National Science and Media Museum

Science and Media Museum

Opening Times:-

Museum Open daily 10:00am-18:00pm.

Cinema Open daily 10:00am-Late.

Food and Drink:-

Media Café Open daily 10:00am-17:00pm.

Picture Ville Bar Open daily 10:00am-Late.

Entry to the Museum:- FREE

This museum a great journey through history, with all the vintage televisions, game consoles, vintage cameras etc. This sure does bring me back to my school days which shows my old age ha. There are about 7 floors to this museum and some floors the themes change by season so there is always something to look forward too. It is all wheelchair accessible, they do have a lift for each floor and accessible toilets. I would definitely say you will need a full day to see all the floors/activities to appreciate what this museum has to offer.

On the move two boats and 16 rowers race along the River Thames during the Oxford and Cambridge University Boat Race. How do you television that?

In the 1830s a BBC engineer took the chassis from an Austin 7 car and made it into a dolly - a wheeled platform for moving a capture sports like the Boat Race.

Wonder lab

I must say I was so amazed when I saw the Wonderlab on how carefully they have thought about disabled people so we can also do the activities it was great. We did speak to a member of staff there who was so helpful and came around each activity explaining everything how it works etc.

Music Tunnel

Play with movement

As you can see my personal assistant Alison is entering the wonderlab and as soon as she rolls along the floor the laser beams catches the wheels and starts to play music as you can see from the images the arrows shows tiny red dots that plays the music. I must say it was actually a lot of fun.

The laser beams in this tunnel are connected to sensors that play sounds. As you walk through the tunnel, your movements create your own soundtrack.(taken from wonderlab)

The Sun

Science on a sphere

A 6ft Sphere that lets you take a close look at the surface of the sun. See the patterns of the sun. It is really difficult to study the sun because its so bright. Its too bright to look at with our eyes and it can damage telescopes if they are pointed directly at it.

Colour Changing Room

 Why do you see colours?
Explore how and why you see colour in this colour changing room.
Blue objects appear blue because they mostly reflect blue light. A blue object under red light cannot reflect blue. Instead it appears black. By mixing red, green and blue filters to make to make the first colour film in 1902. Good job they didn't use a black bird! (taken from wonderlab)

Infinity Mirror Maze

The camera never lies?
The camera sends the images it records through the software. This adds a delay between your head and your feet. This sort of special process can be used to create weird effects in films. Special effects and camera trickery are nothing new. Way back in 1895, an early film-maker pretended to chop off a character's head by stopping the camera and swapping the actor for a dummy. (taken from wonderlab)

This is also wheelchair accessible but it is a bit of a tight squeeze as you can see me and Alison managed to get through it.

Echo Tube

Shout into the 15m long hollow tube and find out whether you can reflect sound. When you shout or make a sound in to the tube, it is reflected off the end of the tube and comes back to you. You hear this as an echo.

Voice Manipulation

Dalek

How can you change your voice?
The microphone records you speaking and sends it through software that combines your voice with other tones. The Daleks in Doctor Who have weird voices. To create this effect, the voices of the actors are combined with tones so low they are at the limits of your hearing. (taken from wonderlab)

As you can see Alison is in her wheelchair and the tables have been specially designed so we can get to these activities easily without hurting our knees and actually enjoyed it. The tables have big stools underneath which again we was able to slide across to fit our wheelchairs under the table or there are lovely staffs that are around who are also a great help if you ask them nicely : ).

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Good Vibrations

Can you feel the beat?
Good vibrations lets you feel the vibrations That a sound produces. You stand on a platform and chose a type of music to play. The platform vibrates with music whilst it plays through the speakers, giving you a whole body experience of the sound. (taken from wonderlab)

This was a great experience as you can see me and Alison really enjoying the music and actually feeling it too is a total different experience. We was both able to drive onto the orange platform and try each song out dancing away in our own worlds he he.

Waterdrop Photography

Can you capture a splash?
This exhibit is a high-speed camera which takes photographs 40 times faster than a human eye can blink. Because it is so quick, its abled to capture detailed pictures of things that happen around us that we can't normally see. Like beautiful water droplets. (taken from wonderlab)

I could go on and on about each activity but I am sure you don't want me to bore you with all that detail, plus if I say and show everything in wonderlab then that will spoil the fun so I will say it is really interesting. We have learned a lot and had fun at the same time.

White Room

Picnic area

Open daily 10:00am-18:00pm
This museum also offers a great space for you to bring your own picnics which they have two picnic areas one is in the images above where you can actually get a locker to keep your things/food safe until you wonder around the museum. This is on the level 0 floor called the white room. there is also another one called Make space on level 4.
There are accessible toilets and baby changing room next to the white room picnic area.

Media Café

Open daily 10:00am-17:00pm.
Hot food is served till 15:00pm.
If you just want to chill and relax with some nice hot food and drinks they have a lovely media café. This café is wheelchair accessible. This café is a bit pricey so best checking the prices online as they have a menu that states what's available and the prices too.
They also have a pictureville bar which is open 10:00am till Late.


By Aisha Mir