KS2 only):
Explore sound and get hands-on with some good vibrations! Find out how vibrations travel and what they can travel through. Once you get a handle on vibrations and pitch we can make some music with our fun, interactive and immersive sound show.
FORCES (KS1/2):
A truly fun exploration into forces that will take you out of this world! Pushes and pulls, friction, magnets and gravity. This show promotes scientific thinking with hands-on experiments that ask the children to predict what happens next... and why!?
ENGINEERING (KS2+):
'We Make Our Future' is a new interactive, educational & entertaining science show for the next generation of engineers! It was created in collaboration with the Digital Engineering Technology & Innovation (DETI) Inspire team at the University of the West of England, with funding from the West of England Combined Authority.
Inside the dome we celebrate the ingenuity of human engineering as a relevant and attainable aspiration for all young people.
SCIENCE TRICKS (KS1-4+): Observing, predicting and testing. A baffling and brilliant array of experiments use everyday physics and kitchen chemistry to explain some key concepts. Science Tricks was originally developed by Dr Mike Coles - a legend in hands-on chemistry education - and our chemistry shows are supported by the Royal Society of Chemistry.
Current special offers for school groups
40% off a Chemistry visit with RSC funding for schools in South Somerset, Devon and Cornwall
Schools in Devon, Cornwall, and parts of South Somerset who book a visit with our Chemistry shows (Bubbles, States of Matter, Science Tricks, or the Water show) can now receive support from the Peninsula Local Section of the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). Preference will be given to schools with postcodes in the top 30% of most deprived neighbourhoods of the UK, according to the Indices of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) for England.
More information can be found here: or get in touch with us directly on ! We look forward to hearing from you :).
valid until: December 2026
40% off a Chemistry visit with RSC funding for schools in Bristol, Bath, and some parts of Somerset, Gloucestershire, Swindon and Wiltshire
Schools in Bristol, Bath and some parts of Somerset, Gloucestershire, Swindon and Wiltshire who book our Chemistry shows (Bubbles, States of Matter, Science Tricks, or the Water show) can receive support from the Bristol & District branch of the Royal Society of Chemistry. The RSC may fund up to 40% of the cost of your chemistry show visit, however, the allocation of these funds is annual and distributed on a first come first served basis so please get in touch on for more information!
valid until: January 2028
We have special rates for schools in quieter months
The 'Winter' show - only available late November and December!
The Winter show is a a wonderful winter warmer show, available in late November and December only. A cross-curricular fusion of science and culture makes this show a true-spirited, interactive celebration of winter!
EYFS
Crawl into our dome lit with festive lights to discover the magic of the winter seasons and how different people from around the world light up the dark times in November/December.
KS1
Immersive yourself in the sights and sounds of winter, alongside a story-telling introduction to mid-winter festivals from around the world - including Diwali, Hanukkah, Yule and the Christian Christmas story. What was the mysterious ‘Christmas star’? You may even spot Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer in the winter stars!
KS2
Explore the science behind the seasons and discover more about mid-winter festivals from around the world, including Diwali, Hanukkah, Yule and Christian Christmas traditions in the UK. What was the enigmatic ‘Christmas star’? Build a comet inside the Dome and discover what else is visible in the seasonal night sky over winter.
Approximate show length: 40-60 minutes. Audience size: up to 30 primary-aged children per show.
Where we travel to
We can visit your school in: West Midlands, London & South East, East of England, South West, Wales
What activities are available during this school workshop?
LIGHT
Foundation Stage - ages 3-4
We start with a simple light bulb and finish telling stories underneath the night time sky. This show is a lovely introduction to light, dark, reflections, rainbows, fire and the stars.
Duration: 30-40 mins Curriculum Links Capacity: ~35 children + adults
LIGHT
Key Stage One - ages 5-7
A beautiful introduction to the science of light and dark with light sources like the Sun and a chance to have fun with shadows. Reflections, rainbows, stories around the fire and why not be afraid of the dark.
Duration: ~45 mins Curriculum Links Capacity: ~35 children + adults
LIGHT
Key Stage Two - ages 7-11
Get hands-on with light and colour. What light is, where it comes from, how it travels and how we see. Opaque, transparent and translucent materials, mirrors, prisms and filters provide a dazzling and enlightening display of reflection, refraction and colour mixing inside the darkened Dome.
Duration: ~45 mins Curriculum Links Capacity: ~30 children + adults
LIGHT
Key Stage Three - ages 11-14
What light is, where it comes from, how it travels and how we see. An introduction to the electromagnetic spectrum and invisible light, concave and convex lenses, how the eye works and why we see colour. Using mirrors, prisms, filters and more, enjoy a dazzling and enlightening display of effects and hands-on experiments inside the darkened Dome.
Duration: ~50 mins Curriculum Links Capacity: ~30 students + adults
SOUND
Key Stage Two - ages 7-11
Explore and question the world of vibration, sound waves, frequency, pitch and hearing. How fast is sound? Why do astronauts need radios and how do bats see in the dark? With thunder and lightning, pops and pipes, make music with our hands-on guide to the nature of noise!
Duration: ~45 mins Curriculum Links Capacity: ~30 children + adults
FORCES
Key Stage One - ages 5-7
Pushes and pulls, making things move and slowing them down. Have fun with mysterious magnets, find out why all the penguins don't fall off the Earth at the South pole and unleash the aweseome force of rockets to take a trip to the stars!
Duration: ~45 mins Curriculum Links Capacity: ~35 children + adults
FORCES
Key Stage Two - ages 7-11
Feel the friction, mess with magnets and get to grips with gravity! What actually slows things down? Do heavy things really fall faster? Is there gravity on the moon? Action and reaction, equal and opposite forces, and hands-on experiments with rocket power take you out of this world to discover that forces feel very different in space.
Duration: ~45 mins Curriculum Links Capacity: ~30 children + adults
ENGINEERING
Key Stage Two - ages 7-11
Full-dome digital projections allow us to visit engineering marvels from history and explore the pros and cons of modern life. Industry, technology and invention have progressed civilisation, but how has this impacted the planet? What is climate change? And what can we do to engineer our way out of the climate emergency? Empower your class to think scientifically so they can positively approach the Net Zero challenge in their local community.
Duration: ~50 mins Curriculum Links Capacity: ~30 children + adults
ENGINEERING
Key Stage Three - ages 11-14
Celebrate the ingenuity of human engineering, whilst addressing current issues around Climate Change with a positive, locally focused mindset. Industry, technology and invention have progressed civilisation, but at what cost? How can we work together to engineer solutions to climate change? Full-dome digital projections will help your pupils grasp, and rise to, the challenge climate change presents to our planet. And introductions to real-life engineers will inspire them to get creative in re-designing our planet's future.
Duration: ~55 mins Curriculum Links Capacity: ~25 students + adults
Foundation Stage - ages 3-4
We start with a simple light bulb and finish telling stories underneath the night time sky. This show is a lovely introduction to light, dark, reflections, rainbows, fire and the stars.
Duration: 30-40 mins Curriculum Links Capacity: ~35 children + adults
LIGHT
Key Stage One - ages 5-7
A beautiful introduction to the science of light and dark with light sources like the Sun and a chance to have fun with shadows. Reflections, rainbows, stories around the fire and why not be afraid of the dark.
Duration: ~45 mins Curriculum Links Capacity: ~35 children + adults
LIGHT
Key Stage Two - ages 7-11
Get hands-on with light and colour. What light is, where it comes from, how it travels and how we see. Opaque, transparent and translucent materials, mirrors, prisms and filters provide a dazzling and enlightening display of reflection, refraction and colour mixing inside the darkened Dome.
Duration: ~45 mins Curriculum Links Capacity: ~30 children + adults
LIGHT
Key Stage Three - ages 11-14
What light is, where it comes from, how it travels and how we see. An introduction to the electromagnetic spectrum and invisible light, concave and convex lenses, how the eye works and why we see colour. Using mirrors, prisms, filters and more, enjoy a dazzling and enlightening display of effects and hands-on experiments inside the darkened Dome.
Duration: ~50 mins Curriculum Links Capacity: ~30 students + adults
SOUND
Key Stage Two - ages 7-11
Explore and question the world of vibration, sound waves, frequency, pitch and hearing. How fast is sound? Why do astronauts need radios and how do bats see in the dark? With thunder and lightning, pops and pipes, make music with our hands-on guide to the nature of noise!
Duration: ~45 mins Curriculum Links Capacity: ~30 children + adults
FORCES
Key Stage One - ages 5-7
Pushes and pulls, making things move and slowing them down. Have fun with mysterious magnets, find out why all the penguins don't fall off the Earth at the South pole and unleash the aweseome force of rockets to take a trip to the stars!
Duration: ~45 mins Curriculum Links Capacity: ~35 children + adults
FORCES
Key Stage Two - ages 7-11
Feel the friction, mess with magnets and get to grips with gravity! What actually slows things down? Do heavy things really fall faster? Is there gravity on the moon? Action and reaction, equal and opposite forces, and hands-on experiments with rocket power take you out of this world to discover that forces feel very different in space.
Duration: ~45 mins Curriculum Links Capacity: ~30 children + adults
ENGINEERING
Key Stage Two - ages 7-11
Full-dome digital projections allow us to visit engineering marvels from history and explore the pros and cons of modern life. Industry, technology and invention have progressed civilisation, but how has this impacted the planet? What is climate change? And what can we do to engineer our way out of the climate emergency? Empower your class to think scientifically so they can positively approach the Net Zero challenge in their local community.
Duration: ~50 mins Curriculum Links Capacity: ~30 children + adults
ENGINEERING
Key Stage Three - ages 11-14
Celebrate the ingenuity of human engineering, whilst addressing current issues around Climate Change with a positive, locally focused mindset. Industry, technology and invention have progressed civilisation, but at what cost? How can we work together to engineer solutions to climate change? Full-dome digital projections will help your pupils grasp, and rise to, the challenge climate change presents to our planet. And introductions to real-life engineers will inspire them to get creative in re-designing our planet's future.
Duration: ~55 mins Curriculum Links Capacity: ~25 students + adults
Which curriculum topics do we cater for?
Physics Workshop
Sound Light Forces and magnets Forces Electricity and circuits Planetarium
Light (EYFS/KS1/2/3): A fabulous, fun, high energy romp through light and colour. Investigate what light is, where it comes from, how it travels and how we see. This dazzling and enlightening display of effects and experiments is made all the more impressive inside the pitch dark of the dome.
Sound (KS2): Explore sound and get hands-on with some good vibrations! Find out how vibrations travel and what they can travel through. Once you get a handle on vibrations and pitch we can make some music with our fun, interactive and immersive sound show.
Forces (KS1/2): A truly fun exploration into forces that will take you out of this world! Pushes and pulls, friction, magnets and gravity. This show promotes scientific thinking with hands-on experiments that ask the children to predict what happens next... and why!?
Engineering: 'We Make Our Future' is a new interactive, educational & entertaining science show for the next generation of engineers! It was created in collaboration with the Digital Engineering Technology & Innovation (DETI) Inspire team at the University of the West of England, with funding from the West of England Combined Authority.
Inside the dome we celebrate the ingenuity of human engineering as a relevant and attainable aspiration for all young people.
Science Tricks (KS1-4+): Observing, predicting and testing. A baffling and brilliant array of experiments use everyday physics and kitchen chemistry to explain some key concepts. Science Tricks was originally developed by Dr Mike Coles - a legend in hands-on chemistry education - and our chemistry shows are supported by the Royal Society of Chemistry.
Sustainability
>What size groups do we cater for?
Our Standard Dome takes up a floor area of 6 metres x 7 metres. The height is 3.5 metres - and it is worth checking for surprise hanging projectors and lights! As a rule of thumb, we can fit about 30 people inside the Dome per show, but if you have older students or adults, you will need our Large Dome (which still requires 3.5 metres height, but takes up a larger 8 metres x 9 metres floor area). If you have classes of infants or juniors, you can get up to 40 children inside this Large Dome!
Chemistry shows do not use the Dome and so can accommodate up to 60-70 children per show.
Chemistry shows do not use the Dome and so can accommodate up to 60-70 children per show.
Groups with Special Educational Needs & Disabilities (SEND)
We love the work we do with SEN schools as the Dome is a wonderfully immersive and relaxing environment and a perfect place to learn for children with special educational needs. Merging the very best bits from different shows, we aim to make the shows as multisensory as possible. We recommend themes of 'Space and Rockets' (inside the Dome) or 'Bubbles' (outside the Dome) for all abilities, but can adapt most of our other themes for children at NC level 1 or above.
People who can't crawl or are in wheelchairs can be accommodated, but this does reduce the capacity for our Dome shows so please notify us in advance. We recommend a maximum capacity of 25 inside the Dome including teaching staff and carers and for EBD students we would suggest smaller class sizes than this.
We also recommend our 'Bubble show:
A firm favourite for groups with special educational needs, the Bubble show does not take place inside the Dome, but in a hall or large classroom. We can therefore accommodate more (up to 30) children per show and more complex mobility needs with Bubbles! Please see our Logistics Page for more info about SEN visits.
The Bubble show is full of fun and surprises. Children will delight in bubbles that float and sink, grow and shrink, burn and explode! With freezing fog and exciting flashes, we will take care to come around to the children where they are in the audience so all can experience the magic of science bubbles.
Some presentations include flashing lights and loud noises so presenters should be notified of children who are adversely effected by this (e.g. behavioural difficulties, autism or epilepsy) and we can adapt the shows accordingly. We can give you a full break down of the show in advance and our presenters can use some Makaton signing in the shows to help with understanding.
People who can't crawl or are in wheelchairs can be accommodated easily (by lifting up the sides of the Dome!), but this does reduce the capacity for our Dome shows so please notify us in advance.
Anything else?
Availability
We tend to book up about a term in advance, and busy times can book 12 months ahead (for example British Science Week in March) so it's worth giving us as much notice as you can.
For short notice bookings, please do still get in touch in case of any cancellations / movement in the diary. We will always do our best to come to you!
Where do we travel?
We regularly travel throughout the South West, London, South Wales and the West Midlands.
If you are further afield, we can still come and give you a quote to include the additional travel costs. We also travel internationally.
What does a venue need to provide?
Dome visits need an indoor space large enough with a smooth, clean floor and access to mains power. The Dome can only be outside if housed in a floored marquee... otherwise it will blow away!
Chemistry shows require a space large enough to accommodate your audience and access to 2 tables and mains power. Chemistry shows also need access to hot water (not needed in the same room) and benefit from high ceilings and the capability to isolate heat/smoke detectors, as these shows can involve freezing fog, fire, flashes and bangs. If some of your audience would benefit from being on benches or chair, it would be really helpful to have these nearby or set up at the start of the day.
How does a timetable work?
Shows last between 40 and 55 mins, depending on your audience and timetable requirements. We can usually fit 2 or 3 shows into a morning and 6 or 7 shows into a full day visit, but capacity of shows and timetables vary depending on the type of show you choose.
If you visit the page for a particular show topic from the menu above, each show summary has detailed information of the capacity of each show, length and national curriculum links.
We can certainly bring an array of different show topics in the same visit, but this may reduce the number of shows possible to fit in a single day.
What else should you know?
We will need reasonable vehicle access to the hall - let us know if access is likely to be poor (e.g. many steps or long distances) as this will affect the schedule and the preparations we need to make for the day.
At least one member of staff must accompany the children during the shows but we promise they will enjoy it! For family shows, all children under 7 should be accompanied by an adult.
If you prefer, do feel free to get in touch and we can help with your plan.
We tend to book up about a term in advance, and busy times can book 12 months ahead (for example British Science Week in March) so it's worth giving us as much notice as you can.
For short notice bookings, please do still get in touch in case of any cancellations / movement in the diary. We will always do our best to come to you!
Where do we travel?
We regularly travel throughout the South West, London, South Wales and the West Midlands.
If you are further afield, we can still come and give you a quote to include the additional travel costs. We also travel internationally.
What does a venue need to provide?
Dome visits need an indoor space large enough with a smooth, clean floor and access to mains power. The Dome can only be outside if housed in a floored marquee... otherwise it will blow away!
Chemistry shows require a space large enough to accommodate your audience and access to 2 tables and mains power. Chemistry shows also need access to hot water (not needed in the same room) and benefit from high ceilings and the capability to isolate heat/smoke detectors, as these shows can involve freezing fog, fire, flashes and bangs. If some of your audience would benefit from being on benches or chair, it would be really helpful to have these nearby or set up at the start of the day.
How does a timetable work?
Shows last between 40 and 55 mins, depending on your audience and timetable requirements. We can usually fit 2 or 3 shows into a morning and 6 or 7 shows into a full day visit, but capacity of shows and timetables vary depending on the type of show you choose.
If you visit the page for a particular show topic from the menu above, each show summary has detailed information of the capacity of each show, length and national curriculum links.
We can certainly bring an array of different show topics in the same visit, but this may reduce the number of shows possible to fit in a single day.
What else should you know?
We will need reasonable vehicle access to the hall - let us know if access is likely to be poor (e.g. many steps or long distances) as this will affect the schedule and the preparations we need to make for the day.
At least one member of staff must accompany the children during the shows but we promise they will enjoy it! For family shows, all children under 7 should be accompanied by an adult.
If you prefer, do feel free to get in touch and we can help with your plan.
Who are Explorer Dome?
Explorer Dome is Unique
Hands-On Science
We believe that the best way to learn is by doing - that's why all of our shows are fully interactive, making Explorer Dome shows 100% presenter-led, hands-on and unforgettable!
"I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand." (Confucius)
Lively, Knowledgable Presenters
Our brilliant presenters are at the heart of everything we do here at Explorer Dome. When you book a visit from us, you are signing up to receive the best quality science shows from presenters who are experienced, highly trained, passionate and rigourous about the science and, most importantly, fun!
Science for Everyone
Discover a huge range of topics that bring science to life for audiences of all ages, genders, backgrounds and abilities. Inclusive education is at the heart of what we do and we visit schools, colleges, adult education, teacher training, festivals and special events and, as we pitch the show for your group, no two shows are ever the same!
A Brief History
Explorer Dome has been around for over 25 years! From our humble beginnings in 1998, we have come a long way with four domes, chemistry presentations, workshops, a team of specialist presenters and a base in Bristol and now London.
Explorer Dome reaches over 80,000 children and adults every year. Each person coming to our shows has a ~45 minute, immersive experience where new ideas, scientific interests and identity can be explored. We cover hundreds of schools and events across the whole of England, Wales and beyond. Over the years we have visited thousands of places from the Highlands to the Channel Islands, met over 1 million children and enjoyed every moment!
Every enquiry gives you a chance to win trips and workshops for your school - We are giving away a free trip for every week of the Autumn term!
