Ministry of Science LIVE at The Anvil Basingstoke

Disclosure: We were invited to see this show for the purpose of this post however all opinions are my own.

At the weekend we were invited to The Anvil in Basingstoke to see the Ministry of Science LIVE theatre show. Both our children – and us adults, actually – love science and so it seemed like a great idea for a show that the whole family could enjoy together.

What is Ministry of Science LIVE?

Ministry of Science LIVE is a theatre show where a fantastic array of presenters dive deep into the world of science and look at how science shapes the modern world we live in. It’s an educational but super fun science lesson brought straight to a stage near you.

The Ministry of Science team spend nearly two hours – including an interval in the middle – teaching the audience about scientists, engineers and inventors who have shaped the modern world. There are so many facts, with everything linked to examples that even young children will understand.

Every scene in the show is packed full of gags and fun. The children spent the whole show either in awe and anticipation or laughing uncontrollably. It was an emotional rollercoaster of the very best kind.

The Ministry of Science experiments

Although Ministry of Science LIVE has a lot of facts and a lot of talking, this is broken up with plenty of live experiments. A couple we had seen in science shows before but the vast majority were new, exciting and so entertaining.

There were the tamer experiments like cannons shooting foam balls, plastic bottles and smoke rings, glow sticks turning the whole theatre into a disco and basketballs transferring their energy to tennis balls, making them bounce higher than ever before!

The experiments got more exciting as the show went on. LP was chosen to help with one of the experiments, showing that, with the right equipment, you can capture your shadow. Who knew?!

There were bubbles being set fire too, fire tornados, huge liquid nitrogen clouds and the mammoth bangs of oxygen and hydrogen balloons at the end. Throw in a homemade hovercraft and you have one eclectic, insane but fantastic show.

Our Ministry of Science LIVE show was presented by Mike and Colette who couldn’t have been better hosts. They were friendly, great with the kids and had a natural banter with each other that came across so well throughout the show. They are both born entertainers who clearly love science. They were both so inspiring, making even the simplest science fact feel like something everyone should know.

What did we think of Ministry of Science LIVE?

Ministry of Science LIVE is billed as 100% Educational, 200% Entertaining, 300% Explosive and 400% Fun and we can’t help but agree. We all learnt something from the show, were engaged throughout, loved the experiments and came away so glad that we chose Ministry of Science LIVE as our entertainment for a Sunday afternoon. We loved it.

You can find out more about Ministry of Science LIVE over on their website and see what other shows are coming up at The Anvil over on the Anvil Arts website too.