Fire and Ice this Half Term at Life

Fire and Ice this Half Term at Life

A race to the moon, a whirl on the ice rink and a close encounter with a flaming tornado…. just some of the activities on offer at Life Science Centre this half term (15-23 February). Life’s theme for half term is ‘Fire and Ice’ - its the last chance for visitors to take to the ice for a whirl on the Centre’s popular outdoor ice rink (open until the 23 Feb) while inside the Centre, visitors can sign up for the ‘Ice Cube Luge’ workshops exploring friction and speed.  At 12noon and 3pm every day, the ‘Fire and Ice Duels’ will see Science Explainers showcasing their favourite demos involving extremes of heat and cold. In Life’s Science Theatre, the ‘Rain or Shine show’, show explores the Great British weather. Snow, sun, wind and rain - we experience all kinds of weather in Britain and it's one of our favourite talking points!  With the help of some willing audience volunteers, the 20-minute show answers questions like: What should you do when lightning strikes? What causes a rainbow? Is there any truth in the old adage ‘red sky at night, shepherd’s delight?’ Expect lovely colours, hair-raising experiments and a flaming tornado! Also new for February half term is ‘Back to the Moon for Good**’, a 25 minute show in Life’s planetarium about the Google Lunar XPRIZE. To win a team must land a robotic spacecraft on the Moon 40 years after the last moon landing, move 500 meters over the lunar surface, and send video, images and data back to Earth. “‘Back to the Moon for Good’ is a fascinating planetarium show and we’re thrilled to be showing it at Life.  It captures the sense of adventure and excitement among the teams competing for the prize.  At a time when astronomy and space are becoming more and more popular, this is a great way to get children enthused and interested in the subject,” explains Chris Hudson, Planetarium Supervisor at Life. The Centre’s latest 4D Motion Ride* adventure is Stargate SG 3000.  For the first time ever, fans of MGM Studio’s popular franchise Stargate can experience the excitement of stepping through the famous portal into untold worlds. Riders on the adrenalin-fuelled 4D exploit will be taken on a journey to save the universe from the evil Queen, flying through exotic worlds in a battle to foil the evil monarch. Liz Dean, Trading and Operations Director at Life, said: “We’ve had a very successful winter period, thanks to our ice rink and the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition.  We’re expecting half term to be popular as visitors take the opportunity to skate before the ice rink closes and the programme within the Science Centre offers exceptional value for money with a range of activities, exhibitions and shows that will keep whole family entertained all day.” Other activities on offer at Life include: ‘Inside DNA: A Genomic Revolution’, an exhibition investigating developments in the fast-moving field of human genomics, and the ethical issues that they raise; the Young Explorers’ Zone - an area designed especially for under 7s to explore science; the Curiosity Zone with its hands-on experiments and Our Origins, exploring the evolution of humans. A family ticket to skate and visit the Science Centre (2 adults and 2 children or 1 adult and 3 children) is £32.50.   For details of opening times and further prices, visit www.life.org.uk *For safety reasons you have to be at least 1.2 metres (4 feet) in height to use the Motion Ride **A production of XPRIZE, created by NSC Creative.