Drop in Workshop: Hands-on Science

The Museum of Making is hosting a hands-on science workshop on Saturday 14 November, as part of the Autumn Derby Book Festival. It's a drop-in session for families, so you don't need to book ahead — just turn up when it suits you. The experiments and demonstrations are inspired by the books of Roma Agrawal, the structural engineer who worked on The Shard, so the whole thing leans into the kind of making and building she writes about.

The venue itself is worth a mention if you've never been. The Museum of Making sits within the Derwent Valley Mills, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and celebrates the region's 300-year history of making from the building widely regarded as the site of the world's first modern factory. It was developed with major grant funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Arts Council England and the D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership, and it's picked up a few nods along the way: highly commended as Sustainable Project of the Year at the 2021 Museums + Heritage Awards, and bronze for Visitor Attraction of the Year at the 2024 Peak District, Derbyshire & Derby Tourism Awards.

Because it's a drop-in, it works well if you're out with kids and don't want to be tied to a strict start time. There are two sessions running on the day: one from 10:30am to 12:30pm and another from 1:30pm to 3:30pm, so you can pick the one that fits your Saturday. It's free to take part, with a suggested donation of £3. You'll find it at the Museum of Making at Derby Silk Mill, Silk Mill Lane, Derby DE1 3AF.