Gerda Muller tells the Goldilocks story slightly differently with the porridge in the two bigger bowls both being too hot and the smallest just right. Which version makes sense? Try it out with the children! Serve hot porridge in different-sized bowls and check and compare the temperature as it cools. This can easily lead to further investigations…
This book is all about experiencing with all your senses and being aware of the here and now. Ask the children if they have gone for a walk when it was dark outside. How did it feel? What did they hear? Does the night air smell differently? Did they spot any nocturnal animals? Use this story to go outdoors to explore the surroundings and encourage families to go on adventure walks.
‘Big rain coming’ is a lyrical story about waiting for the rain. Old Stephen wisely predicts throughout the book that rain is coming.
Predictions can serve as hypotheses during scientific research. What do the children already know about rain and what stories shape their understanding? What do animals and people do when there is no water? What could they make or do to help save water?
Workshop images from day 2 of the Sonic Boom Early STEM conference.
Images from Sonic Boom breakout sessions including Unlocking the wonders of STEM, How to make STEM explorations sustainable and practical, Introducing STEM projects with Little Scientists accreditation and How Little Scientists aligns with EYLF and NQS.
Lisa is the Australian Government’s Women in STEM Ambassador and a Professor of Practice in Science Communications at UNSW Sydney. An award-winning astronomer with research interests in the birth and death of stars and supermassive black holes, she previously worked on the mega-telescope project The Square Kilometre Array – a continent-spanning next-generation radio telescope that will survey billions of years of cosmic history.
Lisa is a TEDx speaker, a regular science commentator on TV and radio, and has appeared on stage with Apollo astronaut Buzz Aldrin. Lisa is also a presenter on the popular ABC television show Stargazing Live and author of the popular science book When Galaxies Collide.
Justine is a gifted Australian entertainer with a highly accomplished career as both a stage and screen actor, as well as a best-selling musician and author. As an actor, she is known for her roles in iconic productions like Look Both Ways, Blue Dog, Maya the Bee, The Time of Our Lives, Home and Away, Muriel’s Wedding The Musical, and Hedda Gabler. Most notably, she has been a mainstay of Play School for 20 years. Host of the high-rotation ABC Kids program The Justine Clarke Show! Justine is also a chart-busting children’s music artist with platinum and gold-selling albums, two ARIA awards and multiple sell-out national tours.
This little satire of a child wanting healthy food while the parents are trying to coax him into eating junk (literally!), will easily draw the children into a discussion of healthy food and human and animal eating habits. What do parents usually want their children to eat? How often do you need to try something new before you like it? Why are vegetables good for you? What do goats really eat? What are omnivores? Does anyone really eat rubbish?
This year saw the keynote given by Professor Lisa Harvey-Smith, the globally recognised astrophysicist and Australia’s first Women in STEM ambassador. Professor Harvey-Smith’s address was then followed with a set by much loved Play School presenter and children’s music artist, Justine Clarke and the day was wrapped up with Dyson senior engineer and air purification expert, Tom Mogridge.
When reading this story, invite your children to sit in a circle to enjoy every page, and use each one as an invitation to spark different paths of inquiry. Children might want to research more about the specific characteristics and habits of birds, or discover and observe different colours in the natural world. Try experimenting using different materials to create your own depiction of the book and explore how colours are formed.