Little Learners: Curious Minds
Dates
Thursdays
24 July - 25 September | 9.45am – 10.45am
Single-session | $15 per child
Book 4+ sessions, receive 15% discount
General admission fees apply for those 16 and over with an enrolled participant.
Membership
Friend Members receive 15% off ticket pricing for this event.
Age
2 – 5
Site access information
WA Museum Boola Bardip is fully accessible. Call 1300 134 081 for assistance. Accessible resources and programs >
Calling all junior Scientists and Engineers!
What happens when we mix things together? Why do some things float, and others sink? How can we build tall towers? What sounds can we make?
Join us for our Curious Minds 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 early years program linked to the Early Years Learning framework. Each week, the program focuses on a different concept to investigate and ask questions about, promoting the use of our senses, 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 one of the galleries, related to the session, in the Museum.
Little Learners takes place on Level 3 every Thursday during school terms from 9.45 am - 10.45am.
Week 1 | Thursday 24 July – Messy Mixtures
What happens when we mix things together? Get ready to get messy as we become chemists! Let's explore some mixtures, make a lava lamp and make some slime to take home. We'll finish this week with a visit to the Ngallang Koort Boodja Wirn gallery to see how mixing things can make useful things.
Week 2 | Thursday 31 July – Captivating Colours
What colours can we see in our world? How do we see colours? Explore the wonderful colours we see around us! See what happens when we mix different colours and find out what the world looks like through coloured glasses. We’ll finish this week with a visit to the Origins gallery with our coloured glasses and discover the hidden colours in rocks.
Week 3 | Thursday 7 August – Float or Sink
What happens to different objects in water? Explore what objects float and what objects sink. Using our 'think, make, try' mindset we'll make our own boats and see if they float! We'll finish this week with a visit to the Connections gallery to see some sunken and floating treasure and boats.
Week 4 | Thursday 14 August – Light, Mirrors and Shadows
Do we need light to see? What can we see with mirrors? How do we make shadows? Explore light, mirrors and shadows with light boxes and torches. Create and play with shadow puppets, then make a kaleidoscope to take home. We’ll finish this week with a visit to the stained-glass window in the Innovations gallery.
Week 5 | Thursday 21 August – Sensational Sounds
What sounds do we hear around us? Can we make sounds change 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 gallery.
Week 6 | Thursday 28 August – Shapes and Symmetry
What shapes can we see around us? What is symmetry? We’ll develop our early maths skills, make shapes with our bodies, do some matching and sorting and create some symmetrical shape pictures. We’ll finish this week with a shape hunt in the Reflections gallery.
Week 7 | Thursday 4 September – Playful Patterns
The world is full of playful patterns! What patterns can we see around us? Let’s make our own patterns with colours, shapes, movement and sounds. We’ll finish this week searching for patterns in nature in the Wild Life gallery.
Week 8 | Thursday 11 September – Junior Forensics
How can we solve problems and use our scientific knowledge to solve a mystery? Something is missing from the Little Learners area! Who took it? We’ll be forensic investigators looking for evidence to match, sort and test. Then, follow the clues to find out whodunit! Once we know who did it, we’re off to the gallery to catch them!
Week 9 | Thursday 18 September – Fantastic Forces
What forces do we use every day? Explore pushing and pulling, magnetism and use forces to make amazing artwork. We’ll finish this week with a visit to the Origins gallery to see the meteorites!
Week 10 | Thursday 25 September – Early Years Engineers
Build ’em up! Join us for some fun and problem solving with loose parts play, see how we can build a tall tower and take home a cardboard creation. We will finish the week with a visit to the Innovations gallery.
Little Learners
The Little Learners program provides 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 for your chosen program.
- Sessions will be located on Level 3 of the WA Museum Boola Bardip unless otherwise stated.
