From the Explorer Dome Team
New visits, new shows, new domes, new projectors, new areas, new science presenters and other news!
Here at Explorer Dome, we value our presenters highly - they really are at the heart of everything that we do, and we actively encourage everyone to attend events that will further their professional development. Through offering all presenters an Explorer Dome CPD Bursary, this year we have had a bumper summer of conferences!
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This year, we arrived on the island with two domes and our Science Tricks show. Over the course of (just over) a week, we visited 12 schools and presented 25 Space shows, 19 Environment shows, three Earth shows and 19 Science Tricks chemistry shows. It was fantastic!
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In March 2024, Explorer Dome were invited to attend the Exploring Careers in STEM event at SGS College Filton Campus, run by Creative Tuition Collective. This event was part of a larger programme encouraging young people from under-represented groups to consider a career in science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM).
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The theme for World Down Syndrome Day 2024 is ‘End the Stereotypes’. It is important to remember that people with Down syndrome are individuals who often live independent and successful lives, who need to be treated fairly and have the same opportunities as everyone else, working with others to help improve their lives.
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Thank you Middlezoy! Your school, staff and children were fantastic hosts for Explorer Dome’s first visit of the new academic year. This marks Explorer Dome’s entry into a new era of covid-secure science outreach. Hand shaking & cups of tea on arrival are sadly on hold this term while hand sanitizing, floor washing, transparent visors and keeping our distance are things we all need to get used to.
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The events of the past six months have impacted everyone, and every sector, in some way or another. We have all had to adapt our way of life, adjust our routines, and manage our expectations somewhat. New words and phrases have emerged from the morass, like WFH (working from home), “The New Normal”, and a seemingly tireless use of the word “unprecedented” ...
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"As one of the Explorer Dome's newest Presenters I have been blown away by the sheer passion and enjoyment that working in this star-studded environment can bring. The early mornings and sometimes long days get swept under the cloak of the night's sky as education becomes entangled in stories both of our own and the Ancient Greek's..."
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One of the greatest benefits of working in a mobile planetarium is having the privilege of visiting some unusual and beautiful places. While we have put up our domes at some impressive venues in the past, including music festivals, weddings and even the Albert Hall, as far as stunning settings go the 800-year-old gothic splendor of Lichfield Cathedral takes quite a bit of beating...
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Louisa from Explorer Dome shares her thoughts on the first months of her Dome Life!
"I’m new to Explorer Dome, and new to 5am wake ups! But as we head off from Bristol in all directions, to Devon, Cornwall, Gloucester and London, we soon wake up enough to start constellation spotting in the pre-dawn gloom..."
Jim and Riha had a fantastic day yesterday at Westgate Academy in Lincoln where they met all the Year 6 and welcomed them inside the Dome. After the visit, the students were told they could produce any piece of work they wanted to show what they had learned inside the Dome, and Jim and Riha were lucky to be sent some from Class 6S...
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We are often invited by teachers to come into schools to be part of a 'wow' moment for their pupils - something that they can use to launch their science topic in a big way, or as a grand finale to allow the children to demonstrate their understanding of a topic. But we wanted to know, beyond the excitement of the day, can the Dome experience have a lasting effect on the learning of the children?...
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There are many ways to improve concentration, long-term and short-term memory. Something as simple as a cup of coffee can make us more alert, and exercise has been shown to have a positive effect on memory. Positive cognitive effects have also been demonstrated with herbs such as rosemary or mint. But what about if you could take a pill to have the same, or better, effect? Would you do it? We went to see what Y11 thought...
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Explorer Dome have visited Guernsey for 15 years, but never before had we been to Jersey. So the mobile planetarium and a huge pile of kit was squeezed into a van with Ben and Jim and we headed off on the ferry...
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Explorer Dome is the first UK planetarium to be using the new Digitar Lite planetarium projector system. From the same company that provides the mind-blowing 3D experience of the large At-Bristol planetarium, a smaller, extremely portable, affordable fisheye projector is available from Summer 2017...
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The Royal Society of Chemistry have announced their support for our chemistry shows yet again! £1500 is available to schools in 2017 in the form of a 40% refund on the cost (excluding VAT) of a visit from Explorer Dome...
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Explorer Dome joined a multitude of STEM professionals, researchers and communicators for the first ever Big Bang held in Bristol this July...
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Explorer Dome regularly travels outside of the UK and three of our presenters have just come back from our biennial Cyprus tour, where they visited eight different schools with six of our interactive shows over the course of three and a half weeks...
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This year has seen a big development for Explorer Dome with the launch of our Birmingham-based mobile dome. Although we have been around since 1998, this is the first time that we have had a dome that travels from outside of Bristol. Having a base in Birmingham now means we can easily reach schools across the West Midlands, East Midlands, Mid Wales and beyond...
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The presenters were wonderful. Their enthusiasm was infectious. They knew exactly how to pitch it and had an excellent awareness of the needs of the children.
Inverteign Primary School, Devon
This was the best science based visit we have had!
Brilliant. Really brilliant. If I had to think of something I’ve seen that hits all learners - visual, auditory and kinaesthetic - this would be it!
Ysgol Gyfun Garth Olwg, Rhondda Cynon Taf
All the staff agreed that we haven’t seen the whole student body so thoroughly enthused about science since … the last visit by Explorer Dome!
Charter Primary School, Chippenham