Science Museum Group © The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
From 24 May to 1 June, you can join our free holiday programme inspired by Operation Ouch! Brains, Bogies and You. Engage in the ‘Wild Senses’ interactive science show to learn how animals like bees and bats use their senses to navigate the world. Test your own senses on a sensory trail, discover how bees taste and smell at the tasting station, and participate in creative activities like building your own bee to take home. Find out more about the programme and book your free place here.
Wondering what else you can do on your visit? Here are our top picks for the exhibition and other fun activities that you won’t want to miss:
1. Explore Dr Chris’s Brain in Operation Ouch! Brains, Bogies and You
Shrink down to microscopic size through gooey earwax and sticky snot to enter Dr. Chris’s brain headquarters. Once inside the Brain HQ, start a chain reaction with dominoes to simulate nerve signals, sort brain signals with puzzles, and test your reaction times. It’s a hands-on way to understand how our brains process information.
2. Take a deep dive into the senses, including some lesser-known ones!
Explore the five familiar senses—touch, sight, hearing, smell and taste—alongside lesser-known ones like balance, when it’s time to go to the toilet or time to go to sleep. Discover how people with a range of conditions use their senses to help them navigate the world through stories from young people that are dotted throughout the exhibition.
3. Take a whiff of a Smell Library
Put your sniffing senses to the test at Dr Chris’s Smell Library, and see just how well you can distinguish a range of smells without seeing the objects—it’s harder than you think!
Science Museum Group © The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
4. Get hands-on with sight and optical illusions
Enter a giant eyeball to learn how we see, experiment with glow-up pens, and be amazed by optical illusions that trick your eyes. Don’t forget to take your own optical illusion photo that plays with perspective!
5. Experience the sounds of the body
Bang on an enormous eardrum, identify various noises and see how your movements can make a skeleton dance in the Hearing zone, which delves deeper into how we hear and process sound.
6. Try out the Touch Zone
Feel your way through a zone dedicated to the sense of touch, with a textured wall with fuzzy fur and rough wallpaper, and a special illusion that plays with the sensations you can feel on your hands.
Science Museum Group © The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
7. Chill out in the Mindboosters Zone
Need a break? Relax in the Mindboosters area to recalibrate your senses and take a moment to chill. It’s a perfect spot to recharge before continuing your sensory journey.
8. Discover fascinating historical artefacts
Explore intriguing objects from the Science Museum Group’s collection, including a brain-scanning ‘Jedi’ helmet from over 40 years ago, antique ear trumpets, and coins believed to have healing powers from the time of Henry VIII.
9. Play and learn in the Experiment gallery
Beyond the main exhibition, our Experiment gallery offers free, interactive fun for all ages. Create glow-in-the-dark art, see through walls, and make music with your body in this hands-on science playground.
10. Enjoy gaming fun at Power Up
For gaming enthusiasts, Power Up features over a hundred consoles spanning five decades. Challenge your family to classic games like Pac-Man or try out the latest virtual reality experiences. Open on weekends and throughout school holidays, annual passes are also available for unlimited play throughout the year.