July
Every Tues & Thurs, 12-1pm
Tours of the Vivarium
A number of Zoology students are organizing free Vivarium tours to share their knowledge of the animals whilst highlighting some of the fundamental conservation and education work that is being carried out. The tours will also be given monthly in both Spanish and French.
Book on ManchesterMuseumVivarium@gmail.com, free, 13+
Big Saturday
Sat 9 July / 11am-4pm
Froglife
Water is incredibly important for all sorts of animals and plants, such as frogs and amphibians, and there are loads of things you can do to help the wildlife that depends on water. You could join a Toad Patrol or be careful with your rubbish. Come along and find out more ways of helping this wildlife, see some live animals, meet and listen to talks from experts and take part in art and craft. In partnership with The Froglife Trust, Bolton Museum and The University of Manchester.
Most activities are free and drop-in. Some activities may need to be booked on the day and may cost up to £1.50. All ages
Thurs 14 Jul / 12.30–1.30pm
Shooting the time detectives
Bill Bevan will talk you through his photographs from our Stonehenge: henge diggers exhibition (as well as photos not on display), which captures the feelings of archaeologists, some from The University of Manchester, as they dig and make discoveries near this renowned sacred site. Part of the Festival of British Archaeology.
Book on 0161 275 2648, free, adults and older children
Sat 16–Sun 17 Jul / 11am–4pm
The Ancients
Step back in time and meet our ancient ancestors by cave painting or by designing your own stone circle. Linked to the BBC's Hands On History–The Ancients and our Stonehenge: henge diggers exhibition and part of the Festival of British Archaeology.
Drop-in, free, all ages
Sat 16 & Sun 17 Jul / 11am-4pm
Discovering prehistoric tools
Meet experts from the Museum and Tameside Archaeological Society and uncover the processes behind archaeological finds discovered over the last 100 years in Greater Manchester and beyond, such as classifying, drawing and photography of finds. If you’ve found any flints, you can bring them in for identification. Part of the Festival of British Archaeology.
Sat 16 Jul / 10-11.30am: Identification skills workshop
Workshop on lithic identification by Ron Cowell Curator of Prehistory Archaeology, Museum of Liverpool. The archaeological material used will be from Tameside excavations in The Manchester Museum’s collections.
Book on 0161 275 2648 (from 16 Jun), free, adults with a keen interest in archaeology
Sat 16 and Sun 17 Jul / 11am-4pm: Guided tours
Guided tours giving an insight into archaeological processes and with hands-on activities such as drawing and find washing.
Drop-in, free, adults and older children
Sat 16 Jul / 1-2pm
Alternative life drawing class with Dr Sketchy
Dr Sketchy Manchester, the alternative life drawing class presents an afternoon at the Museum. This hour long special taking place for the Not Part Of Festival features two models; Bambi La Beau as the Egyptian princess and Archie Greaves as the Roman centurion. This is a fun drawing class for all ages and abilities. Expect drawing games, sketching challenges and plenty of silliness
Drop-in, free, all ages
Tues 19 Jul / 12.30-1.30pm
Confucius Institute China talk
With Ying Kwok from the Chinese Arts Centre. Part of a series of talks by the The Confucius Institute at The University of Manchester.
Book on 0161 275 2648, free, adults and older children
Mon 25 Jul-Fri 26 Aug / 11am-4pm
Summer holidays: The Museum Allotment
Get your hands dirty in The Museum Allotment. Our allotment has been inspired by our new Living Worlds gallery which explores the connections between all living things, including us, and shows how we can all shape the future by the choices we make. One of the choices we can make is to grow food – on our windowsills, in our gardens, in our schools or in an allotment.
Most activities are free and drop-in. Some activities may need to be booked on the day and may cost up to £1.50. All ages
Fri 29 July / 11am-12pm
Magic Carpet: Frogs
Storytelling and activity session for under 5s.
Book on 0161 275 2648 (from 22 Jul), £1 per child, under 5s and their families/carers
