Maker Faire
April - July 2013
Saturday 27 - Sunday 28 April Maker Faire inspires, educates and entertains all at once. It celebrates arts, crafts, engineering, food, green design, music, science and technology and brings together communities who embrace the DIY spirit. From Texas to Tokyo, Maker Faire is a global phenomenon. The UK version was launched by the Centre for Life four years ago and has fast become a highlight in the region’s cultural calendar. This year, 300 makers will be presenting interactive projects and inventions over a single weekend.
Education newsletter Dear colleague, The winds of change don't follow normal meteorological rules; all too often after expending a lot of energy, one ends up back where one started.
Price: £8.25 adult, £6.45 child, £24.10 family Visit www.MakerFaireUK.com for information and to book.
Life, supporting North Introducing our newest recruit East head teachers
Prices
The 2013 North East School Awards, which highlight the amazing work taking place in the region’s classrooms, take place this July. Life will be sponsoring the Head Teacher of the Year category for the seventh year running. To find out more and to make a nomination, visit journallive.co.uk/schoolawards or email ashleigh.smithson@trinitymirror.com
The education department is pleased to welcome an enigmatic new member to the team. His name is Richard and he is a Royal Python Python regius. Royal Pythons are native to Africa and are the smallest African python. Richard is very friendly and will be joining us in workshops in the very near future.
Workshop + Science Centre visit: £7 per pupil Science Centre visit only: £5 per pupil Workshop only: £3 per pupil Presenter-led planetarium show: £3 per pupil Playful Science (Early Years session): £5 per pupil Mathstastic session: £5 per pupil DNA Masterclass: £150 per class (£75 half class) Outreach: £300 per day Teachers: FREE
Sign-up To receive a copy of our Education Newsletter, please email education@life.org.uk or call (0191) 243 8208. We like to save paper where possible, so if you would prefer to recieve this newsletter electronically please let us know.
We look forward to opening our new Age of the Dinosaur exhibition and are sure that this, along with the Curiosity Zone, will make for a stimulating day out for students of all ages.
Times Square Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 4EP Bookings: (0191) 243 8223 Information: (0191) 243 8211 education@life.org.uk life.org.uk/education
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It's a good thing that some aspects of STEM education are going to remain constant. We know that practical involvement, creative thinking and emotional engagement are all important in ensuring that students don't just memorise, but really learn. The Life Science Centre team are working hard to make sure that we continue to offer hands-on, minds-on, hearts-on activities which cover all aspects of the revised Curricula for all ages from Early Years to GCSE, as well as specialist support for many topics at A level and beyond.
They’re back! Opens 25 May 2013
Dinosaurs are coming to Life in time for summer half term in our new Age of the Dinosaur exhibition from the Natural History Museum. With real specimens and giant animatronic models, visitors will journey through the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. An underwater area depicts Jurassic ocean life as animals, fish and ammonites swim past. At the Cretaceous watering hole,
Price: included in Science Centre visit (£7 per pupil with workshop of your choice, £5 per pupil without) Supported by:
Exclusive Teacher Preview Friday 24 May Join us after school on Friday 24 May for a first-look around Age of the Dinosaur. Explore the whole exhibition before it opens to the public, and take a tour of our teaching laboratories. A full list of our dinosaur-themed workshops can be found overleaf.
Noel Jackson, Head of Education
strange sounds and realistic surroundings set the scene for a dramatic stand-off between a protoceratops and a velociraptor.
Price: FREE Attendees will also receive a complimentary family pass to visit again free of charge. Book your place now by calling (0191) 243 8223 or emailing info@life.org.uk Please feel free to recommend the preview to interested colleagues.
Dinosaur-themed workshops
DNA Masterclasses Available on demand
Available on demand
Fantastic Fossils Duration: 1 hour
Fantastic Fossils: KS1
Explore what we mean by a fossil, dig for dinosaur bones and make a true-to-life dinosaur with a scientific name of your choosing.
Fantastic Fossils: KS2
Price: £7 per pupil (includes one hour-long workshop plus full Science Centre visit)
£3 per pupil (workshop only)
Find out how palaeontologists work out what dinosaurs ate by examining their teeth and use this information to build up food chains. Sort fossils into groups and make a fossil cast to take home.
Fantastic Fossils: Upper KS2
Make a dinosaur adapted to a specific habitat and food source, identify real fossils, dig for bones to recreate a dinosaur and make a fossil cast to take home.
Fantastic Fossils: KS3
Explore your own theories on the formation of fossils and investigate erosion, deposition and sedimentological processes. Undertake a stratigraphic exercise to discover what we can learn from fossils.
We can come to you! If you are having difficulty bringing your class to Life, we can come to you.
Maths activities Mathsplosion Tuesday 25 June Building on the success of our first Festival of Maths in February, we’re pleased to offer another maths-based special event aimed at raising the number of students achieving A or A* grade GCSE mathematics qualifications. Mathsplosion employs games, puzzles, challenges and teamwork to give promising Year 10 students the skills and motivation to achieve excellence in mathematics. Places for Mathsplosion have now been filled, but to register your interest for future maths-based special events, please call (0191) 243 8211 or email education@life.org.uk
We offer outreach for £300 per day and will travel anywhere between the Tweed and the Tees.
Mathstastic
Amongst our most popular outreach workshops are:
KS2: Tuesday 4 – Friday 21 June KS3: Wednesday 8 – Friday 24 May
Inflatable Planetarium Suitable for all ages.
Stamp Rockets
A ’design and make’ workshop differentiated for KS 2-4.
Animal Adaptation
An engaging show suitable for KS1 and 2.
Mathstastic
A circus of puzzles and activities and a more in-depth exploration of probability, symmetry or shape and pattern. Suitable for Upper KS2 and KS3.
Understanding Electricity A longer series of connected activities for Upper KS2 or KS3.
To discuss availability, or make a booking, please contact our education department on (0191) 243 8211.
Watch this space! We’re currently developing a new dinosaur-themed workshop for Early Years Foundation Stage which will be ready when Age of the Dinosaur opens. To register your interest please call (0191) 243 8211 or email education@life.org.uk
Duration: 2 hours (morning and afternoon sessions available) Mathstasic sessions allow a whole class to work together to find the fun in maths. Watch and participate in the Maths Theatre Show, explore maths in the world around you on the Maths Trail and test your problem solving abilities in the Maths Circus.
Price: £5 per pupil (Mathstastic session only) £10 per pupil (includes full Science Centre visit)
CPD for teachers
NEW
Making science and maths exciting
Price: £5 per child (includes workshop, visit to Young Explorers’ Zone and other activities)
Curiosity’s new home To make way for the dinosaurs, the Curiosity Zone has joined our other permanent exhibitions in its new home at the front of the Science Centre. It’s bigger and brighter than ever, and still full of exhibits that get students questioning, testing, experimenting, and thinking like real scientists.
Price: included in Science Centre visit £7 per pupil (with workshop of your choice) £5 per pupil (Science Centre visit only)
Search for suitable workshops by Key Stage online at life.org.uk/education/workshops
Life’s purpose-built genetics teaching laboratory contains the specialist equipment required to give students a hands-on experience of DNA techniques including bacterial transformation, micropipetting and gel electrophoresis. All DNA Masterclasses are fully linked to GCSE Biology, A-level Biology and BTEC Applied Science specifications.
We now offer CPD sessions in practical science and hands-on maths. Our aim is to explore progression through curricula and give lots of practical examples that teachers can use in school, promoting an approach that both staff and students find entertaining, engaging, informative and memorable.
Introductory Masterclasses: Able KS3, KS4 and Post-16 Duration: 1.5 hours
Mammoth DNA NEW Genetic Engineering Forensic DNA DNA and Species Half day Masterclasses: KS4 and Post-16 Duration: 2.5 hours
Bacterial Evolution DNA Fingerprinting Full day Masterclasses: Post-16 Duration: 5 hours
A Question of Taste (PCR)
Each CPD day is tailor-made to explore topics relevant to your school.
Price: £120 per person per day (includes lunch and refreshments)
Price: £150 for a whole class (24 students) £75 for a half class
For more information please contact the education department on (0191) 243 8221 or email education@life.org.uk
For information and to book, please contact the education department on (0191) 243 8211, or email education@life.org.uk
Bookings: (0191) 243 8223 - Information: (0191) 243 8211 education@life.org.uk life.org.uk/education