A perhaps predictably slow week for events this week, with apparently half of London scientists watching the Jubilee or amusing the kids for half term, and the other half decamped to the Hay festival. So if you happen to be near Hay-on-Wye, you will have a plethora of choices, including a range of really interesting looking events from the Royal Society, but for those still left in London, sparser than usual pickings with some organisations including ZSL even cancelling scheduled events.
Hence, if you can help fill this week’s calendar, suggestions in the comments or by email are, as always, very welcome!
Wednesday
One for the parents amongst you; UCL’s Grant Museum offers an afternoon of activities to keep half term interesting with Extreme Animals. Specimens from the collection with help children meet some of the biggest, smallest, heaviest, lightest, strongest, cutest, ugliest, weirdest and wildest animals in the Grant Museum. 1-5pm; free and no need to book.
Alternatively the Royal Institution has a members only event for older children which sounds like it might be worth becoming a member for on its own. “Codes and information (or wicked wizards and devious dwarves)” will use a series of puzzles to investigate how communication systems detect and remove errors. 10:30 or 2:30pm; 8 years +; tickets range up to £10; book soon because there are only a handful of tickets left.
The Weekend
Saturday is Family Fun Day at the Royal Institution; 11am – 4pm will see a whole range of activities for children of varying ages around this month’s theme of Fabrics and Knitting. Tickets £10 adults, £5 children.
For a possibly rainer activity, the Wellcome Collection has a guided walk around Bloomsbury with Ros Stanwell-Smith of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, exploring stories of brains on Wellcome Collection’s doorstep. Saturday and Sunday at 11 – 12:30; tickets free but booking essential and limited to two per person.
Last but not least, this weekend is the first of the new event Dino Snores, an adult-only sleepover at the Natural History Museum. For the not insignificant price tag of £175, you get an evening in the museum with a three course dinner, all sorts of events and a cooked breakfast the next morning. Places limited. EDIT: This event has been postponed until Friday 17th August – ticket holders can get a refund or a place at the new date.
You can follow nature.com blog’s London Google calendar of events at https://blogs.nature.com/london/2011/05/17/scientific-events-calendar. Updated daily.
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As well as our regularly maintained calendar, you can find lots of other suggestions of science-y events in London. We have compiled a list of some other places to look: we will continue adding to this list, and please do, as always, send us additions for it:
Collections and calendars
Londonist recommendations: All things scientific, technical and geeky
Ian Visits: A calendar of all types of events in London, including science and engineering, with added editorial
Museums, societies etc:
Wellcome Collection: Regular events and exhibitions of a medical flavour at the Wellcome Collection on Euston Road
Royal Institution: Miscellaneous science and policy events
Royal Society: Science, policy and conferences
ZSL: Zoological Society of London; occasional events on conservation and zoology
Hunterian Museum: Part of the Royal College of Surgeons, with a treasure trove of specimens and surgical paraphenalia
University calendars (usually featuring dozens of events per week)
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