This month, Thinktank will be celebrating National Science and Engineering Week (9- 18 March) an opportunity for people of all ages to take part in science, engineering and technology activities throughout the UK.
As part of National Science and Engineering Week, Thinktank will be holding a British Sign Language Assisted Day at the museum on Saturday 10 March, and on Thursday 15 March, Dr. Carl Senior from Aston University will be holding an evening lecture entitled ‘Sex, Lies and Brain Scanning’. During this unique evening event Dr Senior, an expert in neuroscience will be attempting a live demonstration of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS).
Thinktank is continuing the ‘green’ theme this month. To support the opening of Recycle! the exhibition exploring the surprising science behind domestic recycling, every weekend in March there will be a series of recycling themed events and activities. This includes a recycling workshop for young visitors and a ‘What a Load of Rubbish!’ interactive family science show.
Special Family Events & Activities
What a Load of Rubbish Show
Ever fancied being on a game show? This interactive family science show invites you to become contestants in a game all about Reducing, Reusing and Recycling. Rubbish has never been this much fun!
Thinktank Theatre
Weekends
12.30pm and 2.30pm
Free to Thinktank ticket holders
Wacky Waste Workshop
Come and join in our Wacky Waste Workshop. Games, activities and wriggly worms will show you how Reducing, Reusing and Recycling will help our environment.
Science lab
Weekends
Free to Thinktank ticket holders
British Sign Language (BSL) Assisted Day
Saturday 10 March
12.15pm Activity and Story Time- Free
1.00pm Planetarium Show- £2
2.30pm ‘What a Load of Rubbish!’ family science show- Free
3.15pm LEGOLab Robotics Workshop- £2
2- 4.00pm Drop into our Wacky Waste Workshop- Free
BSL activities only available to Thinktank ticket holders
Regular Family Events & Activities
All events are FREE to Thinktank ticket holders unless stated otherwise
Live Silversmith Demonstrations
Our resident silversmith uses traditional Birmingham craftsmanship to create decorative items out of silver bullion. Join him every Saturday for a lively chat and demonstration.
Most Saturdays
10.00am – 4.00pm
Full Steam Ahead
Every day our heritage team powers up a steam-driven engine. Watch these magnificent machines rumble into life, snorting steam and pounding with power.
Daily
11.00am – 3.00pm
Sensational Sea Life Tour
In this multi-sensory experience, sight, sound, smell and touch used to explore a range of creatures that live and have lived beneath the waves.
Suitable for young people with sensory impairments.
Advance booking essential. Call 0121 202 2244.
Discovery Packs
Discovery Packs are bright orange backpacks crammed full of activities to help families with young children explore the historical collections together. Please ask a member of staff who will provide the most suitable discovery pack for you.
Daily
Under 7s
Activities for Adults
Swapping Stories
If you would like to bring a group to Thinktank to take part in our bespoke handling and reminiscence sessions, please contact us on 0121 202 2244 to arrange a date and time.
Five Favourites Tour
Take a tour of the exhibitions with one of our lively team of Gallery Enablers and examine five of their favourite exhibits. Tours last approx 30 minutes. Book at the ticket desk on arrival.
Available throughout the day
Evening Events for Adults
Unless otherwise stated, evening events are FREE. Seating is limited so booking is essential. Tel: 0121-202 2222 or tickets@thinktank.ac
Sex, Lies and Brain Scanning
Dr Carl Senior (Aston University)
Thursday 15 March, 6.00pm
Find out about the latest tools that scientists use to unlock the mysteries of the mind. Watch a live MRI scan and see what happens when you no longer control your own brain.
Thinktank Theatre, Level G0
Planetarium
Immerse yourself in the stars- without placing a foot outside! Sit back and enjoy a tour of the night sky, and be spellbound as we fly you through the galaxy in our state-of-the-art digital Planetarium.
Stars and Stories
(20 minutes, all ages)
Explore the ever-changing night sky as seen from the West Midlands, through our fun and interactive presenter-led show accessible to under 7s.
Weekends
Tonight’s Sky
(40min, over 7s)
Explore the West Midlands night sky, spot naked-eye objects and have complex astronomy concepts explained. Complete your adventure with a Q&A session, and our locally produced fulldome film ‘Journey to Infinity’.
Selected weekends only
Wonders of the Universe
(20min, all ages)
Peer deep into Space through the eyes of the Hubble Space Telescope and travel back billions of
years to witness the birth of the Universe.
Daily
Stars of the Pharaohs
(40min, all ages)
Learn about the connection the ancient Egyptians felt with the stars, and see some of the most spectacular temples and tombs of the ancient world recreated in their original splendour.
Daily
IMAX- March
*Superman Returns 3D
(154 minutes, 12A)
Experience the return of Superman in magnificent IMAX 3D. Approximately 20 minutes of the film have been transformed into IMAX 3D, transporting viewers into the film to experience the action, drama and wonder of the world of Superman as never before.
Deep Sea 3D
(40 minutes, PG)
Through the magic of IMAX 3D technology, audiences will be transported below the ocean surface to swim with some of the planet’s most unique, dangerous and colourful creatures, from the unusual Wolf Eel to the Giant Pacific Octopus.
*Open Season 3D
(99 minutes, PG)
Showing in eye-popping 3D from 13 January, this hilarious family film tells the story of a 900-pound domesticated grizzly bear named Boog (Martin Lawrence) who has his perfect world turned upside-down when he meets Elliot, a scrawny, fast-talking wild mule deer (Ashton Kutcher).
SPACESTATION
(45 minutes, U)
As astoundingly beautiful as it is technically dazzling, SPACESTATION is the first-ever IMAX 3D space film. Audiences will travel 220 miles above Earth at 17,500 mph to experience SPACESTATION - the greatest engineering feat since landing a man on the Moon.
T- Rex: Back to the Cretaceous 3D
(40 minutes, U)
16 year old Ally Hayden is about to go on a remarkable pre-historic adventure! When Ally, the daughter of Paleontologist Dr. Donald Hayden accidentally disturbs a very special fossil egg, she is magically transported back 65 million years to the Cretaceous Period.
Bugs! 3D
(40 minutes, U)
Narrated by Dame Judi Dench, Bugs! is a live-action nature drama filmed in awe inspiring, totally immersive 3D. Combining incredible footage with cutting edge IMAX technology Bugs! brings you an exciting, entertaining and enlightening show about the creatures that share our planet.
Wild Safari 3D
(45 minutes, U)
Wild Safari 3D places you in an open-air vehicle for a journey through the diverse South African game reserves, and brings you face-to-face with charging elephants, elusive leopards and hungry lions. Never before has wildlife been seen with such realism on the giant screen.
Key information
Thinktank, Birmingham’s science museum, and the IMAX® Cinema are housed at Millennium Point, Curzon Street, just a seven minute walk from Bullring shopping centre and Moor Street Station and 15 minutes walk from New Street Station. The car park is accessed from Jennens Road – follow the brown tourist information signs to ‘Thinktank at Millennium Point’.
Thinktank is open seven days a week 10.00am- 5.00pm.
IMAX is open seven days a week.
+ Permalink