Magnetism is a natural force which can act over a distance, pulling certain objects closer to each other and sticking them together. Magnets can be naturally occurring; Planet Earth acts as a giant magnet, and this is why a compass will always point to North. Magnets can also be made and controlled. Powerful electromagnets can pick up heavy objects, and they can be controlled at the flick of a switch. As many materials are non-magnetic, and so unaffected by the force of a magnetic field, magnets can be very useful for sorting materials.

Enter our virtual lab and explore the changing states of matter from solid to liquid and then gas. Here you can see the particles in a solid block of ice and observe their movement as heat is applied.

It may look like a simple garden pond, but this habitat is full of life, balanced in a delicate ecosystem. Visit the sloping edge and discover creatures sheltering there, then dive down into the clear water to explore the plants and animals that make this pond their home.

What have a Sopwith Camel, an F15 Eagle and a private jet all got in common? They're all subject to Newton's laws of motion, and they can all get airborne - find out how by exploring the forces that act on them in this wind tunnel.

What makes a good material for building a house and why? Take the opportunity to explore a construction site in safety and find out all about the properties of common materials.

Ever wished you could stand on the Moon and gaze back down at our remarkable planet? Follow in the footsteps of famous astronauts and intricate robots as you explore our only natural satellite.

Visit a magnificent snow-capped mountain, home to many animals and plants who are adapted to the changing conditions. Explore the rocky slopes and surrounding lowlands to find out about this habitat, found in many forms around the world.

How do we understand information about the world? Discover how our sense organs and our incredible brain work together to make our everyday lives possible.

It's time to get tiny and explore the inside of a typical plant cell. Find out what this cell has in common with those that make up animal life - and what specialised features make it stand out as a plant cell.

Our homes are full of electrical appliances big and small - but how does that energy get to where it needs to be, and which devices use the most power? Explore this house to find out (you might just be surprised by how energy-hungry some of the appliances can be!).

Imagine if you could explore a place filled with sources of light, natural and artificial - from fireflies and stars to lighthouses and LEDs.

What challenges could humans face when they set foot on the red planet for the first time? Explore what life would be like for an astronaut on a crewed mission to Mars.

Land on Mars alongside the Curiosity rover and examine this incredible machine up close as it explores the surface of the red planet.

Fly through the solar system, from the burning surface of the Sun to the desolate outer regions, stopping off at some of the planets on the way to explore.

Visit the boundary between land and sea to find creatures adapted to the rising and falling of the tide. Walk along the coastline and hear waves crashing on the shore.

See exactly how blood pumps through the chambers of your heart by viewing it in action, from all angles! Watch the valves open and close as blood cells travel through the most important muscle in the human body.

How exactly do different materials get recycled and processed to make them useful again? Step inside the rooms of our recycling centre to watch as glass, plastic and more are transformed into something new.

Down on the forest floor, tiny insects are breaking down the leaves and branches that fall, while larger animals leave their distinctive tracks. What creatures will you find among the trees?

Become a microscopic observer as you're transported inside an animal cell. Float past the nucleus, hover over the mitochondria and examine the vacuole from all angles - this is Biology as you've never experienced it before!

Get ready to shrink down even smaller than a (computer) mouse and squeeze inside the case of a PC from 1987. Do you know your CPU from your floppy drive?

Become a tiny explorer as you float through a vein, discovering blood cells and their functions along the way.

See just how many devices in many modern homes rely on Wi-Fi to do their job - and find out how our home networks are connected to the worldwide network we call the Internet.

Water is changing states all around us, all the time. Explore how these changes form the water cycle and sustain all life on Earth.

Fly alongside the bees and butterflies in this garden, visiting a flower to find out exactly what's inside - and how insects have a crucial role to play in plant reproduction.

See all the life stages of this flowering plant and examine them in detail, both above and below ground, to learn all about how plants reproduce.

Rock pools may be small, but they're teeming with life. Swim in these tiny habitats and discover for yourself just how tough the conditions can get in the intertidal zone!

From the leaves and vines of the canopy to the wet undergrowth of the forest floor, this habitat is full of an incredible variety of life. Explore the plants and animals that live here in the tropical rainforest.

North and South come together as one in this icy landscape. Observe incredible animals from the Arctic and Antarctic, from polar bears to penguins.

It's hot, dry and seemingly desolate - but this desert is home to some truly remarkable creatures. Explore the vast sands and find out about the plants and animals that thrive in this inhospitable environment.

The sun has gone down in the countryside, and everything is quiet - but hidden in the darkness are a wealth of amazing nocturnal animals for you to discover.

Far away from the city, this idyllic landscape may look unchanged by human activity - but look again to find out how people have shaped the countryside and the plants and animals that live there.

You probably use it every day - but what exactly is the internet? Enter this simulation to find out how data travels around the globe to make modern life possible.

Rivers and streams criss-cross the landscape, but how did they get there, and what impact do they have on the earth beneath them? Explore how rainfall, underground springs, glaciers and lakes have become some of the world's most important rivers.

Explore what happens when the tectonic plates that form the Earth's crust meet, and the geological formations that result.

Waves flow across the Earth's oceans constantly, but what causes unusually large walls of water that have serious destructive power? Find out about tsunamis and their impact.

It's not just solid rock under our feet; caves are waiting there to be explored, filled with fascinating structures. They formed over millions of years, but what processes caused these voids to hollow out?

Explore the oceans of the world the easy way, as you travel across the Avanti's World ocean map. This map of the world is clear and easy to interpret, and shows learners how all of Earth's water is connected and flows together. The five oceans (Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Southern, and Arctic) are defined to aid navigation, and arrows have been added to help learners appreciate how warm and cold ocean currents circulate around the globe.

Follow the journey of a river from source to ocean, exploring the impact of each section of the river's course on the landscape around it.

We can all recognise that distinctive dark grey cloud that tells us a storm is coming - but what causes thunderstorms, and what's really going on in stormy skies? Step inside one to find out!

Rivers bring fresh water, a source of food and a method of transport to countless regions around the world - so it's little wonder that settlements have sprung up on their banks. But what happens when the river is overwhelmed and a flood occurs? Find out by exploring our time-lapse flooding scene.

Tiny earthquakes happen every day, but some can release enormous amounts of energy and have devastating consequences. See what's happening beneath the Earth's crust to cause the ground to shake, and find out about the human impact of earthquakes.

Planet Earth has many mountains, some in long ranges, others seemingly alone - but all have been formed by powerful forces under the Earth's shifting tectonic plates. Explore three types of mountain formation, seeing what's happening under the surface.

These enormous bodies of ice have incredible power, shaping large parts of the world's landscapes. Explore the journey of a glacier and find out how they created landforms in the past, and continue to have an impact today.

Come and explore the ancient, beautiful and endangered rainforest biome. Learn about the variety of life supported by this unique zone and find out how we can help to protect its future.

Explore the unique features of a mountainous alpine biome and find out how plants, animals and even people have adapted to live here.

Take a trip to Antarctica and experience the harsh climate of Earth's polar regions. This ice-covered landscape offers many challenges for living things; explore the ice floes to discover its secrets.

All deserts have one thing in common: it hardly ever rains. But are they all alike, and what are the pressures of desert life? Explore this landscape to find out.

Stand on the beach and look out to sea: this is a nearshore marine biome, the bridge between land and the deep ocean. What are the features of this biome, and how does its ecosystem function? Explore the coastline to find out.

Explore the three distinct zones of this small ecosystem, finding out how the different conditions in each area of the pond can have a big impact on the plant and animal life that can thrive there.

Experience all four seasons in a single landscape as you explore our garden, designed to show how seasonal changes cause weather differences - and how this drives the constant regrowth of plant life on Earth.

Explore just a small section of the incredible Mississippi river that stretches for over two thousands miles across the landscape of North America. What influence does this immense waterway have on the landscape, and what animals can be found there?

Witness the incredible destructive power of an active volcano in safety. See inside as magma flows from beneath the surface of the Earth, on its way to become a hot and potentially devastating flow of lava.

How are humans causing climate change, and what can we do about it? Explore how emissions affect the temperature and energy flow on our planet, and spark discussions about the difficult choices humanity faces to protect life on Earth.