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🦇HEY KIDS! 🦇 . Tiny the Lesser-long Eared Ba

🦇HEY KIDS! 🦇
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Tiny the Lesser-long Eared Bat here. I've ventured out into the daylight just for you at home, so we can explore UNE's Natural History Museum (NHM) together. Remember, I'm nocturnal, so I have wear my special bat-glasses so all the bright light doesn't affect me!
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Today in the NHM we're checking out Lightning Claw!! At around 110 million years old, Lightning Claw appears to be the oldest megaraptorid (meaning huge thief) known. Our friend Dr. Phil Bell, a paleontologist from UNE, lead the study into the dinosaur with the help of the Australian Opal Centre in Lightning Ridge. Five bones from the megaraptorid were found in an opal mine in Lightning Ridge, NSW, and donated to the centre.
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At around 7m long, Lightning Claw is the largest carnivorous (meat eating) dinosaur known from Australia and only the second in Australia known from more than a single bone. How amazing is that!!
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Found in 2015, the dinosaur replica takes pride of place in our NHM - take a closer look in the video!
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Check out the link in our bio for the full video, more information on Lightning Claw and fun activities you can do at home!!
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#unediscovery #voyagingonline #unenaturalhistorymuseum #lightningclaw #palaeontology #newdiscovery #dinosaur #megaraporid #virtualtours

🔬Hey Kids! Are you up for a STEM adventure?🔬

🔬Hey Kids! Are you up for a STEM adventure?🔬 Today we’re voyaging over to our friends at Science Space Wollongong with Virtual Science Space – Science at Home!
Virtual Science Space is Science Space Wollongong’s offering to the community during these challenging times. Like us, they aim to help all aspiring scientists, engineers and STEM lovers alike to continue their STEM learning at home.
Between 10am and 11am every weekday, their amazing STEM Team of real-life scientists, science students and aspiring educators on their socials with a range of at home science experiments you can join in on, show stopping expert-only science demos, and daily LIVE Q+A sessions on Facebook.

Head over to the link in our bio to discover more!

Curious for more STEAM at home? Check out our Discovery Resources page, full of activities, challenges, virtual tours and more. Link in bio.
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#friendsandpartners #unediscovery #voyagingoine #sharingthelove #isolationsresources #playingathome

Our mystery animal is the Spotted-tailed Quoll, al

Our mystery animal is the Spotted-tailed Quoll, also known as the Tiger Quoll! The scientific name of this animal is 𝘋𝘢𝘴𝘺𝘶𝘳𝘶𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘴.

There are four species of quolls in Australia; the Spotted-tailed Quoll, the Western Quoll, the Northern Quoll, and the Eastern Quoll. The Spotted-tailed Quoll is the only species where the white spots on the body continues to the tail. The Spotted-tailed Quoll was once common throughout south-eastern Australia. However, since European settlement quoll numbers have fallen. Threats to quolls include loss and fragmentation of habitat, predation by foxes and cats, poisoning by cane toads, and car collisions while they are feeding on the road-killed carcasses of other animals. Quolls can also be targeted and killed by landholders when they kill poultry such as chickens, which can threaten local quoll populations.

For more info and fun links, head to the link in our bio.

It's 'What Animal Am I Wednesday'! Let's hear from

It's 'What Animal Am I Wednesday'! Let's hear from today's guest.
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"Hello everyone! Can you guess who am? .
I’m an Australian native marsupial that can be found in forests, woodlands and heath of eastern Australia.
I have short legs, and a long tail.
My body is covered in coarse fur that is red-brown to dark brown, with white spots on my body that extend along my tail. My underside can be grayish or creamy white. I have a pointed snout, a moist pink nose and sharp teeth.
I am solitary (which means I spend a lot of time by myself) and I hunt mostly at night eating things like insects, crayfish, lizards, snakes, birds and small mammals.
I also will eat eggs and carrion (dead animals) such as kangaroos, pigs and dingoes.
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What animal do you think I am?"
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Do you think you know what he might be? Tell us in the comments below!
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Head to our UNE Discover Resources page for worksheets and more! Link in bio.
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#unediscovery #voyagingonline #whatanimalami #steam #stemathome #isolationchallenge #naturalhistory #specimen #marsupial #australian #whoami

🌱HEY KIDS! 🌱 . Here's a fun “What makes yo

🌱HEY KIDS! 🌱
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Here's a fun “What makes you curious?” with Dr. Kieran.
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'As a geologist I’m usually focused on what’s under the ground, not what’s growing out of it! Since I’ve been spending more time in the garden lately, I’ve started to notice how many different plants are in my garden and all the different shapes of their leaves.
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Some are very big and flat, and some are like tiny little needles. Some leaves have smooth edges, and some have got points or odd shapes. And not every leaf has a point on the end; some are round instead. And every leaf seems to be a slightly different shade of green!
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I’m starting to wonder why there are so many different leaves… Do different shaped leaves have different jobs?
Are some better at absorbing light than others?
Why do bugs prefer to eat the leaves for my vegetables instead of the trees?'
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We decided to ask Dr. Boyd Wright, a plant ecologist here at UNE, to answer our curious questions. To discover the answers with us, head over to the link in our bio.
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I’m curious how many different shaped leaves you can find in your garden? Go outside and grab 10 different types of leaves - here are some I found! Draw us a picture of your discoveries and 'leaf' it in the comments below! Get it... leaf!
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#unediscovery #unediscoveryvoyager #curiosity #curious #leaves #trees #plantecology #isolationcreation #stayhome #steam #stem #stemeducationforkids #handson #playbasedlearning

🦉HEY KIDS!🦉 . Here’s another of our friend

🦉HEY KIDS!🦉
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Here’s another of our friends we would like to introduce you to. .
Owdelle, our sound expert, recently took a break from performing in our Sound Factor show to visit her relatives in the UNE Natural History Museum. .
Owldelle is a Barn owl (𝘛𝘺𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘢). Barn owls are very widespread, occurring in every continent except Antarctica. Owdelle got very excited, and hungry, when she discovered the rodents on display at the museum. Barn owls feed on small mammals (mainly rodents), birds, insects, frogs and lizards. .
Did you know that barn owls can find their prey in total darkness using only their incredible sense of hearing to pinpoint exactly where their food is? Barn owls have some special features on their heads that allow them to hear so well. Their faces are shaped like satellite dishes to channel sounds towards their ears, which are located beneath the feathers on each side of their face. Their ears are also not in the same spot as each other! Their left ear sits slightly above their eyes, whereas their right ear is slightly below the eyes. This means that sounds coming from above or below the owl will reach the owl’s ears at slightly different times (because its ears are in different spots). This allows the owl to work out where things are. See the video from the BBC below for more information on how these amazing ears work!
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Check out the link in our bio for videos, activity sheets and more info on Owldelle the Barn Owl! See you there!
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#unediscovery #unediscoveryvoyager #voyagingonline #onlineresources #owldelle #naturalhistorymuseum #specimens #barnowl #hearing #acitivites #isolation #stemathome #handsonlearning

🐝WILD POLLINATOR COUNT is on again! 🐝 JOIN

🐝WILD POLLINATOR COUNT is on again! 🐝

JOIN Australia's original pollinator citizen science project between 12-19 of April to help Dr Manu Saunders from UNE count wild pollinators in your local environment and help build a database on wild pollinator activity.
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European honeybees get lots of attention, but here is your chance to learn about Australia's native bees as well as help Manu understand what butterflies, flies, moths, wasps and other insects pollinate our plants. .
Go to the website below for details on how to get involved. It takes watching insects for just 10 minutes during the count week. Easy! And please share your photos using the offical hashtag #ozpollinators. Manu will be checking in on your progress!
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https://wildpollinatorcount.com/ .
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#unediscovery #learnoutside #pollinators #ozpollinators #ozinverts #wildoz #ozplants #plantpollinator #citizenscience #citsci #citscioz #pollinators #bees #nativebees #Diptera #flies #butterflies #beetles

🦇HEY KIDS! Look who’s back! 🦇 . Over the n

🦇HEY KIDS! Look who’s back! 🦇
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Over the next few weeks we’ll be checking out the UNE Natural History Museum through the eyes of Tiny the Lesser Long-eared Bat. .
Let us know what specimens and creatures you’re hoping to get a closer look at below!
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To watch the whole fly around, head to the link in our bio.
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#unediscovery #unediscoveryvoyager #voyagingonline #tinythebat #unenaturalhistorymuseum #naturalhistory #lightningclaw #specimens #zoology #taxidermy

🎉 COMPETITION TIME! 🎉 . We want to know how

🎉 COMPETITION TIME! 🎉
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We want to know how you're playing at home, at school or wherever you may be!
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As we Voyage online, we want to discover your curiosity, creativity, collaborations, confidence, and can-do-attitudes during these unprecedented times. To be part of our competition, join us on Facebook, 'Like' UNE Discovery and tag us in a photo of you and your young ones STEAM'ing (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and/or Maths'ing) for your chance to win this amazing bunch of goodies, including:
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- Turing Tumble set
- Mad Scientist activity set
- Erlenmeyer flask
- Ignite Your Curiosity t-shirt
- UNE Science cap
- Science Comes to Life pens
- UNE Discovery Flag
- AND, loads of stickers to share with your friends and family (from a safe distance, of course)
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You can enter as many times as you like! Make sure you use the headline 'This is how we play...'. One entry = one STEAM'ing photo with UNE Discovery tagged on Facebook. Competition closes at 6pm AEST on the 8th April, 2020. .
We can't wait to see all your wonderful projects, ideas, activites, experiments and general fun times!
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For Terms and Conditions, head to https://bit.ly/2UwhZSg
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#unediscovery #unediscoveryvoyager #competition #howdoyouplay #steam #stem #isolationcreation #isolation #voyagingonline #onlinelearning #learningthroughplay

Hello Kids! • Tiny the Lesser Long-eared Bat her

Hello Kids!
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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 have been practising being CURIOUS. Ooooweee! Check out this photo of me with the tiniest red mushroom I’ve ever seen. It’s so cute and tiny (like me)! But I need some help to work out what it is. •
I did an on-line search for “tiny red mushroom” and lots of images came up. Many of the photos showed unidentified mushrooms. After looking at mushroomobserver.org/
and Atlas of Living Australia bie.ala.org.au/ I think it might be a Cruentomycena visciocruenta (that's Latin, by the way). •
But what do you think? Have you ever seen one of these tiny mushrooms? Do you think you could help me discover its species name? What words would you use to describe it?
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P.S. Anyone else out there seen some cool tiny living things lately? (Tell me about them below)
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#discovery #unediscoveryvoyager #voyagingonline #tinythebat #curiosity #naturalhistory #atlasoflivingaustralia #mushroom #isolationactivities #isolationactivityforkids #dealingwithcovid19

🦟PARENTS, TEACHERS AND KIDS!🦟 • There has

🦟PARENTS, TEACHERS AND KIDS!🦟
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There has been a familiar ‘buzzzzz’ in the air lately, and after speaking to our friend Dr Cameron Webb, the great mozzie wrangler, a little while ago (bit.ly/2JsKJ7W), we were curious to see how many mozzies we had in our backyards! Dr. Webb reported collecting a whopping 26,767 ‘bloodsuckers’ in a single trap as part of the NSW Arbovirus Surveillance Program. We decided to go on a the hunt for a program we can all be a part of to help the cause. •
Today we’re voyaging over to our friends at the University of South Australia with another very cool national citizen science project – Mozzie Monitors! Mosquitos have been on earth for around 100 million years and play a very important role in our ecosystems, but they can also spread disease, so it is important we know about their movements. According to the organisers, Mozzie Monitors is the first citizen science program in the world which combined mosquito trapping with the community participation to show just what they are doing in urban areas – that means we can use special recording techniques from the comfort of our own yard! •
Are you interested in capturing some mosquitos in your backyard? Check out Mozzie Monitors here (bit.ly/2WCqWe5) to be involved. •
To explore more about Dr. Webbs research, and to learn more about mosquitos in Australia, head to: bit.ly/2J6J6gh
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Curious about mosquitoes? Check out bit.ly/3doUeD3
Follow us on Facebook to get updates and easy to click links of all our posts.
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#discovery #unediscoveryvoyager #voyagingonline #citizenscience #mosquito #bloodsucker #mozziemonitors

🌱Continuing with our Discovery Voyager activity

🌱Continuing with our Discovery Voyager activity series, we have A Day in the Life of Soil! 🌱
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Did you know that one teaspoon of healthy soil contains more living organisms than there are humans on the planet? Functioning, healthy soil is fundamental to quality, sustainable food and fibre production across the globe. We will learn about soil organisms, along with the interactions between biological, physical and chemical processes that build healthy soils. Students will take part in an imaginative role-play activity to learn about the processes of photosynthesis, nutrient cycling and decomposition. This activity is a great precursor or motivation for a school gardening project with a focus on building organic matter with compost or worm farms.
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Curious? Head to the link in our bio to discover more.
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#discovery #unediscoveryvoyager #newactivities #soil #soilscience #soilmicrobes #soilbiota #healthysoilhealthylife #worms #wormfarm #goodbacteria

Our team are practicing social distancing measures

Let’s play a game. Ready…..What is the first w

Let’s play a game. Ready…..What is the first word or emotion that comes to you when we say “insect”? Love them or hate them, we can't survive without the help of our hardworking friends.
Is someone in your family fascinated with insects? Check out Dr. Jean's blog on why we need them and how we can help them! https://bit.ly/2yaOxbJ

Why not create your own beneficial insect? Find some bits and pieces around the house, classroom or playground to build your insect, give it a name, and come up with a story about where is lives and why it's beneficial!

Here's Benny the Beneficial. We made him out of some old pasticine, leaves and paperclips. We can't wait to see your creations in the comments below!!
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#insects #instectecology #onlinelearning #playbasedlearning #discovery #voyagingonline #homemade #playforkids #isolationcreation #buildyourown #beneficialinsects #steam #stem

🐸 Did you know some frogs can bark, quack, whis

🐸 Did you know some frogs can bark, quack, whistle and bleat? 🐸
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Have you heard some interesting sounds coming from your backyard that you think might be a frog?
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Today we’re voyaging over to our friends at the @australianmuseum with a very cool national citizen science project - FrogID. Citizen science projects are activities through which volunteers and scientists work together to answer real-world questions and gather data. Using nothing but a smartphone, you can record frog calls around you that help scientists track Cane Toads and identify where frogs are thriving and where they aren’t! .
Keen to be a citizen scientist and help put frogs on the map? Head to the link below to sign up and access a heap of resources to learn more about Australian frogs! .
While you’re there, see if you can find the sound of a Motorbike Frog – you won’t be disappointed.
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#australianmuseum #citizenscience #frogid #unediscovery #friendsandpartners #voyagingonline #steamonline #onlineresources #frogs #australianfrogs #smartphone #ecology

🧬 DISCOVER OUR FRIENDS 🔬 In these uncertain

🧬 DISCOVER OUR FRIENDS 🔬
In these uncertain times friends are important. Our friend Dr Loz at Science Play Kids in Melbourne understands that science is everywhere, everyday. And she has started a special online club so that you can play along with her at home. .
CHECK OUT her webpage and sign up to weekly interactives. They are one way you can get an injection of science play into your home lives.
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https://www.scienceplaykids.com.au/
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Stay with us for more ideas, conversation and play starters. .
#coronovirusactivities #wegotyou #unediscoveryvoyager #discovery #learningthroughplay #discoveronline #covid19 #science #stem #steam #onlineresources

🦇Tiny the Bat at the UNE Natural History Museum

🦇Tiny the Bat at the UNE Natural History Museum🦇
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Tiny, the Lesser-Long Eared Bat, visited the UNE Natural History Museum today. Tiny catches her food in the dark using echolocation, where she calls out, and then listens for the echoes of the sound as they bounce off objects. By listening to echoes, Tiny can work out where things are and then she flits very speedily to catch her prey. One of Tiny’s favourite food is moths. Some moths produce an ultrasound call to warn bats who want to eat them that they won’t taste very nice. Moths, along with butterflies, belong to a group of insects called Lepidopterans. Their wings and bodies are covered by miniature overlapping scales. The word Lepidoptera is made up of two words: "lepido" meaning scale and "ptera" meaning wings. .
Tiny has a challenge for you at home! After dark, sit outside under a light, and look around at the insects that are coming to the light. What insects can you see? Can you see any moths? What do they look like? Do you think Tiny would enjoy munching on the insects you see?
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Curious? Head to our Facebook page for more resources! .
#learningthroughplay #unediscovery #unediscoveryvoyager #voyagingonline #tinythebat #lesserlongearedbat #echolocation #playbasedlearning #handson #moths #insects #naturalhistorymuseum

WE’RE VOYAGING ONLINE! . Due to the evolving nat

WE’RE VOYAGING ONLINE!
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Due to the evolving nature of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, we are postponing upcoming Term 1 and holiday visits to schools and communities as we put in place safety practices to protect our students, teachers and staff. .
BUT, this won’t stop our talented team of scientists and science communicators from providing fun, interactive, play based resources to help you and your young scientists STEAM into the future! .
Over the coming weeks we will be posting activities, links and ideas to play and learn at home or wherever you may be. From virtually exploring our NHM with Discovery’s much loved character, Owldelle, to collecting different things around the house to make exciting chemical reactions, our online resources are sure to feed the curious mind!
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Join us on a virtual adventure as we take play based science, technology, engineering, arts and maths across the ether to you. Tomorrow another of our characters, Tiny the Lesser-Long Eared Bat, will be using a special type of sound to catch some yummy moths. You don’t want to miss this feast!! .
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#discovery #unediscoveryvoyager #discoveronline #playbased #onlineresources #covid19 #learningthroughplay #playingathome #science #stem #steam

Do you love gazing at the stars and staring at the

Do you love gazing at the stars and staring at the Moon? Have you ever wondered how far away they are? .
Knowing the distance to the Moon and how it moved around the Earth was essential for NASA to send people to the Moon 50 years ago. .
The calculations for the Moon journey were done manually by wonderful scientists, including Katherine Johnson, before powerful digital computers.
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The distances to the planets can be calculated using the technique known as parallax, which involves measuring the position of the planet from a reference point (this involves an angle) at two places on the Earth’s surface which are at a known distance apart. The distances to planets in our solar system have been confirmed by visiting space probes, the first to the outer planets being the Voyager spacecraft that have now left the solar system and are in interstellar space.
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Read on with Phil, our resident Astrophysicist, as he explores the measuring techniques used in our universe. .
Do you have any space related curiosities? Be sure to post your questions below!
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#unediscovery #unediscoveryvoyager #astronomy #astrometrics #measuring #play #handson #womeninscience #internationalwomensday
Image: Steve Breen, editorial cartoonist at The San Diego Union-Tribune

Due to the ever-changing nature of the global coro

Due to the ever-changing nature of the global coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, and advice to Australians, we are observing safe practice in everything we do at the university. Our team are minimising group work, practicing social distancing, increasing hygienic behaviours, cleaning and sanitisation and putting in place contingencies for travel to schools around northern NSW.

We understand the value of science in these uncertain times, including evidence-based prevention practices in order to play our part in flattening the curve. .
Putting in place measures early to prevent the spread of the virus is crucial to reducing the number of cases, and subsequent impact on the already overloaded health care system. Prioritising the health of communities goes a long way to reducing the longevity and overall effect of COVID-19.
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We will monitor the advice and data on COVID-19 and be in touch with schools in mid-April about the go ahead of Term 2 Voyager bookings. We’ll work with you on a school by school basis, and respect the rules and regulations you and the Department of Education put in place around events on the school grounds.
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Our program relies on hands on, real time interactions between students, teachers and our amazing facilitators. In late 2019, we cancelled numerous school visits due to bushfires, and prioritised getting to these schools in early 2020. Indeed, in early March the team visited schools in Grafton, Corindi, McLean and Coutt’s Crossing. We will follow this example this year too if need be. Rest assured the Discovery Voyager team will get to you in 2020.
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In the meantime, please stay safe from the spread of viruses. Put preventative measures in place early, and remember that this is a great opportunity for everyone in the school to learn more about viruses and their spread.

UNE Discovery Team