UNE Discovery Voyager

UNE Discovery aims to enhance childhood development during the years of greatest change and learning in a human’s life; the years where children benefit from variety in their daily life, and where unrestricted opportunities for self-directed play offer powerful neurological gains. Through transformative and exploratory experiences in science, art, music, languages and movement, we want to make the early years count.

We guide students through concepts and content that are related to, and extend topics, skills and understandings in the Australian school curricula. Our activities are delivered by scientists and science educators who are passionate about engaging students in fun, student-centred learning. Through engaging language, flexibility and play, we quickly develop a rapport with students, and encourage eureka moments through self-directed exploration.

Our activities are all aligned to the NSW syllabus and cater for students in years K-10. The activities on offer span a broad range of scientific disciplines, from chemistry, biology and physics to scientific illustration, palaeontology, and engineering. In addition, UNE Discovery can facilitate access to collections from the Natural History Museum if you choose to visit our campus.

Exploration and play-based learning enhances skills beyond content covered in the classroom. From increasing language, social, emotional, creative and problem-solving skills, the importance of play in children’s learning and overall development is becoming more and more evident. The UNE Discovery Voyager aims to harness this, and tailors transformative, play-based and exploratory experiences to suit students in regional, rural and remote northern NSW.

Engaging people in STEAM from a young age not only helps them think differently about science, but encourages inquiry and critical thinking – skills invaluable beyond the classroom. Allowing students to direct their own learning and explore possibilities aids in their perception of what a love of learning can look like when pursuing tertiary study and life-long learning.

We run curriculum-aligned activities in STEAM disciplines that are 45 minutes long for up to 30 students per group. The cost of a UNE Discovery Voyager Visit is a flat fee of $5 per student regardless of how many activities are booked, with a maximum of four activities per booking.

School visits will be planned for you by the Schools Liaison and Booking Coordinator, taking into account your school's bell times and other needs. Once your visit is planned, you will be provided with a schedule for day.  On the day the team arrives early and requires about 40 minutes to set up. Activities then run as planned. The school needs to provide one teaching space for each activity and our facilitators do not move from room to room, but stay set up and students rotate through.

After the visit, you will receive an email requesting final numbers of students for the invoice, and a satisfaction survey link. Please provide this information promptly to avoid delays in billing.

• Plants, Poop and Pollinators
• The Magic of Physics
• Creative Chemistry
• Palaeontology Puzzles
• Living Latin (campus only)
• Escape the Museum
• Weighing Giants
• Science Meets Art
• Crime Scene Investigation
• Busy Bots
• Think Like a Rock
• Rocking Through Time
• Pig Power Tower - an Engineering Challenge (primary)
• Shake or Break - an Engineering Challenge (secondary)
• Natural History Museum tour