I knew that timing this review of Science Oxford was going to be key. They have a woodland here and I wanted to explore that, but didn’t know how long it would take. I didn’t want to accidentally be stuck there for ages with nothing to do. Also they tend to sell out early and every time I remembered to book they were sold out! Well, we’ve finally managed to get down there.
Science Oxford do various family friendly events. There’s family days each Saturday, coding clubs, school holiday family days, after school clubs and more. We booked onto a family fun Saturday.
First impressions
From the outside Science Oxford looks pretty big, there’s some ponds and a forest school out the front. It all looks quite exciting and the kids couldn’t wait to get in there. When we first walked into the Exploration Zone I was worried. Had I made a mistake. I have previously done a review of The Look Out Discovery Centre and Science Oxford is just one room. You have a two hour slot, how were we supposed to fill two hours in just one room? I love it when I’m wrong!! (OK, I actually don’t love it when I’m wrong but I do if it means I’ve not wasted my money booking somewhere rubbish!)
The Exploration Zone
When you book into any family session you get two hours within the Exploration Zone (this doesn’t include access to the outside which is unlimited on top). We were there from the start because I was wanted to get the most time for our money (always looking for a bargain). In fact we were almost the first people in the room! And from the second we were in there the kids were hooked!
First up was the air table. You have various resources to make your own flying object and see if you can make it hover. The air speed is adjustable – and some things fly better at low speeds, others at high speeds. I know my hairdryer just won’t cut it, but I reckon we’ve got to get one of these in our house because the kids could play with this for hours!
Oh and the scarf shoot. I also need one of these. Stick a scarf / ball at one end of the tube and see which hole it ends up flying out of. Amazing. I don’t want to say my kids are obsessed with high velocity air or anything…..but they were drawn to all the air related experiments.
Turns out Hubby and I are less clever than Biggest Child
Smallest Child wanted to do this…
But the cogs wouldn’t fit together. No matter what layout we used we couldn’t get them to turn the robot. We’re intelligent people. We know things. We’re like senior professionals at work and stuff. But we couldn’t make it work. I nearly asked the lady if there was a piece missing. And then Biggest Child sauntered over. Being almost 12 he knows everything, and so he instantly realised that the table was flipping magnetic and the centres could be moved as well as the cogs. We’ll never lie the shame down.
There’s lots of other cool experiments here. Another massive hit with Smallest Child was watching water freeze. Sounds boring – actually pretty stunning. Different experiments are more suited to different ages really. The microscopes were of zero interest to her, but the boys loved it. There’s various different circuits that you can build and try out different permutations. Again, great for the boys but not so much for a 4 1/2 year old.
The rest of the experiments
The good thing about the family fun sessions at Science Oxford is that there’s something for everyone, and it’s small enough that you can just let the kids get on with it. If one kid wants to go off and do one experiment whilst you do something different, that’s totally OK. I’m not going to go through everything they have here, but there’s deceptively loads. We stayed for the full 2 hours. Almost to the minute. I’m not sure how much longer we could have stayed though.
Oh, and the dominos task is stupid BTW. They gave me a clue but it’s still stupid.
Outside
Access to the outside areas of Science Oxford are included with your family fun day ticket. There’s a decent sized woodland, audio trail and large ponds perfect for dipping. I’m assuming you can dip them. Probably best to double check before rocking up with nets.
They also have a really cool water lab. Sadly it’s closed in the winter and usually reopens in March / April depending on the weather. If you’re planning on letting them play here, they advise you should bring waterproofs or a change of clothes. You can easily add an extra couple of hours here if it’s not raining and the water lab is open.
Our Science Oxford Family Fun Session Review
Before we went to the family fun session at Science Oxford Biggest Child had decided he didn’t want to go. He wanted to play Minecraft instead. About 15 minutes after we arrived he came over and told me he was really pleased he had come after-all and it was “wicked here”. The other two came over every five minutes to tell me how much fun they were having. None of them wanted to leave at the end of the session. I’ll take that as an “it’s OK here” review!
Admission cost
There are various activities at Science Oxford, with the family fun sessions costing £20 for a family of four. Pre-booking is required via their website, which is where you’ll also find all their latest events.
All prices quoted are correct at the time this review of Science Oxford was published and updated. Please double check their for the latest prices.
Parking / How to get there
Parking – Free, on-site parking at the weekends only. There is alternative parking in the area, including limited 2-hour, and 3-hour, free parking available on Quarry Road. It is accessible by public transport as well.
Address – Science Oxford Centre, Quarry Road, Headington, Oxford, OX3 8SB
Toilets
On-site
Food
Cafe on-site. Picnics allowed. Covered picnic area also available.
What else is there to do nearby?
There’s loads of free and cheap family activities in Oxford. It’s full of free museums (the natural history museum being a personal favourite). You can also explore Oxford city centre and Radcliffe Square in a whole new way with Treasure Map trails (affiliate link).
Hi, I’m Vicky. My husband and I live in Aylesbury with our three children; a 14 year old son, an 12 year old son and a 6 year old daughter. I (mostly) love spending time together as a family. We visit all kinds of places and we’re quite happy to drive a fair distance for a decent day out. A few years ago I decided to set up Free Time with the Kids as a way to share our experiences of these family days out.
You’ll find the essential information you need to know before your visit that can be surprisingly hard to find out. Where do I park? How much will it cost me to get in? Are there any discounts available? Are there loos? Can I take a picnic or get food? My aim is to be your go-to guide for all your free and cheap family days out across Bucks, Beds, Oxon, Herts & slightly beyond. I really hope you find the reviews helpful. If there’s anywhere that you’d recommend please get in touch contact@freetimewiththekids.com or get in touch via Facebook
