Events & Activities Jan - Apr 2010

Planetarium

Now

FREE*

Millennium Point, Curzon Street, Birmingham B4 7XG

Thinktank Trust Registered Charity Number 1061898.IMAX is a registered trademark of IMAX corporation.

All information correct at time of going to print November 2009.Subject to change.

Visit us by train or bus andget a big discount off entry!Save up to 30% off atThinktank and up to 30%off IMAX films! For detailsplease ask your local station.

Travel toThinktank by

public transportand enjoy huge

discounts!

Events & Activities Jan - Apr 2010

The Gene erationGameScience ShowCome on down! And joinus for a fun-packed gameshow to explore the world ofgenetics and discover whatDNA is. Take part in ‘PlayYour Chromosomes Right’,and the conveyer beltgame. It’s big, it’scheesy, it’s the‘Gene-eration Game’!

• Suitable for all• Weekends and

school holidays• 2.15pm,

ThinktankTheatre,Level 2

The Gene GenieStorytellingJoin our storytelling sessionto find out if the threePrinces Dee, Enn and Ay,overcome the Gene Genie’schallenges, to win the handof the lovely Princess Helia.

• Suitable for under 8s• Weekends and

school holidays• 12 noon, Classroom

Banneker,Level 1

To celebrate the 350thanniversary of one of theoldest scientific academies,The Royal Society, and theBBC Year of Science,Thinktank is kick-startingthe 2010 celebration withan awe-inspiring GeneticsSeason.

Come along and explorethe science behind geneticsand take part in our funprogramme includingworkshops, storytelling,science shows and muchmore!

Gen(ie) in a bottleWorkshopHave you ever wanted towork in a forensics lab?Well now you can! Join usfor a hands-on workshopand make your very own DNAfrom cheek swabs. You caneven take your DNA samplehome with you!

• Suitable for over 10s• Weekends and

school holidays• 12.45pm, The Lab,

Level 1• £1.95 to Thinktank

visitors, tickets must bepurchased in advancefrom the Ticket Desk onLevel 2

Thinktank Goes Wild!This summer Thinktank will behosting the Wildlife Photographer

of the Year Exhibition. Alongside thiscaptivating exhibition of stunningvisuals, there will also be a rangeof wildlife themed events andactivities for all the family to enjoy.

II

COMING

SOON!

Meet the Scientist Join local scientists anddiscover what happens at the cutting edge of scienceand talk to the people that are making it happen.Supported by BirminghamScience City.

• Selected days from Mon 15 - Fri 19 Feb

• 12pm - 4pm, Talking Point, Level 3

Live SilversmithDemonstrationsOur resident Silversmith usestraditional Birminghamcraftsmanship to createdecorative items out of silverbullion. Join him for a livelychat and demonstration.

• Most Saturdays• 10am - 4pm, Level 0

Full steam aheadEvery day our heritage teampowers up one of the country’slargest daily working collectionsof steam driven engines! Watchthese magnificent machinespound with power.

Unless otherwise stated, event isfree to Thinktank ticket holders. Allevents are subject to availability

Busking, Arts Trolley, Lab activitiesInvestigate the world aroundyou in our new laboratory ortry something more creativein one of our themed on-gallery arts sessions.

• Locations vary depending on activity; please see a Gallery Enabler for more details.

• Selected times/dates

Handling CollectionSessionsGet to grips with ancientobjects in our handlingsessions. One of thefollowing sessions takesplace every weekend andschool holidays:

• Bones, brutes andbeastsDiscover the remains ofprehistoric man and theprey he used to hunt.

• Science from theproduction lineDiscover the sciencebehind some ofBirmingham's greatestindustries.

• Monsters from the pastFrom the ferocious sabretoothed cat to the largestshark that ever lived, wehave the remains for youto handle and investigate.

• Sensational sea lifesafariIn this multi-sensoryhands-on experience,sight, sound, smell andtouch are used to explorea range of creatures thatlive and have livedbeneath the waves.

• 3pm, weekends and school holidays

• Ask a Gallery Enabler for more details

StorytellingSee What’s new section.

ThinkTots Early Years ClubCome along on Wednesdaymornings for storytelling,Make and Take activities and creative play sessions,designed with you and yourlittle ones in mind.

• Suitable for under 5s• Wednesday mornings

(during Birmingham term time) and Mon 8 - Fri 12 Feb

• 11.15am - 12noon, Talking Point, Level 3

• All children must be accompanied by an adult

Early YearsPlanetarium Show – ‘The Hunter and the Lions’Hear the story of how abrave hunter overcomesthree fierce lions… with alittle help from his wife. Joinus in the Planetarium for amagical story based onancient African star stories.

• Selected times/dates• FREE to Thinktank

visitors• All children must be

accompanied by an adult

Facepainting From delicate cheek art to gruesome injuries andeverything in between, ourfacepainters can transformyou into beauty or the beast!

• Mon 15 - Fri 19 Feb• 11am to 3.30pm,

Level 1• 50p per

child

AnnamationStorytellingJoin Annamation theprofessional storytellers forsome amazing tales.

• 12 noon, 1.30pm, 2.30pm, 3.30pm

• Mon 15 - Fri 19 Feb• Classroom Banneker,

Level 1

Parent PacksThese packs are designedfor children aged 3 - 7 andtheir parents/carers. Theycontain activities related tothe story within the pack,which help you talk to andplay with your child andinteract with certain areasof the museum.

• Please ask a Gallery Enabler for further information

• Available at selected times only

• Suitable for 3 - 7 year olds

Adult Evening Talkssponsored by The Royal Society

Dr Paul Nurse Fellow of The Royal SocietyThe Great Ideas of BiologyJoin Nobel Prize winner PaulNurse for an evening ofdiscussion and insight intothe world of science.

• Tues 9 Feb• 7pm, Thinktank Theatre, Level 2• Tickets must be booked

in advance• www.thinktank.ac/adult

Jonathon Porritt CBEEngineering a Low-Growth EconomyAcclaimed writer,environmentalist and former Director of Friends of the Earth,Jonathon Porritt will deliver this year’s LunarSociety Annual Lecture.

Politicians love to tell us that we can have a very low-carbon society and high economic growth at the same time. This isimpossible but why arepoliticians unwilling todiscuss the details?

• Tues 23 March• For more details, see

www.thinktank.ac/adult

Cafe ScientifiqueBirmingham’s Café Sci is aseries of informal and livelydiscussion events aroundcontemporary science issuesthat take place in bars andcafes in and aroundBirmingham.• For locations and

information visit www.thinktank.ac/adult

Prof Sir Alec Jeffries Fellow of The Royal SocietyJoin us during NationalScience and EngineeringWeek, for a discussion with the inventor of DNAfingerprinting.

• Tues 16 Mar• www.thinktank.ac/adult

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To check film times and booktickets, visit www.imax.ac

Wonders of the Universe(25 min, all ages)Fulldome (360-degree) showLook deep into space throughthe eyes of the Hubble SpaceTelescope and travel backbillions of years in time, to seethe birth of the universe.

Data CosmWhile visiting the Planetarium,be amazed by our spectacular3D digital sculptures using liveBBC News images.

Showing Daily

Shows and times vary. For more information call 0121 202 2222or visit www.thinktank.ac/planetarium. Available to Thinktankticket holders only. * Free Planetarium show with every visit.Subject to availability.

Planetarium

FREE*

For excitement, scale and sheersensory overload nothing comes close

to the IMAX Experience. You’ll never lookat a trip to the cinema in the same way again!

Explore the IMAX Experience at www.imax.ac

Planetarium GroupBookingsWe now have a wide varietyof Fulldome (360 degree)and presenter-led showsavailable for group bookings,covering a range of topicsfrom Black Holes, ClimateChange, Human Body,Islamic Astronomy, AncientChinese Astronomy andmuch more. For a fullcatalogue visitwww.thinktank.ac/dome_shows

The UK’s first purpose-builtdigital Planetarium has avibrant daily programme of entertaining shows andactivities that will take youon an inspiring explorationof the night sky, our galaxyand beyond.

New! Stars & Stories ofWinter and Spring(25 min, all ages)Presenter-led showDiscover easy-to-see objectsin the current night sky whilesinging along to two brandnew constellation songs!

Microcosm(20 min, all ages)Fulldome (360-degree)showShrink down to the size of a bacterium and experience a high-speed adventurethrough the human body.

II

Sea Monsters 3D(45 min, PG)Stunning 3D computeranimation tells the story of an adventurousdolichorhynchops as she travels through the most dangerous oceans in history.

Space Station 3D(45 min, U)Travel 220 miles above Earthat 17,500 mph to experiencethe greatest engineering feat since landing a man onthe Moon.

DISNEY’S ALICE INWONDERLAND 3D(opens March 2010)Tim Burton’s eagerlyanticipated reinvention ofthe classic tale Alice inWonderland is released inIMAX 3D 5 March 2010.Stars Johnny Depp as theMad Hatter, Anne Hathawayas the White Queen, andHelena Bonham Carter asthe Queen of Hearts.

To be confirmed...

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 3D (opens March 2010)Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III is heir of the Vikingchiefdom, but has one very big problem: a hero he isnot. HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON is the riotous storyof Hiccup's quest to hunt down the fiercest dragon, trainit, and hopefully pass his initiation!

Opening Times:Thinktank is open 7 days a week, except 24, 25 and 26December, from 10am - 5pm with last admission at 4pm.

For further information on any event, show or activity, and to make a booking, call

0121 202 2222 (9am-5pm daily)

or visit: www.thinktank.ac

IMAX 3D Films All IMAX 3D film prices include a glasses handling charge.

Printed on paper produced only from sustainable forests.

Thinktank Thinktank & IMAX (Any 3D film)

Adult

Child (3-15 years)

Concession

Family of 4 (Max 2 adults)

Thinktank Prices:

£11.75

£7.95

£7.95

£36.80

£18.85

£13.60

£13.60

£59.40

IMAX 3D IMAX 3DShort Films Feature Films

Adult

Child (3-15 years)

Concession

Family of 4 (Max 2 adults)

IMAXPrices:

£8.60

£6.75

£6.75

£27.80

£9.60

£7.75

£7.75

£31.80

Adult

Child (3-15 years)

Concession

Family of 5 (Max 2 adults)

Season Tickets:

£42.50

£30.00

£30.00

£75.00

A season ticket gives you unlimited entry intoThinktank for a whole year including on sitesavings at the Thinktank Shop and IMAX Cinema.

Refreshments• Thinktank CaféLight meals, hot and coldsnacks and drinks available in holiday periods only.

School Visits & Teacher PreviewsThinktank’s Education teamoffers a great programme ofinteractive shows, workshops and gallery trails to excite and inspire pupils. We also encourage teachers to visit Thinktank and IMAXCinema FREE OF CHARGE to help plan a school trip. For more information call 0121 202 2244 or visitwww.thinktank.ac/education

Thinktank ShopThinktank shop offershistorical, educational andscientific books, pens, games, gifts, play kits, toys and novelty items.

Visitor ServicesOn-site parking available.Cloakroom available duringopening hours.

AccessibilityThinktank has a variety of tools and services to support your visit. For more information please call 0121 202 2222 or visitwww.thinktank.ac

Corporate EventsThinktank is a world-classcorporate venue, offering aunique environment for anyevent. For more information on the corporate facilities at Thinktank, call0121 202 2333

A large print copy of this guide is available on request.

Birthday partiesLooking for a birthday party with a difference? Try a Thinktank birthday party and set a new standardamongst your friends!

For more information or to make a booking,please call 0121 202 2244 or visitwww.thinktank.ac/birthday