Little Learners: Curious Minds

What happens when we mix things together? How can we build tall towers? What sounds can we make? 

Join us for our Curious Minds Little Learners program and use your senses to find out about the world around us with hands-on investigation activities, play, craft, story and museum exploration!

Curious minds is a STEM-based program for early years, linking to the Early Years Learning framework. This program focuses on a different concept each week to ask questions about and investigate, promoting the use of our senses as well as creativity, critical thinking and communication. Every session involves 45 minutes of educator-led activities (including movement, storytelling and hands-on creative projects), with the opportunity to take home what you make. The final 15 minutes are spent visiting the focus of our session in the Museum.

Little Learners takes place on Level 3 on Tuesdays and Thursdays during term time. To cater for different timetables in term 1, we will be running the same session at both 9.45am and 11am.

Week 1 | 7 and 9 February - Messy Mixtures 
Get ready to get messy as we become chemists! What happens when you mix different colours together? Explore mixtures and make some slime to take home. We'll finish this week with a visit to the Ngallang Koort Boodja Wirn exhibition. 

Week 2 | 14 and 16 February - Float or Sink?
What happens to different objects in water? What floats and what sinks? Using our 'think, make, try' mindset we'll be making our own boats and seeing if they float! We'll finish this week with a visit to the Connections exhibition. 

Week 3 | 21 and 23 February - Lights and Mirrors
Explore mirrors and all the things that they can do. What can we see with them? Do some experimenting and make a kaleidoscope to take home. We’ll finish the week with a visit to the Lighthouse on Level 1. Please note this week Little Learners will be on Level 1 near the carnotaurus. 

Week 4 | 28 February and 2 March - Early Years Engineers
How can we build a really tall tower? It's time to build 'em up, have fun with loose parts play and take home a cardboard creation. We'll finish the week with a visit to the Innovations exhibition.

Week 5 | 7 and 9 March - Sensational Sounds
What sounds do we hear around us? Can we change sound or even create new ones? Explore sound and make a new instrument to take home. We’ll finish this week with a sound hunt of animal calls in the Wild Life exhibition.

Week 6 | 14 and 16 March - Colour and Pattern
What colours and patterns can we see around us? We’ll develop our early maths skills, do some matching and sorting and make beading patterns to take home. We’ll finish this week by doing a colour hunt in the Reflections exhibition.

Week 7 | 21 and 23 March - Fantastic Forces
What forces do we use every day? Explore push and pull and magnetism and use forces to make some amazing artwork. We'll finish this week with a visit to the Origins exhibitions. 

Week 8 | 28 and 30 March - Forensic Investigators
Something is missing from the Little Learners area! We'll be forensic investigators and look for evidence, match, sort and test then follow the clues to find out who dunnit! Once we figure out who the culprit is, we'll go to find them in gallery!  

Little Learners

Curious Minds is a part of our Little Learners program — educator-led early learning experiences for big minds and little hands, aged 2 – 5.

• Every session involves 45 minutes of educator-led activities, and 15 minutes visiting the focus of our session in the Museum.
• Programs are aligned to the Early Years Learning Framework.
• Enrolled children can bring adults with them. General admission fees apply for those 16 and over with an enrolled participant. Younger siblings are welcome but may not be able to participate in all activities.
• Book and attend week-by-week or purchase a multi-session pack to your chosen program.
• Sessions will be located on Level 3 of the WA Museum Boola Bardip, except week 3 (Level 1 near the carnotaurus).