Here is a look back to some of the schools events we have had in earlier years.
2024
Animal Top Trumps with Dr Jess French & Prof Ben Garrod (KS2)
Back by popular demand – Dr Jess French and Professor Ben Garrod go head-to-head in this energetic game of Animal Top Trumps! Will you be team ‘extant’ or team ‘extinct’?
Compare skeletons, teeth, behaviours, and lifestyles in a battle between living modern-day animals and dnosaurs. Would a rhino win a fight with a T. rex? And which was the weirdest animal ever? You decide!
Pyrotrickery with Matthew Tosh (KS1)
How DO fireworks work? Spectacular fire and sparks appear in all sorts of places to make us go oooh, ahhh and wow! Whether at sports matches, on stage, TV or in films, these effects are dramatic and exciting. But have you ever wondered how they work? Science presenter and professional pyrotechnician Matthew Tosh takes you on a journey of discovery, exploring some of the materials used to create these effects.
He brings real pyrotechnics indoors and shows how he combines his skills and knowledge in science, maths and art to create fiery spectacles and ensure that audiences are safe.
2023
Ghosts in the Machine with Jon Wood (KS2)
What happens when we turn out the lights? A (not too scary) look at how ghost hunters use technology to find spooks, and how it really works. What is the paranormal? Can we even examine it with a scientific mind? How do ghost hunters claim technology provides evidence of ghosts and what are they actually measuring?
If the camera never lies, how are we AND technology bamboozled by natural things? We peeked at some anomalistic psychology to discover how normal things can appear scary. Enjoy the adventure, then decide for yourselves. This IS a family show, so don’t panic. We were not invoking demons to join us. There are no chances of us encountering a real ghost… hopefully.
Amazing Air with Dr Sarah Bearchell (KS1)
We are told air is all around us, but how do we KNOW? Where is the PROOF?!
In this interactive show, we work together to make some observations, then do some experiments to touch, hear, see, smell and taste the air. We gather lots of evidence to prove that really is there!
Ultimate Dinosaurs with Ben Garrod (KS2)
Ultimate Dinosaurs is the hit sold-out stage show starring dinosaur aficionado Dr Ben Garrod. Go on an exciting pre-historic adventure as Ben talks you through the deadliest predators that ever roamed the planet. Yes dinosaurs such as Tyrannosaurus rex, Allosaurus and Spinosaurus would have walked or swum right where you are now!
Dr Ben presents an interactive, educational and highly entertaining show using film footage from the BBC’s ‘Planet Dinosaur’. Test your knowledge against Dr Ben in this live interactive show which is bigger and better than ever.
2022
Izzy’s Incredible Adventure (KS1)
What types of shape make a boat float the best? And do you know how a hot air balloon flies? Explore Izzy’s explosive rocket, and ride a real hovercraft in this interactive show where we all help Izzy get across land, sea and air. Our presenter gets the whole audience to join in and help Izzy, investigating the way we travel and explaining the science behind motion and transport along the way.
Fartology with Stefan Gates (KS2)
A multidisciplinary science show inspired by farting (based on Stef’s Fartology book) and packed with physics, chemistry and biology. It’s very, very funny but not rude – it’s clean and educational (uses CBBC editorial guidelines). There’s absolutely no innuendo (you don’t need innuendo when you’re showing in detail how a sphincter works) but obviously we discuss bottoms, sphincters, colons and farts. There are explosions, a massive whoopee cushion, a surprising amount of physics, laughter, the world’s loudest fart machine, smells and at least one vast inflatable bottom. It’s curriculum-driven and hits multiple learning objectives whilst ensuring the audience wets itself laughing.
Go! Rocket Launch Lab Live with Neil Monteiro (KS2)
Learn all about rocket science with Neil Monteiro in this explosive show! Starting with the basics, you’ll see live demonstrations of how real rockets work, why stuff stays in orbit, how to survive in space as an astronaut and how to eventually land, and live on, another planet. With large-scale experiments you can see how space travel really works and have the opportunity to take part on stage and from your seat. Feel the power of hydrogen fuel, see the force of rocket engines and marvel at the weirdness of zero gravity.
2021: Back to (some) normality
Magical Maths with Matt Pritchard
Predicting the future, reading minds, sending secret messages and making objects vanish are easy when you’re a maths magician. Matt’s aim is to give his audience tricks they can go away and use to amaze their friends and families. However, in doing so they will be exposed to, and be using, a surprising amount of maths. With shapes, symmetry, patterns and numbers forming the basis of the maths behind the magic.
Stunt Science with Marty Jopson
Join Marty Jopson as he places himself in grave personal danger. Watch in horror as he sets fire to his own hand, introduces the audience to the Pendulum of DOOM and explains how a bit of fluffy string can travel at 900 miles per hour, the science of seriously loud explosions and the maths of a karate chop.
Will his steely nerve and a set of equations be enough to keep him from harm? Only one way to find out.
The Cloud Factory with Sarah Bearchell
Have you ever touched a cloud? Have you ever smelled a strawberry cloud?
Come to The Cloud Factory where you can touch, see and hear clouds as they are made from dry ice. The clouds will even smell and taste interesting when we add in some unusual laboratory reagents.
The show ranges from the purely sensory, to states of matter and the scientific method – all with the aim of making our clouds
2020: Pandemic Year
In 2020, constrained by the pandemic, we still held schools events but they went on-line only
Optical Trickery
Science Magician, Matt Pritchard, shares a host of amazing optical illusions, impossibilities and peculiar objects made from simple household objects. Join him for this Otley Science Festival online session as he demonstrates the tricks and explains the science. Find how it’s done, have a go and make your own magic.
Zap!
It’s high-voltage time! Watch as Marty Jopson, local TV Scientist takes a sparky journey through the story of electricity. From the Ancient Greeks, through Faraday’s genius, this show aims to put the awesome back into electricity.</p>
With a one million volt spark and the crack of a whip, you may think we have electricity tamed, but are you sure?
A show chock full of demonstrations: the astonishing floating orb, a light bulb made from a pencil lead and a plucked chicken. There will be at least one explosion.
2019 Events for Primary Schools
Maddie’s Fantastic Factory Tour!
Maddie Moate, dynamic investigator of CBeebies’ “Maddie’s Do You Know?” fame opens the doors to her fantastic factory for the very first time!
Maddie is always busy exploring factories on telly and YouTube but now she’s inviting guests aged 4 – 7 to join her own tour and marvel at the machines inside! Come along and find out how some of her favourite things are made live on stage, with a little help from her special cameras.
Everest Lab
What happens to your body when you push it somewhere it’s not built to go – to the top of the world?
Join YouTuber and Blue Peter Science Guy Greg Foot for the story of his scientific adventure to the world’s highest pop-up lab at Everest Base Camp.
With summit kit, interactive experiments and stunning videos Greg will uncover how a group of scientists and medics braved the thin freezing air to perform cutting edge research that turns our ideas about medicine upside down.
School of Water Wizardry
Live Science Presenter extraordinaire Jon Wood invites you to join his watery wonderland – teachers might want to bring a towel!
Why is ordinary boring tap water so special? Why does ice float? How many sides should a snowflake have? Who is ‘The Best Waterbender’? Why can’t Elsa let it go? Let’s take water apart to see what makes it tick, and where it can take us.
We dance as water molecules, forming ice and explaining density; We prove teachers wrong by taking water sub-zero; We stretch, bend and split water. When we’re ready, we’ll blow it up! Everyone graduates.
2018 Events for Primary Schools
Minibeasts: a microscopic safari
Take a journey from everyday life down into the realm of microscopic wonders with Marty Jopson, the BBC One Show’s resident scientist. The adventure will take you to a world totally invisible to the unaided eye. Marty begins with hugely magnified insects, but soon moves to plants too small to see and even bacteria, all demonstrated live on the stage. A show full of interactive demonstrations and samples harvested from the audience. You have been warned!
A show supported by Zeiss, global leaders in the manufacture of microscopes.
The Real Science of Fireworks
Internationally-recognised pyrotechnician Matthew Tosh introduces you to his explosive world of pyrotechnic science, revealing how firework displays create colours, sound effects and perfectly timed bursts. Matthew will bring his fascination of how things work as he demonstrates how science, technology and engineering ensure that displays are spectacular, accurate and safe for the public. The sights, sounds and smells of fireworks are all brought to life just a few metres from the audience in an experience guaranteed to thrill.
Surprising Science
In a show packed with science tricks, stunts and puzzles, Matt Pritchard challenges the audience to discover the sneaky scientific secrets behind surprising illusions. This is not just an awe and wonder show but one that encourages scientific enquiry and critical thinking skills. Along the way the audience will be taught a host of science tricks using everyday household objects that they can go away and try later; extending the learning and providing teachers with lots of follow up opportunities. During the show Matt will share his background and love of science.
2017 Events For Primary Schools
Music To Your Ears
Award winning science communicator David Price from Science Made Simple as he explained how sounds are produced and how you can control them to make music. We learned how to make a simple instrument, heard the amazing hands-free theremin and saw how CDs and MP3s can store your favourite sounds.
Find out more about the show here and find out more about David Price here
The World Of Owls And Raptors
We delved into the world of birds of prey with Head Falconer Ryan Stocks and learned all about these amazing animals. The audience were delighted to see trained owls fly around the room and sometimes land on volunteers hands and discovered how they hunt using their powerful senses and sharp talons.
Find out more about Owl Adventures here
Can You Believe Your Eyes!
Using visual illusions the Colour Experience team from Bradford explored the difference between vision and perception, looking at an amazing range of cool optical effects to boggle the audiences brain. They also got to grips with the different colours in light and even made a rainbow or two.
Find out more about the Colour Experience here
2016 Events for Primary Schools
In 2016 Sarah Bearchell of Sarah’s Adventures in Science visited Otley with her Jack and the Beanstalk Science Show.
You can find Sarah’s instructions for making a Cloud in a Bottle and the fondly remembered Intestines demonstration here https://sites.google.com/site/sarahsadventuresinscience/schools/jack-and-the-beanstalk-science-show/experiments
Messy!
The Blowfish brought Heavy Metal Marine Biology to Otley https://www.theblowfish.co.uk/live
He was working on a book to be published in November 2017. Meanwhile, why not check out his advice on how to avoid a shark attack https://www.theblowfish.co.uk/videos ?
We also had the science expert from the BBC1 One Show, Dr Marty Jopson, as he showed the peculiar things you didn’t know you could do with your own body. From the physics of breaking wood with your bare hands to illusions that mess with your brain. You may think you know what your eyes can see, and have complete control over your body, but you can be fooled.
The flyer for schools for these shows is available as a pdf file here
2015 Events for Primary Schools
In 2015 Jon Chase showed Otley “How to be a Space Explorer”. You can find links to his videos for BBC Bitesize and a STEM rap (Whatcha know about STEM?) on his Rapscience website https://rapscience.co.uk/jon-chase/
Also Ian Dunne http://www.doscience.co.uk/ brought us his “Science Magic…Magic Science.”
Otley Science Festival 