Blog posts
At-Bristol’s health-tastic Community weekend!
Blogging science to life
Tue 7 February 2012, Written by: Nicole
At-Bristol opened its doors and welcomed around 4000 visitors from the Barton Hill, Lawrence Hill, Knowle West, Hartcliffe and Southmead areas of Bristol, for a free weekend of fun!
The weekend, which had been funded by Big Lottery Fund, was one of two which are being held and run by At-Bristol. Their aim is to give families a chance to explore the world of healthy living and a healthy lifestyle by learning, exploring and playing together. Families were given the chance to explore At-Bristol to their hearts content, playing with the hundreds of interactive exhibits and exploring the wonderful world of science. They could take a trip to the universe with the Winter night sky and Little Stars (and due to it’s popularity the Planetarium was sold out by 12pm both days!), learn about their amazing brains with The Boggling Brain show and get taken on an imaginative adventure with Storytelling.
This weekend was also about bringing communities together and so it was brilliant to be able to invite Community members from Wellspring Healthy Living Centre, Knowle West Health Association, the NHS and Hengrove Park Leisure Centre in to help us deliver some amazing healthy activities.
For those that wanted to flex their muscles and get active we had Zumba and Street Dancing taster sessions and Wii fit dancing sessions. After working up an appetite, families could explore the world of healthy food by taste-testing pancakes with a selection of healthy fillings and making their own smoothies and bread. Everyone got to take these home with them… although they looked so yummy I’m not sure many actually reached home!
.JPG "Breadmaking in At-Bristol")
And, after all that activity, there was guided relaxation in the Planetarium – promoting the importance of a healthy mind and giving everyone the chance to relax under the stars- lovely!
There was also the chance to talk to community representatives from a range of different projects including Smoke Free Bristol, Off the Record, 4YP, Barnardos Breastfeeding peer support, Live to Live health and fitness, Knowle West Health Park, NHS Inner City team, Alcohol awareness and more!
The weekend was hugely successful and we were delighted to welcome hoards of visitors! Jo Bryant, Community Engagement Manager for At-Bristol said “It’s fantastic to be able to work Bristol’s brilliant community groups and their members. After all bringing science into the community in a fun, hands-on way is what At-Bristol is all about!”
A huge thanks to everyone who help with the day – including our fantastic volunteers and community members! We can’t wait until the next one!
Behind the scenes in At-Bristol’s Learning team
Blogging science to life
Tue 24 January 2012, Written by: Krysten
For little over a year now I have been volunteering with At-Bristol. I have been fortunate enough to be involved with many different activities and events, including Toddler Takeover days, school workshops and even outreach at the Bristol Children’s Hospital!
While volunteering, I saw glimpses of what happens “behind the scenes” in At-Bristol. Significant preparation is required to put together the programming that visitors get to enjoy and experience. After seeing this I wanted to become more involved with the development aspects of At-Bristol, so I applied to become the Learning intern.
For three months from July to September, I came in two days each week to work with the At-Bristol Learning team. As the Learning intern I was able to become involved with many different projects including using my skills as an educator to update and develop new trails around the venue for schools to follow during their visits to At-Bristol. The trails direct students to specific exhibits and ask students questions relating to the science involved in the exhibits. Seeing the Trails on the At-Bristol website and in use on the floor was exciting and personally very satisfying! Similarly, I created activities for teachers to use with their classes in conjunction with two of the workshops that make up part of At-Bristol’s schools programme .
I was lucky enough to be able to work inter-departmentally with the Exhibitions department – I conducted some visitor research and spent many days speaking one-on-one with visitors to ask what they thought about the new All about us experience. The data I collected was later used for a report to measure the success of the All About Us exhibition. It was great to be able to interact with visitors and learn lots about evaluation techniques at the same time. Other activities I got involved with were updating school workshop materials, planning activities for a Toddler Takeover day, and I surveyed visitor feedback on the Seasonal Night Sky planetarium show. From what I saw visitors love the planetarium! As well as taking responsibility for the work that I was involved with and contributed towards I felt appreciated by the department.
Working with the Learning team was great! Everyone is so nice and extremely friendly. At-Bristol made me feel that I was part of the team and everyone was willing to help answer all of my questions! The internship itself was very flexible and able to accommodate my other commitments. I was able to become involved with projects that interested me and expand/improve upon my skills set. I learned more about science communication and programming development than I could have imagined. I would highly recommend participation in an internship - the experience itself and the skills that you take away are invaluable. I will certainly use what I have learned in the future!
BRISTOL SCIENCE MUSEUM!
Blogging science to life
Fri 13 January 2012, Written by: Harry
Today’s blog is a review of At-Bristol written by Harry, aged 6, who recently visited us with his family.
On Monday the 2nd of Jan 2012 me Hugo Paul Ruth and Claudia had a trip to the BRISTOL SCIENCE MUSEUM. We started to get dressed ate breakfast and got into the car. It was 60 minutes till we got to the car park.
IT WAS UNDERGROUND!
We went up some stairs that led outside. It was raining. First we went to the café for some lunch. I had a bacon sandwich. We went to the door that led inside. There was a long queue that we had to wait in for our tickets. When we got in there we saw lots of experiments and activities.
I had a go on some rockets that had parachutes on them. You put the rockets on a wire that goes up, hit’s the ceiling and falls down. I had a go on some other things including two big whispering dishes. Next we had a look at some things about the body and how you grow as a baby.
Upstairs there was more to look at. There was a Wallace and Gromit scene when you could change the features and effects by pressing a button and flicking switches. There was a giant bubble making area and funny mirrors. Me, Paul and Hugo went into the planetarium. It is a cinema on the ceiling about stars and planets. When we came out we went to a fake tv station where there were cameras, screens and a news desk which was great fun adding sound effects and backgrounds.
I think that everyone would like it as much as I did. I hope I go again one day and do some of the things I didn’t do this time.
Thanks Harry – we can’t wait to welcome you back!
Business in the Community
Blogging science to life
Wed 11 January 2012, Written by: Erin
At-Bristol hosted the first Business in the Community ‘Behind the Scenes’ event of 2012 yesterday. These events are designed to inspire people who experience barriers to employment to think about employment opportunities that might be available in different work places. After all what makes somewhere like At-Bristol work isn’t just science!
The day gave participants an introduction to what At-Bristol is, what we do and what they could be doing if they worked here. To kick things off was a fun and informative quiz (including very significant facts such as: the Silver Ball is NOT a spaceship but actually our Planetarium!); a tour of the exhibitions led by our Live Science Team which was an opportunity to have a play, very important as no one had ever been to At-Bristol as a visitor before! Then HR gave an overview of At-Bristol’s recruitment and selection process.
After a fantastic buffet lunch, provided for free by Digby Trout Restaurants, came the ‘Speed Interviewing’ session: think speed dating for job hunters!
Nine members of staff from nearly every department spent 6 minutes being interviewed by a small group of participants about their jobs before moving on to speak to the next group, and the next… and the next! Staff members from Marketing, Venue Hire, Security, IT, Estates, Visitor Services, and Digby Trout volunteered to be a part of this session designed to give the participants a real sense of what employers are looking for, new ideas to help with their job hunt and whether At-Bristol might be somewhere they’d like to work. Although, not everyone spent the whole 6 minutes talking about work…
After another well needed coffee break, and a quick Q&A the day was over. All the participants seemed to have a brilliant day, and we might even have recruited one or two new volunteers! There was even time for a group snapshot as a memento of the day!
Happy Christmas!
Blogging science to life
Wed 21 December 2011, Written by: Nicole
Santa’s Invention workshop has been open almost a week now and we’ve had a whole host of elves visiting making the most fabulous L.E.D Christmas decorations, finger puppets and hoover balloons!
The Christmas puddings have barely stopped flaming in the studio with our amazing Party tricks demonstrations and it doesn’t matter if we’re not going to have a white Christmas this year as the homemade snow storms have been going down a… storm!
If you are too busy making last minute Christmas preparations don’t worry you will have a chance to get crafty right into the New Year as Winter Wonder-land activities until 2 January.
So after a year of Wallace and Gromit Invention kit weekends, Toddler Takeovers, Planetarium star shows, the All About Us launch, Inspiring Interactions, the Royal Wedding, Brownie/Cub/Beaver days, Championsheeps, Abu Dhabi and a whole host of other spectacularly sciencey activities all that is left to say is Happy Christmas!
What do you want to be when you grow up?
Blogging science to life
Fri 16 December 2011, Written by: Bonnie
Bonnie Buckley is currently doing an MsC in Science Communication in UWE and volunteers in At-Bristol in her spare time. Recently she met up with Goéry Delacôte, CEO of At-Bristol to discuss the practicalities of running a science centre and achieving your dreams.
One of the very first questions often asked of us when younger is, “what do you want to be when you grow up?” and discovering the answer to this question is quite exciting. However, once you know the answer, you are then faced with the next question, “how do I achieve my career goal?”
My career aspirations are to one day lead a science centre. To complement my educational pursuit of a Science Communication MSc, I began volunteering at At-Bristol in October. I recently had the opportunity to sit down with Goéry Delacôte, At-Bristol’s Chief Executive Officer, to discuss his view on some of the abilities and talent needed to successfully lead a science centre.
Following our discussion, I have gained knowledge toward further developments to focus on as I continue to learn and expand my experience in the field. Some of the highlights were:
- It is important to always have a strategy and be passionate and intelligent.
- Know the needs of your audiences in relation to your mission and travel to those that are unable to come to you.
- When building a network, create the need for a network, making it advantageous for all involved.
- Be an enabler for the people you work with, highlighting the strengths of individuals to produce a successful product as a team.
The remainder of my day was spent helping visitors create Christmas toys and ornaments in Santa's Invention workshop in Live Lab. While cutting felt and tying ribbon, I felt a sense of excitement over the prospect of the many future experiences, projects, visitor interactions, and programmes that I will continue to learn from on my adventure to one day leading a science centre.
My recent discussion with Goéry Delacôte will remain as a prominent moment of learning. His insight, wisdom, and advice have added to my motivation and passion for my chosen career goal. The question that now resonates in my mind, a question I was asked during our conversation, is “are you determined?”
Find more information about the At-Bristol volunteering scheme here
Dear Santa…
Blogging science to life
Fri 9 December 2011, Written by: Nicole
If all you want for Christmas is some quirky gift ideas - At-Bristol has a treat for you!
To spread some festive cheer, and as a thank you to everyone who has supported us over the past year, we are offering a 15% discount in the At-Bristol shop.
Chock full of interesting, amazing and quirky gadgets and gifts the At-Bristol shop is great for kids and big kids alike. Whether you are after that one special something or a couple of stocking fillers the shop has it all - and now you can get 15% off!
Simply download and print out the voucher below to receive this special seasonal treat when you come into our shop to make your purchases.
The voucher is valid until 31 December 2011 and cannot be used to buy gift vouchers or gift membership (which also makes a great present by the way!).
Abu Dhabi Science festival uncovered!
Blogging science to life
Fri 9 December 2011, Written by: Nicole
The At-Bristol team were delighted to be chosen to attend the Abu Dhabi first science festival – and not just because it gave the Learning team an excuse for a bit of a holiday!
After the success of the Bright Sparks and Inspiring Interactions projects, in which our focus was firmly on the At-Bristol mission statement of making science accessible to all, the Abu Dhabi science festival seemed like another great opportunity to build on this fantastic work. Especially since the field of science communication and the delivery of science in this way is new in Abu Dhabi – and is what we are all about!
So two of our team, Alice and Chris, set off with the At-Bristol portable exhibits and all their science communication expertise for a week of ‘work’! They started the week by meeting their Arabic-speaking co-hosts and then got down to the matter of training.
As well as the portables, which are mini science exhiblets for families and schools, there were also science skills workshops for the team to deliver. And with over 15,000 school children expected they had their work cut out!
The portables were given bit of a makeover, complete with Arabic graphics ready for the Emirati visitors, the At-Bristol stand was ready and in prime position right next to the red carpet which was out for the Sheikh to open the festival.
The festival, which was launched in partnership with Edinburgh International Science Festival, ran from 18 – 26 November was a brilliant success with over 100,000 visitors attended in just 7 days – 40,000 more than they were expecting!
The some of the other fantastic exhibitions and workshops included a tomb with a mummy inside, a robot zoo, an Emergency Room workshop (with 6 wards with injured manakins awaiting treatment) and the world's largest fossil dig-pit! Even the Honda robot made an appearance!
We can’t wait to hear about next year’s festival schedule!
To read more about the festival visit Edinburgh International Science Festival’s blog.
Get £1.50 off entry this Wednesday!
Blogging science to life
Mon 28 November 2011, Written by: Nicole
If you are looking for something to do with your children this Wednesday then look no further! At-Bristol is offering £1.50 off per person for up to four people.
Simply quote ‘science rocks’ when buying your tickets at the front desk to get this brilliant offer!
With hundreds of interactive exhibits, including the chance to look at your own veins, run in a giant hamster wheel and even make your own animation, At-Bristol is a great educational choice for a day out. In the Live Lab space you can take part in real experiments including DNA extraction and dissection and then discover the wonders of the human body in All About Us.
Explore the night sky in the Planetarium, see the Autumn night sky show at 2.30pm or ask at the front desk about our Planetarium school shows to find out which is most suitable!
With lockers and a big bright indoor picnic space there are lots of child friendly facilities to make your day as affordable and stress-free as possible!
Terms and conditions
Discount is £1.50 per person for up to four people
Offer only valid on 30/11/11.
Not to be used in conjunction with any other offer and must be declared when booking in advance.
Not to be used by education, group visits or At-Bristol members.
Toddler Takeover – Colour Spectacular!
Blogging science to life
Thu 24 November 2011, Written by: Nicole
Forget grey skies and dark evenings with a kaleidoscope of different activities in tomorrow’s Toddler Takeover Colour Spectacular!
If you and your little ones have been enjoying the colourful autumn leaves outside then the colouful leaf painting and printing in Live Lab is sure to be a hit!
Along with painting pretty autumn leaves toddlers can explore light and dark with the special shadow screen. They will get the opportunity to make shadow puppets, test them out and take them home so that the fun can continue!
Shadows aren’t the only interesting things that come out at night there are also twinkly stars and toddlers can start to learn all about the wonders of night sky with the Little Stars Planetarium show. Let the friendly faces of Ursa and Leo take them on an adventure into space!
As well as all of this and the hundreds of exhibits there is also storytelling that is sure to ignite young imaginations. Our new story, Lights on, Lights off, sees Ursa and Leo adventuring into the world of camping discovering the exotic noises and shadows of the garden at night. Filled with sounds and actions storytelling is sure to engage little ears!
As well as getting reduced entry, we also have lots of toddler-friendly facilities, including:
- Breastfeeding room
- High chairs
- Picnic area
- Buggy parks
- Nappy changing facilities
Plus Toddler Takeover days are also a great way to meet other parents and carers!
Toddler Takeover Colour Spectacular
25 November: 10am - 4pm
The Planetarium show will be running throughout the day (last show at 3.30pm).
Buy tickets online or call 0845 345 1235 (Monday-Friday 9am-5pm, excluding bank holidays) to speak to our lovely Bookings team!
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