UNE Discovery Voyager and the New England Regional Art Museum (NERAM) joined forces during January 2020 to bring students from Kindergarten to Year 10 a big dose of holiday science.

To coincide with NERAM’s technology-based exhibition “Experimenta: Make Sense”, UNE Discovery Voyager members Jean and Andréa dusted off their activity boxes and set up in what is perhaps our most impressive location yet – within the Hinton Menagerie. What a fantastic way to celebrate STEAM – a collaboration between art and science, as students moved from their activities into an exhibition which encourages the same immersion of senses – ‘thinking, feeling and doing’.

Each session allowed for the exploration of two Discovery activities amongst the art, with students coding their way through uncharted landscapes in Busy Bots, and tapping into their subconscious using a new found knowledge of neuroscience in Power of the Brain; before exploring vibrating molecules in the air in Physics of Sound and using artistic talents to create and name undiscovered creatures according to Linnaeus’ Latin binomial system.

The realms of Discovery are not limited to term time, with the team often facilitating our exploratory, play-based activities over school holiday periods. We are inspired by students who take time out of their busy holiday schedules to quench their thirst for learning new things. Several travelled from Tamworth for the sessions, with around 80 budding scientists participating in the day.