Wollongong Science Centre and Planetarium : Hands on Learning

Hands on learning is often interpreted as an opportunity for children to manipulate and play with items which leads them to a richer understanding of a concept. At a deeper level, hands on learning is where children engage in in-depth investigations as active participants where they directly observe and develop their own hypothesis around concepts that they then test. It’s not just about playing with items or conducting experiments, but the actual questions behind the activity.

A few months ago I was told about the Wollongong Science Centre and Planetarium – sciencecentre.uow.edu.au and last weekend we finally found a spare day to head down. I was excited. I really love science museums. Open most days from 10.00 am to 4.00 pm, the site offers a range of hands on equipment and daily science shows. We were going to have fun.

We arrived just after lunch and purchased entrance tickets which included a 2.00 pm Liquid Nitrogen show. With both Master R and Miss N asking again and again how the vapour at N2 Extreme Gelato turns liquid into cups of gelato, I knew this would be the highlight of our trip.

On entry, Miss N headed straight to the creative “make a flying machine” table that was set up in the middle of the room. With an air tube to push her flying machine through she set to work straight away. I had to restrain myself from explaining again and again the concept of flight and the type of constructions that fly better. This was an opportunity for her to experiment and develop her understanding from trials and observation. She created a number of pro types from a balloon with a paper skirt to a more complex balloon with straw and cup tail. It was quite a process which interestingly saw her last prototype shoot higher than the pre made parachutes and float down a lot slower too. Hmmm, perhaps we should apply for a patent.

Exploration of other activities continued until 2.00 pm when we entered the theatre for the Liquid Nitrogen show. Oh what a treat! The presenter introduced those in attendance to Liquid Nitrogen through a series of experiments. I was most impressed that he actually asked the kids to develop a hypothesis about what they think would happen at the start of each demonstration. What would happen to bouncy balls if immersed in N2 and then removed? What would happen to a rubber pipe if he did the same thing? Let’s cook an inflated balloon with liquid nitrogen, what do you think will happen? Let’s look at the vapour pouring off, is it hot or cold gas and how can you tell? They were pushed to explain their answer and then were asked to watch and determine if they were correct.

By the end of the show both Master R and Miss N knew how to identify both conductors and insulators and which one could be touched after being immersed in liquid nitrogen. They even know how to recognise whether a vapor is hot or cold thanks to the show. Impressive, right?

After the Liquid Nitrogen Show we made our way to the second floor. We moved around each exhibit together before the kids discovered there was a cool little activity section with slides, building blocks, levers and pulleys. What more could they want. The minutes ticked by. Seems most of the kids across the site had headed here. 30 minutes later and we were able to move them away to look at the last few exhibits before closing.

The Wollongong Science Centre and Planetarium can be found on Squires Way, North Wollongong and is a great venue to explore science. On weekends they offer a range of science shows including the Liquid Nitrogen show that we watched. A family ticket cost us $44.00. The venue takes around half a day to explore depending on your children’s attention span.