Scienceworks!

Went to Scienceworks with the nephews (and sisters) yesterday.

This is a science-themed museum, designed for schoolkids. It has exhibits with push-button activities everywhere: you can turn a giant key and see what the lock mechanism does; play with coloured lights to get different blends of colour; turn a big magnet to drop baked bean tins into a different hole from all the paper (like they do in recycling centres); do a balance test to assess how well you can control your balance compared to the average person your age; look at the inside of a doorbell and how it works...

It's brilliant. And anyone with kids (or without kids) should totally go there.


I wish I'd brought my camera – the boys were really excited and having a ball, so the photos would have been interesting – but because it always stays in my handbag I assumed I had it, and didn't think through the fact that I was carrying a different, camera-less bag.

I did bring my crochet. While I was sitting there waiting for everyone else to emerge from the museum shop, I pulled it out and the man next to me started telling me the story of Penelope and Ulysses – because she kept unravelling the shroud she was weaving so she wouldn't have to get married (long story) and my unravelling had reminded him of it. Five-minute history lessons are fun! *\o/*


Alex and Caleb and I went to the "lightning show", where they demonstrated lots of chemical reactions, created lightning with Tesla coils, and murdered a gummibear. (No, really. They set him on fire – for the chemical reaction awesomeness – and made teeny terrified screaming noises as he died a flamey death.)


All in all, a very fun day.