What is a Relaxed Opening/ Home Educator day?

Our special Relaxed Openings are created exclusively for families within the neurodiverse community, giving them the opportunity to explore the Museum together in a calm environment. Our Relaxed Opening Days are particularly suited to visitors with autism or other special needs, who are welcome to attend with their siblings, parents and/or carers. The Museum will be very quiet with areas set aside especially for you.

On the Day:

Home to the world's largest collection of working historic computers, at The National Museum of Computing the evolution of computing will unfold before your eyes. You will journey from the early electro-mechanical code-breaking machines of WWII and the world's first entirely digital semi-programmable computer to the advent of mainframes in the 1950s and the rise of personal computing, mobile computing and the internet towards the end of the 20th century.

During your visit, you will also have access to a variety of special STEM-focused activities, including programming, robotics and virtual reality. Please see the schedule below for more details. All activities are drop-in sessions, so stay for as long as you wish.

To help you prepare for your visit, you might like to view our Visual Story and Sensory Map at https://www.tnmoc.org/accessibility.

Activities will be offered as drop-in sessions so learners can self-direct without the pressure of a formal schedule. Activities will include options for every age.

Self-Guided Museum Explorations:

Museum Mate Digital Museum Guide (All ages)

You will have the opportunity to use our newly developed TNMCO Mate app in collaboration with Version 1, which makes navigating the Museum easy. The guide is user-friendly and offers clear directions. Users can choose their age and preferred language from the menu to make sure they get age-appropriate guidance in their first language. The guide includes audio and engaging animated visuals created by 'Midjourney' and D-ID, the AI Video Generator.

Robot Rescue! (6-10 years) - George the Robot is playing hide and seek with his friends but has forgotten how to walk. Explore the Museum and find all our mini-bots before their batteries run out and they’re lost forever! Grab a worksheet from the front of the Museum to record all of the mini-bot locations for George and fill in the missing words to identify a secret message which can only be deciphered using an actual Enigma machine!

Treasure Hunt (6+ years) - Become a geo-cacher using the Adventure Lab app and hunt for treasure boxes around the Museum. Decode our computer-related ding-bats to find the missing letters that form an anagram to win a small prize in our shop.

Interactive Digital Trails (11+ years):

Gain a greater understanding of computing by undertaking our interactive digital trails, developed in partnership with Learning by Questions. Limited iPads available, please feel free to bring your own device.

11:00am - 12:00 - Codename: Cipher [Enigma & The Bombe] - The year is 1940 and you have been invited to Bletchley Park to assist in the war effort. Your first assignment is to catch the undercover spy operating out of the UK known only as Codename Cipher.

11:00am - 12:00 - Codename: Cipher [Lorenz & Colossus] - Axis forces develop increasingly complex encryption methods in a desperate bid to keep their military plans secret. Your old foe Codename Cipher makes a reappearance, can you crack the code fast enough to capture them this time?

12:00 - 1:00pm - Data Representation - From 5-hole punch tape to Python! Explore how programming languages have progressed over the decades and solve puzzles using them to choose your favourite.

1:00 - 2:00pm - Internet Explorers - Historical points of interest offer a timeline for networked communications development.

2:00pm - 3pm - Women in Computing - Discover the inspirational achievements of past and present Women in Computing and explore their impact on the industry in this interactive museum exploration.

Drop-In Workshops:

Ozobots (1st Generation Gallery) - Embark on an exciting coding journey with OzoBots, the adorable mini-bots programmed through color codes! Explore the fascinating world of robotics as you learn to code in a fun and interactive way. Whether you're young or young at heart, OzoBots and our custom mazes offer an engaging and dynamic learning experience.

Augmented Reality (1st Generation Gallery) - Combine real game pieces with modern digital technology for interactive learning opportunities that require the use of all five senses in enhanced reality games created by our partners at Osmo. (Maths, Coding, Art or Language skills).

Halloween Crafts (BBC Classroom) - Join us for a spooky, hands-on Halloween craft session where technology meets creativity! Repurpose old batteries and paper cups to build your own jumping monster, blending arts and crafts with a fun tech twist. Learn about tech sustainability as you give new life to discarded materials, all while crafting a creepy, bouncy creature to take home. It’s the perfect mix of creative recycling, spooky fun, and hands-on tech education—ideal for curious makers and Halloween enthusiasts alike!

Retro Programming (BBC Classroom) - Go back in time to our 80s classroom and build an understanding of programming languages by creating customisable games on our original, working BBC Micros.

Timetabled Sessions:

Modern Computing Skills (Innovation Hub) 12:00pm - 1:00pm

Beginners Coding - Learn coding skills on our pocket-sized Micro:Bit computers to create LED images activated by buttons or ‘shake’ sensors. They can even communicate with each other! (Limited exclusive, FREE Pimoroni musical gloves for first 20 attendees)

Enigmatic Encounters - Apply our custom code wheels to build understanding of WW2 encryption methods.

Aerospace Engineering (Meeting Room) 11:00am - 12:00pm , 2:00pm - 3:00pm

Calling all young space enthusiasts! Discover the magic of Aerospace Engineering in our captivating workshop and unleash your potential with engineering kit to explore solutions for the resource demands of our digital world. Unravel the mysteries of material scarcity while nurturing teamwork and innovation. Together, we'll ponder the ethics of resource gathering from Mars. Get ready for an educational journey that will leave you reaching for the stars!

Timings:

10:30am - 3:00pm (workshops will start at 11am)

We are delighted that we are able to offer these sessions to you at a low cost due to the support of our dedicated volunteers and industry partners.

For any queries or further information please contact education@tnmoc.org. Alternatively, you can contact the Museum via telephone on 01908 374708.

What people say about our Relaxed Opening Days:

My sons had a super time, the interactive activities were great and kept them both engaged. Your team were most helpful and great with the children.

Our boys both loved it... Ordinarily, after a few hours one son is on edge, on the verge of overload. They say living with autism is like living life in a disco ... I want to comment about your staff, ... They were utterly brilliant. Patient, understanding, and tremendously knowledgeable, they explained things in such an accessible way, that there was always someone available.

My seven-year-old and my friend's two boys had a wonderful time and I really appreciated the opportunity for them to enjoy something they would otherwise find quite challenging.

They obviously loved the gaming areas and enjoyed making the stickman hit the fruit. The staff in the BBC [micro] area were lovely. In fact, the tips about getting children coding have already been implemented and they have been using the site that was recommended. My husband wants to come next time!

A huge thank you for organising the relaxed session. It makes a huge difference to families like mine to be able to get out.