X-ray your toys in our lab!

Have you ever wondered what’s inside a Rubik’s cube - or any other toys? This Friday staff at the National Conservation Centre will be hosting an 'X-ray your toy' event, as a fun way to show children how we use science to examine our collections. The X-ray equipment includes a digital X-ray reader, and is used by conservators to look beneath the surface of paintings, or inside corroded lumps of archaeological iron.

We’re inviting children of all ages to bring along a favourite toy, and we’ve already booked in a Transformer, a toy calculator, a pair of Ben 10 walkie-talkies, and a Pixel Chicks game, alongside the Rubik’s cube. Watch this space for a gallery of unusual X-ray images - and you can see some toys that we've already x-rayed on Flickr.

The X-ray your toy event will be taking place 12.30-3.30pm on Friday 30 July, in the Reveal gallery at the National Conservation Centre. If you miss this, there’s another chance at the same time on Wednesday 25 August. Full details of all our events and activities are on the website.