NEW Lightbox at Science at Life

This is an advert for May 2025. Any shares / edits beyond this date have not been asked or paid for. This post was published in May 2025. Always check with venue before heading out as facilities / info can change over time. 

Lightbox is a brand new collection of hands on and interactive activities which have been designed with fun in mind by artists and game studios. Expect everything from tornados and lasers to sound experiments and family challenges. You won't find anything like this anywhere else in the North East. 

Lightbox is included with centre admission and although officially recommended for ages 7+, I think it's suitable and fun for all ages. It's always best to pre-book admission to Science at Life (for the best prices and to guarantee entry) but once inside, you can drop into Lightbox as often as you like across the day. 

Find out more, check opening hours and book: https://www.life.org.uk/

You will find Lightbox on the ground floor. As you enter, turn left under the giant world (Gaia) and you will spot the entrance next to the cafe. 

Here's a little look at what to expect: 

Step Inside a Tornado 

Lightbox is home to a six metre tall (the tallest in Europe) tornado! You can step inside, change the shape of the tornado and create your own twister. We've tried this a few times and find it best to stay close to the wall as the tornado forms it's shape before interacting with it. 

Creep Down Sneaky Feet Corridor 

I would say this is my favourite part of lightbox. It's a special corridor that's been fitted with sensors and you have to creep down the corridor as quietly as possible within 30 seconds. As you creep, you can see the timer counting down and watch how much noise you're making on a graph in front of you. If you make too much noise or your time is up, it's game over. 

The first time I tried this I was terrible and practice definitely makes perfect. I recommend trying it at the start of your visit, making a note of your time and then coming back before you leave to try again and beat your score. 

This is also a really fun activity for adults to challenge the kids with. Our kids are way more sneakier than us! 

Play with Digital Water with Body Movement

This activity is in the corner of Lightbox and especially popular with little ones. There are different water scenes on the screen in front of you and you can direct the action by moving your body. For example wave your arms around to create a big splash. 

Create your Own Whirlpool 

Making a vortex isn't as easy as it looks but this experiment allows you to do just that and read why they're important too. 

Experiment with Sound Frequencies 

My teens spent ages on this activity where you can create different sounds and as well as hearing the changes, you can watch the changes visually in front of you. 

Peek through an Infinity Mirror 

This is a fun little activity to try, adjust the mirror and take a peek through to see just how many times you can see yourself (spoiler - it's neverending). 

Create your Own Clouds 

We visited with our teens as a break from revision and this activity was nice and relaxing / almost theraputic. Push the pillow down and watch as you create your very own cloud as it floats up into the atmosphere. 

Play with Colour & a Giant String of Light 

This activity is strangely hypnotising - use the screen to select a scene and move your finger across the screen. Then watch as the giant string of light changes to reflect the part of the picture you're highlighting. Super clever and a nice creative activity. I liked clicking on the Angel of the North and watching the Sting of Light's interpretation. 

Play with Lasers 

There's a fun game in the centre of the exhibition where you can play with lasers, break them with your hands and create patterns and effects. 

Learn Something 

Lightbox isn't just fun, it's based on science too and all of the experiments you try actually help with a real problem or real life situation. Do take the time to read the notices beside each activity and how what you're doing applies to real life. The info is in bite-sized chunks and super easy to digest. 
 

Hear your Heartbeat as a Drum 

This is another popular activity and designed to be used alone or as two people. Hold onto the bar and watch as your heartbeat is transferred and beats the drum in the centre. Two people can try at once and it's interesting to see how your heartbeat compares to others.

A science helper informed us that this activity works best if your hands are warm so for the best results, save this for after you've been physically active or feel warm. 

Create Colour Shadows on the Shadow Wall 

There's a shadow wall where you can block some of the colours and create your own shadow puppets or use the props provided to see what happens. 

Bounce Light through Glass 

This activity sent me right back to my school years and was a real hit with my teens. You can discover how light changes as it travels through different shapes of glass and learn why this is important when it comes to how the internet works.....

I would set aside around 40 minutes to enjoy Lightbox. I've visited twice now (both in school holidays) and both times it was popular however the way it's set out means that there aren't really any queues, we waited for one family in front of us on the tornado, string of light and sneaky feet corridor but with everything else, we just noticed which activity was free and joined in / headed over. 

I haven't included everything in this article so expect a couple of surprises too.....

It's lots of fun and I'd recommend visiting at the start and then the end of your trip to Science at Life to get the most out of it. 

Access to Lightbox

 The floor is level and there is space for wheelchair users and pushchairs. On my first visit, a wheelchair user was in attendance and the activities were able to be accessed from his chair. 

There's seating in the exhibition and there are toilets, including accessible toilets and a changing places toilet close by and within the building. 

It can be a little sensory overload with bright lights, noises and lots of people so do keep this in mind. You can borrow ear defenders and sunglasses from reception if you'd find these useful (or bring your own from home).  You can download and watch a visual story of the exhibition before your visit here: https://www.life.org.uk/whats-on/event/lightbox/

Science at Life also host monthly Relaxed Sunday Sessions, you can check the next date here: https://www.life.org.uk/whats-on/relaxed-sunday-sessions/

Explore Science at Life 

Of course, Lightbox is only a very small section of Science at Life and there's absolutely loads of hands on fun and learning on offer. It's definitely somewhere you can spend a full day.

Your centre ticket allows you to come and go across the day too so you could visit in the morning, pop somewhere else (Discovery Museum, Lane 7, the Common Room, Newcastle Castle, Newcastle Cathedral and Alphabetti Theatre are all a short walk away) and then pop back in the afternoon for more fun before heading home. 

Here's a little look at a few highlights: 

There are always Live Science Shows and Planetarium Shows which take place at intervals across the day and are included with admission. The Planetarium is super comfy and relaxing and the Science Shows are guaranteed to create WOW moments for the audience. 

Times may vary - check on arrival for showtimes on your day

There are SO many interactive experiments to try from building giant marble runs to stepping in front of a thermal sensor to playing with magnets and exploring kinetic energy. 

The Space Zone is fantastic, you can walk through a replica space station, discover more about life in space and take control at mission control. 

On my last visit, I really enjoyed learning more about the impace Life has had over the past 25 years. 6000 babies have been born thanks to the work they do. 

If you are looking for a quieter activity, head upstairs where you can sit under the giant earth, Gaia, get creative and draw your own version. There's also an enclosed quiet space with cushions and books. 

Under 7s will love the under 7s play space which includes building blocks, dress up areas, a mini obstacle course, role play areas (I love the market stalls) and more. 

And older children can get stuck into the experiment zone where you can wear a lab coat and conduct real science experiments. 

Don't forget to pop into the Making Studios where you can let your imagination run wild and create something based on that day's prompt. All materials and instructions are provided and this is always a nice way to chill and work on something together. 

All of this fun (and more) is included with admission. You're probably going to want to visit again and as there's always something new to see and do (especially during school holidays), I'd recommend an annual pass - you can either upgrade on the day of your visit or purchase on arrival. Find out more: https://www.life.org.uk/visit/membership/#pricing

I was already a huge Science at Life fan and with the new addition of Lightbox, it's even better. I would recommend a trip for all ages, there's absolutely loads to do and it's very easy to get to (just a short walk from Newcastle Central Station for trains and metro and around the corner from Times Square car park). 

We are so lucky to have such an impressive science centre here in Newcastle and I just know it's going to inspire lots of future scientists / careers in STEM.