Saturday 20 July – Sunday 1 September
This summer the museums at Ironbridge Valley of Invention are hosting an array of hands-on activities and workshops to entertain and inspire curious children, from making space creatures using electrical circuits to getting creative with clay.
Space Jitter Critters
Saturday 20 July-Friday 9 August
Enginuity
Inspired by the 2024 temporary exhibition ‘From Stars to Cells: The Life of Iron’, children will be invited to make their own Space Jitter Critter. They will make their own original space creature with the electrical circuit, concentric cam and legs provided. They can get creative when they design the body, and when it’s ready they can let their Space Jitter Critter run around a specially-designed space landscape.
Suitable for children aged 5+ (adult supervision and help will be required). All materials and resources supplied. Three one-hour workshops begin at 11am, 1pm and 3pm. £3 per child (adults free) in addition to museum entrance ticket. Museum entrance free for PASS and PASS PLUS holders.
Animal Magic
Saturday 20 July-Sunday 1 September
Coalport China Museum
Kids and adults alike will be able to have a go at creating magical animals from clay in this summer holiday event. Coalport China Museum’s demonstrators will be on hand to help visitors model their chosen creatures (real or imagined) from air dry clay. They can take what they have made home, ready to paint a few days later.
Drop-in activity 11am-3pm. £2 per person in addition to museum entrance ticket. Museum entrance free for PASS and PASS PLUS holders.
Festival of Archaeology
Saturday 27 July
Coalbrookdale Museum of Iron
On 27 July Coalbrookdale Museum of Iron will take part in the national Festival of Archaeology. The museum will host a series of special talks and events and for this
weekend only entry will be free, thanks to sponsorship from the Association for Industrial Archaeology (AIA).
Local historical and archaeological societies and groups including the Friends of Ironbridge Gorge Museums, the National Trust, the Shrewsbury and Newport Canals Trust and Shropshire Caving and Mining Club, will be in the museum talking to the public about their work. Visitors will also be able to attend a series of free walks and tours around Coalbrookdale and the local area with IGMT curators and archivists.
Free event.
Edible Tiles
Tuesdays from 30 July to 27 August
Jackfield Tile Museum
In this special drop-in event on Tuesdays throughout the summer, children who have visited the museum will be able to take inspiration from the tiles they have seen to create their own tile design on an edible biscuit that they can take home and eat.
Suitable for children aged 2+. Children must be accompanied by an adult. £2 per child. All materials supplied. Drop-in activity 10.30am-3pm on Tuesdays 30 July, 6 August, 13 August, 20 August and 27 August.
Get up close to modern telescopes
Coalbrookdale Gallery
Saturday 3 August
Members of Wolverhampton Astronomical Society will be in our free temporary exhibition, ‘From Stars to Cells: The Life of Iron’, giving visitors the opportunity to see modern telescopes up close and to learn how they work.
From Stars to Cells explores the science of iron, taking visitors on a journey from iron’s origins in space billions of years ago through to its use by humankind and in the Ironbridge Gorge.
Free event.
Space Rockets
Saturday 10 August-Sunday 1 September
Enginuity
Inspired by the 2024 temporary exhibition ‘From Stars to Cells: The Life of Iron’, children will be invited to make their own Space Rocket. They will begin by designing the body of the rocket, before adding a nose cone and tail fin. Then all that is needed is some energy to see how far the rocket will fly.
Suitable for children aged 5+ (adult supervision and help will be required). All materials and resources supplied. Three one-hour workshops begin at 11am, 1pm and 3pm. £3 per child
(adults free) in addition to museum entrance ticket. Museum entrance free for PASS and PASS PLUS holders.
To find out more about summer holiday events and activities at Ironbridge Valley of Invention go to www.ironbridge.org.uk/seasons/summer/
