Operation ouch Manchester
Operation ouch Manchester is a fantastic new temporary exhibition at Science and industry museum, Manchester. This exhibition is aimed at children 5 years and older and teaches them all about our 5 senses in a really fun way. Read on to find out everything you need to know about this fantastic day out. Find more family days out North West England here.
Ad – we were given tickets to this exhibition in exchange for a review. All thoughts, opinions and photos are my own.
Where is Operation Ouch Manchester?
Operation ouch is a temporary exhibition at Science and industry museum, Manchester (until January 2026).
The address is Science and Industry museum, Liverpool road, Manchester, M3 4FP.
It is a city centre attraction and as such it doesn’t have a car park of it’s own. There are a few public car parks around but they tend to be expensive and driving in the city centre isn’t the easiest.
We chose to visit by tram. We can drive to East Didsbury fairly easily and the parking is free. You can currently get a family, 1 day travel pass for £7.10 which took us to the nearest tram stop which is Deansgate. From here it is just a 10 minute walk.
How much does MOSI Operation Ouch cost?
Tickets to this temporary exhibition are £10 each and they free for children 3 and under.
Advance booking is required which you an do here – Operation Ouch! Brains, Bogies and You | Science and Industry Museum
Operation ouch, brains, bogies and you
Operation ouch, brains, bogies and you is a brand new, temporary exhibition at the science and industry museum in collaboration with the BBC. It is in Manchester until January 2026.
Do your children love the BBC show operation ouch? or perhaps you’re not familiar with the show but you’d like them to learn more about how the body works in a fun way? If so then this is the exhibition for you.
It builds on the success of Food, poo and you that was at the Science and Industry museum a couple of years back.
This new exhibition starts with a short video by Dr Chris, Dr Xand and Dr Ronx where they explain that you will be going through Dr Xand’s ear and into his brain!
The ear canal leads to the brain area and then from here there are 5 short tunnels leading to areas for the 5 different senses.
Each area has easy to read facts and interactive exhibits to help children learn in a really fun way. There are also videos around which you need to wear a pair of head phones to listen to them.
Each area is a specific colour and clearly defined so you know and talk to your children as you move between areas.
My children loved all the interactive elements. Highlight included going inside the eye and drawing with special light pens, dancing in front of a video where a skeleton copies you and trying out the optical illusions.
We had a great visit and I know many more children with love this exhibition. There is an under 4s play area if you have young children. There’s even a chill out space if you want to use it.
I think many parent’s will also learn something too and this exhibition is brilliant for primary and junior school children.
It’s all presented in a way that makes learning fun for kids. There are lots of interactive elements and all written information is bite size. There are lots of interactive elements that simplify the learning and make it easier for children to understand the science behind how our brain works.
The very end area includes an opportunity for kids to dress up as doctors and get a photo take in a way that makes it look like they are inside a lab beaker.
Our verdict
As I’m sure you can tell by the review, we loved our visit to MOSI Operation Ouch. My children are 8 and 11 years old and both really enjoyed it. We spent a little under an hour there. I can see that some families might spend longer than us and some children may not engage for as long my children did.
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More things to do in Manchester with kids
Whilst you are here, you need to explore the rest of the Science and industry museum. There’s lots of closures due to building works but there are still some interactive areas that kids love. Find out more here – Science and Industry museum Manchester.
Find the best free things to do in Manchester with kids here.
You might like to visit Manchester Museum whilst you are in Manchester
