Explorer Dome is an internationally known, vibrant, popular science outreach organisation. Based in Bristol and London, we travel across the UK presenting live science shows for schools, festivals and special events. Hands-on demonstrations and stunning visuals combined with knowledgeable, enthusiastic and professional presenters: Explorer Dome is presenter-led, lively, interactive and fun!
Hands-On Science
We believe that the best way to learn is by doing – that’s why all of our shows are fully interactive, making Explorer
Dome shows 100% presenter-led, hands-on and unforgettable! “I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.” (Confucius)
Lively, Knowledgeable Presenters
Our brilliant presenters are at the heart of everything we do here at Explorer Dome.
When you book a visit from us, you are signing up to receive the best quality science shows from presenters who are experienced, highly trained, passionate and rigourous about the science and, most importantly, fun!
Science for Everyone
Discover a huge range of topics that bring science to life for audiences of all ages, genders, backgrounds and abilities.
Inclusive education is at the heart of what we do and we visit schools, colleges, adult education, teacher training, festivals and special events and, as we pitch the show for your group, no two shows are ever the same!
A Brief History
Explorer Dome has been around for over 20 years! From our humble beginnings in 1998, we have come a long way with four domes, chemistry presentations, workshops, a team of specialist presenters and a base in Bristol and now the Midlands.
Explorer Dome reaches 50,000 children and adults every year. Each person coming to our shows has a ~45 minute, immersive experience where new ideas, scientific interests and identity can be explored. We cover hundreds of schools and events across the whole of England, Wales and beyond. Over the years we have visited thousands and places from the Highlands to the Channel Islands, met over 1 million children and enjoyed every moment!
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 a map of our recent travels to give you an idea of where we have been!
What about Coronavirus?
We have adapted the way we work to allow for coronavirus risks and look forward to seeing you soon. We are currently taking bookings for online delivery, physical visits without the dome to allow for greater distancing and for ‘normal’ dome visits where we can work with you to comply with your risk assessments and current guidance. We have a flexible cancellation policy in case local situations change, will review the situation regularly and do what we can to help you keep science lively, interactive and FUN! Visit our dedicated Coronavirus page for more information, or for more detail see our current Risk Assessment.
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 surprise 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 and Rocket 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 to get in touch and 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 themes of ‘Space and Rockets’ (inside the Dome) or ‘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.
How to book: call + 44 (0) 117 9141526, email information@explorerdome.co.uk, or visit our website at http://www.explorerdome.co.uk/explorerdome_contact_us.html
