How Does It Work (Including Light & Space Backpacks)

How Does It Work is back at the History of Science Museum this weekend, with sessions running from 12:00 to 16:00 on Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 October. It's part of the museum's family-friendly programme, and the whole thing is run by volunteers who get you hands-on with the collections, showing the objects in action rather than just letting them sit behind glass.

The museum itself is a bit of a landmark in its own right: it's housed in the Old Ashmolean Building on Broad Street, the oldest public museum building in the world. The collections inside stretch from the Islamic world to the history of science and medicine, and they tell the stories of the people who shaped them, with links to literature and art like Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials. There's also a wider project running in the background called 'Our Vision24', which is about making the museum fully accessible and inclusive.

If you're bringing kids, there's a bit more to take home. Families can pick up Light & Space backpacks, which are designed as inclusive SEND-friendly packs with activities to work through in every gallery. There are also Family Scavenger Hunt trails to follow, like 'Spot the Animal' and 'Mission: Morse Code'. The sessions are recommended for ages 7 and up, so it's one for the primary-school crowd and their parents.

Entry is free, and the sessions run from 12:00 to 16:00 on both Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 October. If you can't make this weekend, the same thing returns on 28-29 November and 30-31 January 2027, all at the History of Science Museum, Old Ashmolean Building, Broad Street, Oxford OX1 3AZ.