Explorer Dome Hands-On Science Shows

An internationally known, vibrant, popular science outreach company. We bring science alive to over 50 000 children and adults every year – and love every minute!

Different science topics

We have a variety of shows that cover aspects of physics, chemistry, biology and environmental sciences. Our shows are truly cross-curricular, designed to support and enhance science learning at all key stages.

Shows for your audience

All our shows are led by enthusiastic, talented and fun science presenters who work with toddlers, schools groups, families and specialist adult audiences. We have the experience to tailor the sessions for the distinct age, interests and abilities of your group.

Travelling throughout the UK

Based in Bristol and Birmingham, we regularly visit schools from the Midlands down to the very tip of Cornwall, from Pembrokeshire across to the Home Counties and London, and we also ferry and fly our equipment to the islands and across to Europe and beyond!

Established in 1998!

Our signature, effective approach is hands-on and interactive.
We have been around for a while and continue to grow to cope with demand. Over the years we have met over a million children and have enjoyed every moment!

All days/times – including term time, holidays, daytimes, evenings, weekends, depending on availability.

Regions: South-West, West Midlands, East Midlands, Wales, London, South-East.

Every show is different!

Age, ability, background and interests, whether you are starting a topic or ending it with a ‘wow’. We like to pitch the show for your group and bring presenters with ideal skills and knowledge, so when you get in touch, do let us know more about your group.

Our shows in the Dome (25-40 people per show) include: 

Space – Light – Sound (KS2 only) – Forces – Environment/Earth – Body/Cells – Water – Winter (Nov/Dec only).

Our Chemistry shows (which don’t use the Dome and can accommodate up to 70 children per show) are: Bubbles – States of Matter – Science Tricks.

25-40 people per Dome show, 60-70 people per Chemistry show

We do provide learning materials.

Photography/filming, etc. are welcome, provided that credit/mention is given to Explorer Dome please.

A Guide to the cost of a visit

Our prices depend on where you are, what sort of shows you would like and how many shows you need. Shows in the Dome, Chemistry shows are all priced separately. See our website at http://www.explorerdome.co.uk/explorerdome_prices.html for guide prices but if in doubt, or if you would like a combination of shows, then please just get in touch and quote ‘UK School Trips’

Booking our Standard Sized Dome

Our Standard Dome accommodates up to 30 (KS1/2) or 25 (KS3/4) students per show and requires a smooth clean floor area of 6m x 7m, a clear ceiling height of 3.5m and access to mains power.

Booking our Large Sized Dome

Our Large Dome accommodates up to 40 (KS1/2) or 30 (KS3/4) students per show and requires a smooth clean floor area of 8m x 9m, a clear ceiling height of 3.5m and access to mains power.

Booking our Chemistry Shows

The Bubble Show, States of Matter and Science Tricks shows don’t use the Dome and are suitable for up to 70 (KS1/2) or 60 (KS3/4) students per show. High ceilings and capability to isolate heat/smoke detectors are a big plus as these shows involve freezing fog, fire, flashes and bangs! The cost again depends on the number of shows you would like to have.

You may wish to have a different combination of shows and/or workshops for your visit so please contact us for more information and a quote to suit your visit.

Bristol and Bath

All schools in Bristol, Bath and North East Somerset, South Gloucestershire and North Somerset will be offered a local discount for any Dome or Chemistry shows. In addition, schools booking Chemistry shows in Bristol, Bath and some parts of Somerset, Gloucestershire, Swindon and Wiltshire may receive support from the Bristol & District branch of the Royal Society of Chemistry. The RSC may fund up to 40% of the cost of your chemistry show visit, however, the allocation of these funds is annual and distributed on a first come first served basis so please get in touch for more information.

South West England & South Wales

A small extra charge may be made for schools further from Bristol (Dorset, Hampshire, Berkshire, Oxfordshire, Swansea, Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire, Devon and Cornwall), but if you are more local then there is no additional charge for travel (Somerset, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire, Worcestershire, Herefordshire, Monmouthshire, Newport, Torfaen, Blaenau Gwent, Cardiff, Caerphilly, Merthyr Tydfil, Rhondda Cynon Taff, Vale of Glamorgan, Bridgend & Neath Port Talbot).

Greater London and South East England

New in 2019! We now have a base in London with Explorer Dome South East offering the Space show with no further travel costs for schools in the boroughs of Greater London. Please bear in mind that other shows will be presented by the Bristol team and that there will be an extra charge for travel.

Further afield

We enjoy travelling far and wide from the Highlands of Scotland to the Channel Islands and regularly tour internationally. We’d be delighted to hear from you wherever you are and we can give you a quote for your visit.

Afternoon visits

Reduced rates may be available for afternoon visits if we are already in your area for a morning visit. Please ask for details.

Large schools/events

For events with large numbers of participants we can bring our larger Domes, bring two or more Domes, or stay for more than one day. Please ask for details!

There are no clothing requirements, although for Dome shows audience members must remove their shoes and crawl through a tunnel in order to gain access into the Dome. Adults/staff may appreciate advance warning!

Our team are not first aid trained, as we always work in schools/venues which have a first aider on site.

Testimonials are at the bottom of every page on our website: www.explorerdome.co.uk

All you need to know to plan a visit

Where do we travel?

We regularly travel throughout the Midlands and the South West of the UK, from Northamptonshire and Leicestershire down to the tip of Cornwall and from Oxfordshire across all of South Wales.
If you are out of our normal area, we can still come! We will charge a minimum fee of our full day rate which of course includes a full day of shows. We also travel internationally.

Why not have a look at amap of our recent travelsto give you an idea of where we have been!

How big is the Dome?

Our Standard Dome takes up a floor area of 6 metres x 7 metres. The height is 3.5 metres – and it is worth checking for suprise hanging projectors and lights! As a rule of thumb, we can fit about 30 people inside the Dome per show, but if you have older students or adults, you will need our larger Dome (which still requires 3.5 metres height, but takes up a larger 8 metres x 9 metres floor area). If you have classes of infants or juniors, you can get up to 40 inside this larger Dome!

Chemistry and Rocket Science shows do not use the Dome and so can accommodate up to 70 per show.

What does a venue need to provide?

Dome visits need an indoor space large enough with a smooth, clean floor and access to mains power. The Dome can only be outside if housed in a floored marquee… otherwise it will blow away!

Chemistry shows require a space large enough to accommodate your audience and access to 2 tables and mains power. Chemistry shows also need hot water, but it does not need to be in the same room. If some of your audience would benefit from being on benches or chair, it would be really helpful to have these nearby or set up at the start of the day.

How does a timetable work?

Shows last between 40 and 55 mins, depending on your audience and timetable requirements. We can usually fit 2 or 3 shows into a morning and 6 or 7 shows into a full day visit, but capacity of shows and timetables vary depending on the type of show you choose.

If you visit the page for a particular show topic from the menu above, each show summary has detailed information of the capacity of each show, length and national curriculum links.

We can certainly bring an array of different show topics in the same visit, but this may reduce the number of shows possible to fit in a single day.

What else should you know?

We will need reasonable vehicle access to the hall – let us know if access is likely to be poor (e.g. many steps or long distances) as this will affect the schedule and the preparations we need to make for the day.

At least one member of staff must accompany the children during the shows but we promise they will enjoy it! For family shows, all children under 7 should be accompanied by an adult.

If you prefer, do feel free toget in touchand we can help with your plan.

Schools for Children with Special Needs

We love the work we do with SEN schools as the Dome is a wonderfully immersive and relaxing environment and a perfect place to learn for children with special educational needs. Merging the very best bits from different shows, we aim to make the shows as multisensory as possible. We recommend  ‘Bubbles’ (outside the Dome)for all abilities, but can adapt most of our other themes for children at NC level 1 or above.

People who can’t crawl or are in wheelchairs can be accommodated, but this does reduce the capacity for our Dome shows so please notify us in advance.
We recommend a maximum capacity of 25 inside the Dome including teaching staff and carers and for EBD students we would suggest smaller class sizes than this.

Some presentations include flashing lights and loud noises so presenters should be notified of children who are adversely effected by this (e.g. behavioural difficulties, autism or epilepsy) and we can adapt the shows accordingly. We can give you a full break down of the show in advance and our presenters can use some Makaton signing in the shows to help with understanding.

Please quote ‘UK School Trips’ when you get in touch!

Call us: + 44 (0) 117 9141526

Email us: information@explorerdome.co.uk

Get in touch through our website: http://www.explorerdome.co.uk/explorerdome_contact_us.html