Curiosity Series
Curiosity Series
Is there something you or your kids and students are really curious about? Us too! Voyage with us as we explore our curiosities and work together to find answers to our questions.
Soil Your Undies
Over the last 6 months UNE Discovery, Cotton Info, and the UNE Smart Farm have undertaken a mammoth project. After the surprise success of the 2020 Soil Your Undies challenge, we were emboldened to ma
22 November, 2021
Australia’s National Bird Week & Bird Count
Last week was National Bird Week 2021, from Monday 18 October and Sunday 24 October. The celebration of National Bird Week has its origins back in the early 1900s when 28 October was first designated
25 October, 2021
Voyaging into Cyberspace
We all know that 2020 and 2021 have not been normal years. Even though there have been normal times, the shadow of the pandemic has never been far away. Keeping people safe has meant limiting physical
21 October, 2021
On the Topic of Tornadoes
If you’ve been watching the news or live locally, you would know that Armidale was recently hit by a very dangerous tornado. The massive storm that spawned the tornado occurred just after 10pm on Thu
18 October, 2021
The Beautiful Waratah
Have you ventured into any national parks lately and come face-to-face with a beautiful waratah, aka Telopea? This stunning flower is out in full force in our local Washpool-Gibralter National Park n
16 October, 2021
Why we use role-play in our science activities
As a drama teacher, I witnessed first-hand the benefits of experiential learning. Students learned by doing. Even at senior level, we would often dive into dramatic play before the students were made
14 October, 2021
🌚A Night in the Garden…🐜🐛🐞
Have you ever wondered what is crawling or creeping around your garden at night? Well here is a simple way to find out, and sample some of the biodiversity at your patch!
23 September, 2021
Suzi and her Very Worthwhile Adventures
While we’ve not been able to travel about the region or further afield for several months now, you may have seen one of our non-human team members out and about. Suzi, the UNE Discovery Voyager truck,
15 September, 2021
Armidale CoLab Maker Space project update!
You might remember earlier this year we announced that we’d been successful in securing a Federal Government grant through Inspiring Australia, and in partnership with Armidale City Public School, Arm
14 September, 2021
Swoop Time
It’s that time of year, the Spring Swooping Season brought to us by our Aussie magpies. While most of us either love or hate the black and white feathery ones, they are smart and rather protective of
11 September, 2021
Soil pH and Data Collection – SYU milestones
Soil pH affects our soil health in several different ways. In just the same way that you don’t want to get strong acid or alkalines on your skin, neither do soil microbes and plant roots. Highly acidi
10 September, 2021
🌿 BITTERCRESS – this little plant is going ballistic! 💣
There is a curious little plant growing in my lawn. Whenever I brush against it, small capsules fly everywhere, either hitting me (gently) in the face or pinging off into the nearby grass. I suspect t
31 August, 2021Stacking Good Sound
Last month, the UNE Discovery team were pleased to have Sarah Adeney, opera soprano, and Chris Clark, Director, both from the New England Conservatorium of Music (NECOM) visit the Boilerhouse. NECOM
14 July, 2021
⚒️ George the Geologist – Basalt Dyke
Basalt is a rock that comes in many forms, but how does this volcanic rock move through the crust? Join George as he wraps up his trip to Port Macquarie by checking out these cracks in the rocks that
21 January, 2021
😝 Let’s make Slime!
Play along with Andrea as she shows us how simple it is to make satisfying slime at home - it's all in the science!
19 January, 2021
⚒️ George the Geologist – Honeycomb Weathering
Honeycomb weathering is a cool surface texture that forms on rocks near the beach. But why only at the beach? Join George as he brings us a bonus video from his trip to Port Macquarie and takes a look
07 January, 2021
📌 Pinning Cicadas
As summer progresses, I have found many dead cicadas around our property. Most of these will become food for other animals, and contribute to nutrient cycling. I have managed to salvage a few and, wit
05 January, 2021
⚒️ George the Geologist – Blueschist
George has found his favourite rock ever! Blueschist is an extremely rare rock, but not for the reason you think.
17 December, 2020
Oh, Great Conjunction!
On 21 December 2020 (22nd for us in Australia), Jupiter and Saturn will appear the closest together in the night sky in 400 years. The two planets will be so close that they will appear to form a "dou
16 December, 2020
📹 Bloopers and Best Bits 😆 😂
This year we've had so much fun making science play videos that we thought we'd share some bloopers and best bits!
15 December, 2020Soil Your Undies – Wrap it Up!
This week is undie excavation week, and in the wise words of challenge collaborator Dr. Oliver Knox, it’s time to liberate our pants! 207 citizen science groups joined us on the three month Soil Your
14 December, 2020
⚒️ George the Geologist – Serpentinite
Serpentinite is a rock type formed when sea floor basalt is carried down into a subduction zone and cooked and altered by water. But then it starts to get really strange!
10 December, 2020
🍸💧 Bending Light 🔎
Play along with Phil as he gets curious about why objects look different when we look at them through a glass of water. This is a fun and easy experiment about refraction to do at home or at school (a
08 December, 2020
⚒️ George the Geologist – Folded Chert
Chert is a type of sedimentary rock that forms in flat layers on the sea floor deep in the ocean. So what is it doing up on the beach and how come the layers are contorted and vertical?
03 December, 2020
🐘 Elephant’s Toothpaste
You might have played along with the Voyager team at your school and made your own Elephant's Toothpaste, or seen some of the monster versions on video. Here Kieran explains the science in more detail
01 December, 2020
George the Geologist – Pillow Basalt
Join George as he checks out an interesting type of basalt formed on the sea floor… but how did it get here?
26 November, 2020
Playgrounds in our region – a review
Any play opportunity is a good one! And outdoor playgrounds provide structures that incite imaginative, active and collaborative play. With the summer school holidays coming up, and recent opening
25 November, 2020
⚒️ George the Geologist – Geological Mapping
Geological Maps are special maps that show where different rocks are found. They are one of the most valuable tools a geologist can have. Watch on with George as he explains how you can make your own!
24 November, 2020
Exploring Soil Texture
The Soil Your Undies challenge is well underway and our participants have now received their Checkpoint 2 – Exploring Soil Texture email and instructions. Even if you’re not part of the challenge, yo
24 November, 2020
🌈 Reverse Rainbow
Play along with Kieran as he shows us how to make a spinning colour wheel. What will happen to the colours when the wheel is spun? Will they merge into brown, white or black or simply disappear?
24 November, 2020
🎨 Chromatography
In this chromatography experiment, instead of seeing what colours we can make by mixing a number of colours, we use ordinary textas, water and paper towel, to see what colours have been combined to ma
17 November, 2020
George the Geologist – Erosion
Join George as he takes a look at the erosion going on at the Great Escarpment at Dorrigo and ponders the rocks that are no longer there!
12 November, 2020
Backwards Bike
Watch on as Andrea attempts to make her neurons form a different cycling brain map as she practices riding UNE Discovery's very challenging backwards bike!
10 November, 2020
George the Geologist – Basalt Columns
Join George on his trip to Ebor Falls to see basalt columns. This spectacular feature forms from cooling lava, and it’s certainly very cool now!
05 November, 2020
🍫 Chocolate Wavelengths
Q: How can we measure the speed of light at home? A: With a block of chocolate! Play along with Phil as he uses a microwave oven, a block of chocolate and some mathematics to measure the speed of li
03 November, 2020
George the Geologist – Riverbank deposits
Join George as he looks at the bank of a river, showing how different layers of sediment can reveal how a river has changed over time and what this rock might look like in the future.
29 October, 2020
🍡 Growing Marshmallows
Here's a fun experiment you can do at home using marshmallows - yum! Follow on with Kieran as he demonstrates how you can use air pressure to make 'monster' mushrooms.
27 October, 2020
George the Geologist – Future Conglomerate
Conglomerates are rocks made from ancient river pebbles - but how do we know this? Watch George explores this at the Gwydir River.
22 October, 2020
💧 Hydrophobic Sand
Hey, doesn't sand love absorbing water? So how can we make sand hydrophobic, that is, water-hating. Follow on with Andrea as she demonstrates this cool experiment you can do at home!
20 October, 2020
⚒️ George the Geologist – Onion Skin Weathering
This Onion Skin Weathering is so beautiful, it will bring a tear to your eye. Weathering is a collection of processes which break rock down into sediment and soil. Follow George as he explores this sp
15 October, 2020
🥚Egg in a Bottle
You're presented with a boiled egg and a bottle with a very narrow neck. The challenge is to get the egg in the bottle without pressing it in with your hands. How are you going to do it?
13 October, 2020
⛏ George the Geologist – Granite Tors
Granite Tors are large rounded boulders of granite or a related plutonic igneous rock such as granodiorite or gabbro. Follow on with George in this video as he explores how they form.
08 October, 2020
💧Surface Tension Science
How do water striders walk on water? Why does it hurt so much when you do a big belly flop? And why is Kieran not soaking wet after turning this up of water upside down?!
06 October, 2020
⛏ George the Geologist – Radiometric Dating
Follow on with George as he explores this plutonic igneous rock, granodiorite, that is around 250 million years old, and the chemical composition of magma that gives the rock amazing colours!
01 October, 2020
🎈 Balloon Kebabs
Follow on with Kieran as he explores how the structure of balloons at a molecular scale allow us to play with this pretty cool science party trick!
29 September, 2020
⛏ George the Geologist – Granodiorite
Follow on with George as he explores this plutonic igneous rock, granodiorite, that is around 250 million years old, and the chemical composition of magma that gives the rock amazing colours!
24 September, 2020
🌧️ Cloud in a Bottle
Have you ever looked up at those big fluffy clouds in the sky and been curious to understand how they form?
22 September, 2020
⛏ George the Geologist – Igneous Rocks
Have you ever wondered what igneous rock are, where they came from and how they formed? Follow on with George in the lab to discover exactly that!
17 September, 2020
🔦 Create Your Own Lava Lamps
Follow on with Anita as she uses her understanding of reactions involving carbon dioxide to create a bubbling lava lamp from things you can find around home or school.
15 September, 2020
⛏ George the Geologist – Basalt Xenoliths
But, what's a xenolith? Follow on with George as he explores this important Greek term and the amazing colours produced in this rock from the mantle.
10 September, 2020
👩🚒 Create a Mini Fire Extinguisher
Follow on with Kieran as he explores how the density of a certain gas lends itself to putting out fires, and how we can create this gas from thing you can find in the kitchen cupboard!
08 September, 2020
⛏ George the Geologist – Armidale Beds Stratigraphy
Armidale friends - have you ever driven past the road cutting on Madgwick drive and marvelled at the twisty geological layers, curious to know what it's all about?
03 September, 2020
🍪 Edible Rocks! Conglomerate Rocky Road.
Follow on with Kieran to create a delicious rocky road slice and discover how all the ingredients can come together to resemble the not-so-tasty real conglomerate rock.
01 September, 2020
⛏ George the Geologist is back and he’s 𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘳 than ever!!
Follow on with George as he explores something called Liesegang bands and the geology behind the twisty formations.
27 August, 2020
🍬 Fizzy Sherbet Chemistry!
Follow on with Anita as she makes some sherbet and explores how the chemical properties of each ingredient allow for a fantastic fizzing reaction!
25 August, 2020
🐣 Create your own clucking chicken cup!
Follow on with Phil as he creates a clucking musical instrument from things you can find at home, and explores the physics of sound that lends itself to the crazy noises!
11 August, 2020
🍓Strawberry DNA Extraction
Follow on with Andréa as she explores DNA and how we can extract the long strands from strawberries using bits and pieces you can find in the kitchen!
03 August, 2020
🎨Cabbage Indicator Tie Dyeing
Follow on with Anita as she creates a cabbage indicator masterpiece, and explores the science that lends itself to dyeing cotton.
28 July, 2020
🌈Cabbage pH Indicator – Create Colourful Concoctions!
Follow on with Anita as she explores pH and how we can create our very own colour-changing indicator using red cabbage!!
21 July, 2020
🎼How do we make sound?
Follow on with Phil as he explores how we make sound using our vocal chords, and the importance of those vibrations!
30 June, 2020
🍃🍂Nature Play at Home and School
Follow on with Jean as she explores how easy and fun it is to get outside, collect some bits and pieces and create some nature play creatures that are sure to leave you wanting to create more!
23 June, 2020
🌞Why is the 21st of June so important?
Follow on with Phil, as he explores the importance of June 21st as the Winter Solstice!
16 June, 2020
🐕 How fast can your pet run?
You too can try this at home! It doesn't have to be a pet - it might be a soccer ball along the ground or even you!
09 June, 2020
🧱1 DAY TO GO, LEGO MASTERS!!🧱
We have extended the challenge by 24 hours! Be a part of our LEGO Construction Challenge - 1 DAY TO GO!!!!
05 June, 2020
🧱3 DAYS TO GO, LEGO MASTERS!!🧱
Be a part of our LEGO Construction Challenge - 3 DAYS TO GO!!!!
02 June, 2020
🚤Surface Tension Speedboats
Follow on with Phil as he explores how the properties of dishwashing liquid allow us to smash through surface tensions and create a bread clip speedboat.
02 June, 2020
👩🏫TEACHERS! Are you interested in a free LEGO® Education Webinar series?
Our friends over at Modern Teaching Aids have put together an amazing webinar series designed for teachers to get a better understanding of SPIKE™ Prime, EV3, and WeDo 2.0.
29 May, 2020
🤔What do SNOT balls and our planet Earth have in common?
Be a part of our LEGO Construction Challenge and build your own SNOT ball!
26 May, 2020
🦎 Flat Out Like a Lizard Drinking
Ever wondered how different animals drink? It's not as simple as you may think! Here's a cool experiment you cxan try at home to explore how our Thorny Devil lizards drink.
25 May, 2020
🎉 THE LEGO CHALLENGE IS HERE 🎉
This is the moment you’ve been waiting for! Our Term 2 LEGO Construction Challenge is a go, launched exclusively by our partner Modern Teaching Aids!
19 May, 2020
🧱 Something big is coming! Watch this space!
We've got something very exciting to announce next week. Here's a hint: it involves your young ones, a creative build, some brightly coloured bricks and some really cool prizes. Check out the videos f
14 May, 2020
💥 Science in the Disco Lab
We love combustion reactions, and if you've seen us on the road you'll recognise this exciting one that is the grand finale of our Creative Chemistry activity!!
12 May, 2020
🧪Create Your Own Crystals
Want to create your very own crystals from the comfort of your kitchen or classroom? Check this out!
05 May, 2020
🐛Magnificent Millipedes🐛
Here's a creepy crawly curiosity with Dr. Jean! Why are millipedes in my house?
04 May, 2020
☄️OOZING OOBLECK☄️
Who doesn't love oobleck!! Join Andréa as she explores the properties of oobleck and reveals just how easy it is to create your own Non-Newtonian fluid at home
01 May, 2020
🐞Create Your Own Insect Collection
Follow on with Jean as she explores our magnificent insect collections and discover how you can create your own using bits and pieces around the house or classroom!
28 April, 2020
☀️Create Your Own Sundial
The idea that the oldest sundial dates back to around 5500 years ago blows my mind. This got me thinking, how cool would it be if we could make one of our own!
27 April, 2020
Greta Thunberg Beetle
Did you know that Greta Thunberg has a beetle named after her? It’s true! Explore more and create your own species here!
24 April, 2020
🐍 CARBON SNAKES 🐍
Want to grow your own carbon snakes at home? Check this out! Join Kirsti as she explores how burning sugar and BiCarb Soda can combine to produce an unearthly carbon snake!
21 April, 2020
🥚Bouncing Eggs! 🥚
Have you ever thought, 'Gee, it'd be great if eggs could bounce!'? No? Well we have! Check out how you can make your eggs at home bounce, and win that egg and spoon race!
15 April, 2020
What Animal Am I?
It’s what animal am I Wednesday and this week’s guest is a very special part of our Natural History Museum collection. Let’s see what he has to say:
08 April, 2020
🌱Unbe’leaf’able!🌱
Do different shaped leaves have different jobs? We decided to ask Dr. Boyd Wright, a plant ecologist here at UNE, to answer our curious questions.
07 April, 2020
🐜 ANTS AT HOME! 🐜
Have you noticed winged ants around just before it rains? We have! Dr Kirsti Abbott explains a little about nuptial flights in her backyard..
06 April, 2020
What Animal Am I?
It’s what animal am I Wednesday and this week’s guest is a very special part of our Natural History Museum collection. Let’s see what she has to say:
02 April, 2020
🦇 Tiny and the Red Mushroom 🦇
Hello Kids! Tiny the Lesser Long-eared Bat here. Since I’ve been hanging out with Dr Jean at the Natural History Museum, I’ve been looking at nature really closely and carefully. Dr Jean says that I
02 April, 2020
🎉 COMPETITION TIME! 🎉 Show us how you play!
🎉 COMPETITION TIME! 🎉 We want to know how you're playing at home, at school or wherever you may be!
01 April, 2020
Tiger Moth
PARENTS AND TEACHERS - here's a great way to get outside and play with your young scientists!
27 March, 2020
Meet Benny the Beneficial and make your own insect
Let’s play a game. Ready…..What is the first word or emotion that comes to you when we say “insect”?
26 March, 2020
Introducing ‘What Animal Am I Wednesday’!
Each Wednesday we will be posting a picture of animal furs, spines, scales or skins from our Natural History Museum collection, and we want to challenge you to guess what the animal might be. Some mig
25 March, 2020
