Last weekend Toby and I were lucky enough to be invited by Dyson and Currys PC World to spend a few hours at the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester learning all about some of the products in the Dyson range and taking part in the #DysonChallenge.

Toby was hugely excited because it was his first time on a train. To add to the excitement we even got to see a steam train waiting at Preston station! I’ll admit I was slightly worried about taking Toby to Manchester on my own but he was really well behaved all day and even managed most of the walk from the station and back with only a little bit of ‘carry me’!

When we arrived at MOSI we received a warm welcome and saw some of the other kids were already getting into a bit of vacuuming. There were two Dyson engineers there to tell us all about some of the unique features of their products that Dyson is renowned for.

First up was the Dyson Cinetic Big Ball Animal Cylinder Bagless Vacuum Cleaner – the Cinetic Big Ball cleaner uses cyclone technology to pick up even the tiniest of particles, and because there are no filters there is no loss of suction and no messy cleaning. After feedback from their customers Dyson have also improved the way in which the cylinder is emptied – at the press of a single button the cylinder opens and also a silicone ring is pushed down over the central mesh filter to remove any stuck on fluff or hair. This, along with the lack of filters to clean, really sold me on the Big Ball Animal cleaner. We currently have a bagless vacuum from another manufacturer which has a HEPA filter and I bought it because I have all sorts of allergies and it is supposed to suck them all up. It actually works really well but when I empty it and have to clean the filter I always get covered in a cloud of all the stuff it has vacuumed up and end up sneezing for hours after, which kind of defeats the object of having the fancy filter in the first place!

The other unique feature of the Dyson Big Ball Cinetic Cylinder cleaner is its self-righting technology. No matter what you do to push the ball over (and plenty of the kids tried) it always tips back to be the right way up. Our first #DysonChallenge was to make an egg that demonstrated this self righting technology. Toby had great fun decorating his egg (with a little help from me) and then sticking blu- tac and ball bearings in the bottom to make his own little weeble.

The other product that the engineers talked to us about was the Dyson Pure Cool Link Tower Air Purifier. This air purifier can remove 99.5% of allergens and pollutants from the air. It uses Dyson’s bladeless technology and has 10 different settings, including a night mode. The Pure Cool Link Tower Air Purifier has a remote control also has its own app which allows you to monitor the air in your home. You can even check the air quality while you’re out and turn the purifier on before you get home!

Our second #DysonChallenge was to make a pinwheel so we could see just how well the fan works. Toby enjoyed decorating his pinwheel and then holding it up to the fan and watching it spin. It looked like all the kids (and adults) really enjoyed the challenges and it was great to see them engaging with the science behind the Dyson products.

Everyone definitely had a lot of fun making flour, coffee and glitter stencils and then vacuuming them up too. There were some of Dyson’s handheld cordless cleaners there for them to try too and it was amazing to see how easy they were to use for even the littlest kids – even Toby had a go!

We had a great time with Dyson and Currys PC World, and after a tasty lunch we even got a chance to have a look round some of the museum before it was time for another train ride home.

If I’m honest I was never really sure whether Dyson products were worth the money but having seen them in action I have definitely been converted! Toby had a fantastic time too and couldn’t wait to show his egg to his daddy when he got home.

**Disclosure: We were invited to attend this event by Dyson and Currys PC World and received a goody bag and gift for our time. As always, all opinions are my own.