Top five ways to explore your inner scientist this holiday season at the Ontario Science Centre

TORONTO, Dec. 12, 2019 /CNW/ - It's the most wonderful time of the year! On December 21, the Ontario Science Centre launches its holiday programming, featuring booming experiments, marvellous machines, mind-bending exhibits and hair-raising fun. With an array of offerings for the whole family, there are so many reasons to make science part of the holiday season.

Here are the top five ways visitors can tap into their inner scientist at the Science Centre while creating memories with family and friends.

1. Experience explosive experiments.  
Bang! Pow! Kaboom! The Spectacular Science Show takes the Science Centre's most brilliant, blazing and booming experiments and rolls them up into one dynamic, live demonstration. Visitors of all ages will delight in experiencing science in a big, engaging and memorable way. The Spectacular Science Show begins on December 27, with shows three times daily.

2. Take in the genius of maker extraordinaire Rowland Emett.
'Tis the season for Dream Machines, inventor Rowland Emett's whimsical kinetic creations. With their playful names and everyday materials?teacups, birdies and slippers?employed in unusual ways, these mesmerizing machines annually regale holiday visitors. To ensure no fanciful detail goes unnoticed, visitors can take part in a scavenger hunt to look more closely at?and fully appreciate?these ingenious inventions.

3. Find out what makes you, you. (Yes, you read that right.)
Rooted in psychology, MindWorks brings ideas like decision-making, memory and emotions to life through playful, interactive exhibits. Visitors are invited to step into their own mind and explore how they think, feel and react through fully immersive experiences?from writing a song with building blocks to squeezing through unusual shapes to filling a cart in a virtual grocery store.

4. Contemplate human impact on the blue planet.
What was Earth like before human activity? From the Big Bang to present day to a hypothetical future, Life of the Earth takes visitors on a stunning visual journey of the life of our planet. Displayed on a giant sphere, this multimedia installation by Canadian artist Director X is a reflection on humanity, its impact on the environment and the future of plant and animal life as we know it.

5. Test out a new 'do.
Limp, lifeless hair? Let the Science Centre give your do a little energy?literally?with its Van de Graaff generator. A fan favourite, the Hair-raising Experience lets visitors feel the power of electrostatic energy from head to toe.

Holiday programs run from December 21, 2019, to January 5, 2020, except for December 25, when the Science Centre is closed. Exhibitions, installations and demonstrations are included with general admission. Film tickets are $9. For more information, including extended hours and how to purchase tickets, please visit OntarioScienceCentre.ca.

About the Ontario Science Centre
Guided by our mission to inspire passion for the human adventure of discovery, the Ontario Science Centre strives to be a global leader in lifelong learning, a vital link in Ontario's education and innovation ecosystems and a convener of public dialogue about technology, science and society. The Centre has welcomed nearly 54 million visitors since opening as a Centennial project in 1969, pioneering an interactive approach now adopted by science centres around the world. An agency of the Government of Ontario, the Centre relies on funding from the province, as well as donations from generous individuals, corporations and foundations that share the Centre's vision to contribute to a more curious, creative and resilient world. Learn more at OntarioScienceCentre.ca.

SOURCE Ontario Science Centre