What happens to the human body in space? Thought provoking topics like this can be explored by children in their own classrooms, facilitated by Questacon staff through our virtual excursions.
School children across Australia can enjoy Questacon and engage in a number of ways. You can visit the Centre in Canberra, engage with our outreach programs such as the Science Circus or you can come on a virtual excursion.
For the past fifteen years Questacon has been reaching into classrooms to bring programs to students.
The class is connected virtually with the Questacon studio in Canberra, where our presenters are speaking live to students, carrying out the program and demonstrating experiments. The kids can ask questions and the live interactions encourage students to explore phenomena through first-hand experiences. Students are encouraged to re-think and develop their understanding of the world around them.
Recent programs have included, Foldable Flight where students make paper planes and experiment with different technique of how to make planes fly; Under the Sea an exploration of the ocean and the creatures that live within it; Encryption Decryption where students learn how to decipher codes and make their own; and One Small Step which focuses on what happens to the human body in space.
Request a virtual visit from Questacon at your school:
Virtual excursions
Watch how the virtual excursion works:
[Music plays and an animation of a microscope appears, and then the image changes to show an animation of a robotic machine]
[Image changes to show the number 35 made from coloured shapes, and text appears: Years of Science Inspiration 1988 to 2023]
[Image changes to a cover shot the has the Australian Government, Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research logo and below that in white is the following text: Questacon: Australia’s National Science and Technology Centre 2007-2008 Balancing Continuity and Change]
[Image changes to pages of a report being flipped through and then pauses on some text with the words “As digital and online technologies advance, new opportunities emerge to reach and connect with new audiences” highlighted]
[Image changed to a man in a black shirt with a background of paper planes and highlighted text at bottom of screen]
Welcome, everybody, to foldable flight.
[Image changes to woman in glasses wearing a purple shirt. The background says One Small Step and has a space theme, there is highlighted text at the bottom of the screen]
To one small step.
[Image changes to man in black shirt in front of a white screen with highlighted text at the bottom of the screen]
This encryption decryption workshop.
[Image changes to a classroom with students collaborating while a video is on screen behind them. Text on the bottom reads “For 15 years, we have been connecting with classrooms online through virtual excursions”]
[Image changes to a different room with adults wearing masks and a video link on the screen of a woman with a red background behind her]
[Image changes to a woman wearing an orange jumpsuit holding a cup of liquid in front of a green screen. Another woman is to the left of shot, closer to the camera. Text on the bottom reads “Our virtual excursions began from a desire to offer a different learning experience”]
[Image changes to a man in a black shirt in front of two screens, one has a fish swimming towards his mouth, the other is less clear]
[Image changes to map of Australia on a blue background with 2014 in the top left corner. Text at bottom reads “And to connect with schools and home school groups around Australia”]
[Image moves through the map of Australia on a blue background with the years changing through to 2023 and coloured dots appearing in different States every year to represent connections with schools and home school groups]
[Image changes to man in a black shirt in front of a white background]
I’m coming to you from Questacon in Canberra.
[Image changes to picture of the Questacon building in Canberra. Text on top of screen reads “Sometimes in areas we otherwise wouldn’t be able to reach through traditional outreach programs”]
[Image moves through close up of woman with her hair in a ponytail in front of a green screen, two woman in black shirts in front of a green screen with a camera to the right, a shot of a monitor with split screens, man in front of a green screen with camera to the right and then the man in front of paper plane backdrop]
Today we’re going to be looking at paper planes.
[Image changes to a close up of a paper plane being folded. Text of “Through our virtual excursions” and then changes to a shot of children throwing the planes]
[Image changes to someone in a rust coloured shirt opening a laptop. Text on screen has added “we want to encourage students to experiment” as the laptop is dropped on packets of cereal]
[Image changes to a beaker in front of a green screen as the text on screen has added “everywhere they go”]
I’m so excited to have you join us today on this journey where we learn about the environment in space.
[Image changes to person in black running their finger over a code wheel and then showing a lock and box]
Where we’re going to look at how encryption has been used throughout history.
[Image changes to a tank of water with blue objects being sunk or floated in it]
For the next hour we are going to be talking about all things ocean.
[Image changes to two people in black in front of a screen that says “Your challenge!”]
Your challenge is to come up with a purpose for that robot, give it a job or a role.
[Image changes to a man in front of a green screen holding an experiment in his left hand. Text on screen reads “All we need is an internet connection” as the image changes to other people also holding experiments in front of a green screen]
[Image moves through a man in front of a control desk, a child at a laptop looking at a cylinder and then an empty studio]
[Music plays and the image changes to show the number 35 made up of coloured shapes, and the Australian Government and Questacon logos, and text appears: Questacon Community Celebration, Saturday 25 and Sunday 26 November 9am to 5pm, Celebrate 35 years of science inspiration, Free activities, science shows and roving entertainment, Discounted entry to the Centre, www.questacon.edu.au]
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