Imagining The
Future
Sheshtyn De Souza reports
on a new exhibition
at Scienceworks that
encourages children to
think about the world
of tomorrow.
Scienceworks has created a new permanent exhibition
called Think Ahead, inviting eight to 12 year olds to
imagine what the future might look like for them.
The exhibition showcases technological innovations
from the 20th and 21st centuries (some for the first
time in Australia), including the cochlear implant,
bionic-eye prototype, two-wheel electric Holden pod
car, and da Vinci surgical robot, which has been used in
more than 200,000 surgeries. It then asks, ‘what’s next?’
friendly humanoid robots; redesign their bodies
using cybernetics technology; or create their own
future city by arranging building blocks on an
interactive table that brings corresponding city
buildings to life on a big screen.
In the process, they will be challenged to think about
questions such as how will the food we eat in the
future be different from what we eat today, how will
new materials change our houses, cities and clothes,
and how will we use the space around the planet.
“Think Ahead encourages kids to think about the
future and their place in it,” says lead curator Kate
Phillips. “Imagining the future is one way to present
experiences to teach kids about advances in science
and technology, and how these might affect their lives.
They can learn through accessible themes such as daily
life, the environment, cities, communication, transport,
medicine and music.”
Phillips says the seeds of Think Ahead were planted
after Scienceworks consulted a range of interested
parties about creating an exhibition for kids. “We
brainstormed topics and some popular ideas were
space and robots, but we decided a focus on the future
was an appropriate umbrella to cover a wide range of
relevant science-education content,” she says.
Children can step inside a spacecraft simulator and
imagine their own intergalactic adventure; meet
Scienceworks tested content on the intended audience.
“We involved kids aged eight to 12 from a range of local
schools,” says Phillips. “The kids were brimming with
input and open to learning. We tested exhibits along
the way to see how the kids responded and whether we
needed to tweak anything to make them work better.
It was important for us to check that our ideas made
sense and were interesting and exciting to them.”
While Think Ahead was designed mainly for kids,
Phillips says there’s much for adults, too. “If people visit
the exhibition a few times I think they’ll discover new
things. It’s quite rich and we have tried to include some
surprises and lots of interest for adults.”
Think Ahead opens at Scienceworks, 2 Booker St,
Spotswood, on 5 December. Access included with
museum entry, museumvictoria.com.au/scienceworks
Are you afraid
of Monsters?
Rosemary Selkirk
Cameron Singleton
When Amelie asks her Nan about being afraid of monsters,
she does not expect to be invited to enter the world of the
imagination with her; nor how much fun they will have
discovering different monsters together.
A quality picture book for three to six year olds, by
Dr Rosemary Selkirk, which relates to childhood fears.
Hardback ($26 plus $4 p&p) Paperback ($16 plus $4 p&p)
available from monsters@psycheperspectives.com.au
XM12/13
XM12/13
18
December 2013
•
January 2014
webchild.com.au
Melbourne’s Child