Light and Space SEND-friendly family resources

Supporting children and young people with SEND to engage science past and present

November 2023-November 2026

Light and Space is a three-year project funded by the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) Spark Awards.

It is all about developing accessible, engaging science-related activities for children with Special Education Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and their families. It is a collaboration between the History of Science Museum, RAL Space and Iffley Academy — a community specialist school for children and young people up to the age of 18 with complex special educational needs and disabilities.

The project follows a relational model of engagement with classroom consultations with pupils over several months, in which the project team built upon existing relationships to run classroom consultations, guided by Miranda Millward, community outreach officer for the Gardens, Libraries and Museums.

Play this video to hear more from some of the people involved in designing the project:

https://www.youtube.com/embed/b_24T1S1sME

The backpacks are designed to help visitors make links between science in the past and science today through hands-on activities linked to objects.

They are free to borrow and are offered to visitors by Museum volunteer teams during our How Does it Work? weekends and autism-friendly openings.

Iffley students advised on which activities we should include, the look and feel of the backpacks, and on the format of the instruction cards.

One of the activities from the SEND-friendly backpacks, including instruction card, refraction glasses, prism and torch

Light and colour SEND backpack instruction card

Light and colour SEND backpack fun fact card

Curved mirrors SEND backpack instruction card

Curved mirrors SEND backpack fun fact card

Dispersion SEND backpack instruction card

Dispersion SEND backpack fun fact card

Making things look bigger: SEND backpacks

Making things look bigger SEND backpack instruction card

Fun space fact: Making things look bigger SEND backpacks

Making things look bigger SEND backpack fun fact card

The booklets have been developed to support families in doing more hands-on science experiments at home and to find out more about science in the world around them.

Each chapter links to a theme explored in the backpacks with links to Museum objects and current Space Science projects. We developed the book in consultation with students from Iffley Academy and we give it free to families who take part in our activities.

Light and Space Explore at Home SEND booklets

Copies of Light and Space Explore at home booklets created as part pf the project

Light and Space Explore at home booklet.pdf

A Science and Magic show has been created to be performed at outreach events to families.

It takes the theme of Light and Space and introduces families to scientific concepts in the guise of a magic show with a hapless magician and knowledgeable scientist.

Science communicators from RAL Space and the Museum can take the resource boxes to outreach events. We have also created supporting resources (including a resource box and video).

Light and Space SEND backpacks magic hands

Hands of child holding one of the shapes from the Light and Magic show reflected in the mirror. The arrow next to the child appears to be pointing in a different direction in the mirror