FAQ
1. How will the activities tie in with the syllabus?
All of our activities have been developed to align with and support the NSW Science and Technology K-6 syllabus and the Science 7-10 syllabus. Many of our activities also link with Mathematics, Agricultural Technology, Technology Mandatory, Creative Arts, PDHPE and languages.
The philosophy that science and technology is “an integrated discipline that fosters in students a sense of wonder and curiosity about the world around them and how it works” underpins the work of Discovery Voyager, and we aim to facilitate collaborative and creative ways to make this happen for all students.
Have a look at each of the activity sheets to get a feel for how each one addresses the NSW syllabus.
2. What prior knowledge do my students need? OR Do I need to prepare my students in any way?
We do not expect students to have any prior knowledge in a particular area. However, if you are focussing on a particular unit of work that relates to a specific activity, then great! Let us know what you’re up to and our visit can extend their knowledge in active learning environments.
3. What will students need to wear on the day? Will they need PPE?
Students will benefit from being comfortable and ready for activity for our visit. We suggest that they wear sports uniform, including runners. However, students and teachers do not need any special Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). We provide PPE when required (and in varying sizes to fit everyone).
4. What is the maximum number of students in one activity?
We can cater for up to 30 students in one group. Please do not allocate groups of more than 30. Our ideal group size is around 18-24.
5. Can you explain the level of student involvement and interaction?
All of our activities involve the students in hands on, touch and feel, play-based and exploratory activities. In Plants, Poop and Pollinators students go searching in the school grounds for insects, or become busy dung beetles in a fast paced role playing game;; Busybots involves communicating with programmable robots to explore the basics of coding; the Rocking through Time show uses sights, sounds, props and audience participation and play to explore our Earth’s amazing history;; in Think Like a Rock students play with 3D landscape models to explore the geological features or our local area, and don lab coats and a can-do attitude to create fizzling concoctions and colourful reactions in Creative Chemistry.
6. What is my role as the teacher in the activities?
We ask teachers to please remain in your teacher role, but learn alongside us! Because you know your students best, please be ready for any individual or group disciplinary guidance you might need to give. However, we find that because our team are new, bringing fun and novel ways of learning into your classroom, we rarely have any issues.
Teachers, be ready for some noise! We allow, and encourage enthusiastic responses to our exploratory activities, but we understand that this is not sustainable for you. We try and give the students space to learn in their own ways in each activity, and ask that you do too.
7. What year levels do you cater for?
We cater for Kindergarten to Year 10 students. This might seem like a wide age range with the same activities. The Voyager team is adept at flexible facilitation for each activity, and we adapt language, content depth and structure according to the age of the students. The team is pretty amazing at doing this, and because many of them are scientists, we find the questions come thick and fast!
8. Are there any follow up activities that you can leave with us?
Yes. We will leave you with follow up experiences and extension activities for you and your students.
9. Can I speak to someone about catering for students with special needs?
Yes. While we are not trained as educators for students with special needs, we understand that integrated and small schools cater for a very broad range of abilities and needs. We are happy to talk to you about a structure, and activities that will work for different learning styles and needs. Click here to drop us an email.
10. Will we need to provide you with lunch?
No! We’ll bring our own sustenance. But we do know there are some expert bakers out there, and we love sampling the fruits of your talents…. 😉
11. Do you offer similar activities for students on the UNE campus in Armidale?
Thanks for asking! There are various opportunities you can plug into on the UNE campus in beautiful Armidale. Each year UNE hosts several science camps, Open Days and hands-on science days. Far Out Science is one of our most popular science days on campus.
In addition, the UNE Natural History Museum is open from 9:30am to 4:30pm weekdays, and has a great café and outside space. Let your curiosity get the better of you and visit us with your school students or your family. Schools and community groups can also book Voyager activities and tours at the UNE Natural History Museum. Group sizes are limited to 30 similar to our school visit numbers. Click here to email directly or click here to visit the Museum website and check out our amazing collections.