Fun and exciting science delivered by a skilled educator & scientist
If you are after a mix of Entertainment & Science Education then you are at the right place! We call it Edutainment! Our fast-moving Science Shows and Science Incursions, will inspire students and support your curriculum. It is our speciality to engage students in Chemistry & Physics in an exciting way
Science Show Topics . . .
Solids, Liquids & Gases
Level: Year 1 to 8
Our most popular show. It has smokes, clouds, slimes, slushy polymers and many surprises that students love.
- Students will experience the properties of solids, liquids and gases as well as the effects these properties exhibit
- Phase changes using physical and chemical change
- Many fun examples of changes in state of matter
- See how gases can ‘push’, compared to solids & liquids
- More advanced: A kinetic molecular model of how heating causes boiling and evaporation
- Great fun! Engagement guaranteed!
Fun Chemical Changes
Level: Year 1 to 8
This interactive presentation focuses on a number of interesting & fun colour and gas producing reactions from the kitchen, laundry, toy shop and bathroom.
We will demonstrate a number of physical & chemical changes and reversible & irreversible changes. Students see & help with instant colour changes, discover the “chemical power” of laundry materials when an explosive balloon is produced, find out how heat packs work and get into nappy science. We will throw in some “controlled explosions”, fast burning reactions and many more.
Hold on . . . this is exciting stuff!
Heat Effects / Melting Moments
Level: Year 3 to 8
Heat is a form of energy created by the motion of molecules. This popular interactive presentation focuses on the influence heat has on matter. We investigate and discuss
* The difference between hot and cold
* What happens when matter gets heated? How can we explain the changes using a particle model?
* We look at reflection, radiation, convection & conduction of heat using examples
* Discuss sources of heat (friction, electricity, chemical, sun) and find the sun to be the biggest provider
* Heat effects: colour changes, melting, deformation or expansion, combustion (demonstrate steam engine and other heat engines)
* Find that water is an amazing absorber of heat
For smaller groups, we can add the Thermoplastic (Shrinking Plastics) Workshop.
Forces, Motion & Energy (The Science of Toys)
Level: Year 1 to 6
This session focuses on the physical laws that govern the movement of bodies.
We use toys to discover the push & pull forces that make them move.
Find out that energy is required to create the unbalanced force.
* Types of forces: push & pull
* Does no movement mean “no force”?
* The fundamentals of motion, unbalanced force & energy
* Can we levitate a product by balancing the acting forces?
* Can we balance and even beat gravity with other forces?
* Direct acting forces and forces acting over a distance
* Examples of forces between molecules, smaller objects and massive objects such as Earth and Sun
* Snr students: See all three of Newton’s laws in action
* We find that energy can be stored in batteries, food, muscles, springs, fuel, elastics, capacitors and we see examples of all
* We discover how energy is converted from potential energy to kinetic energy in toys, steam engines, see chemical energy ‘explode’
* We float objects and eventually, a student on air!
Bonus: We can include our famous outdoor water rocket session with Barbie & Ken and Cola & Mentos (weather dependant)
Light & Colour
Level: Year 1 to 8
Light is energy, travels at a phenomenal speed and produces our food!
In this amazing session, we will cover many of light’s properties and more. Everything will be demonstrated at the appropriate age level and students will use rainbow gratings.
* Five ways to produce light
* Light has energy: photosynthesis, solar panels, photography, etc
* How fast does it travel? Does it travel in straight lines?
* Why are red apples red and green ones green?
* The influence of heat and chemical change on colour – pure magic!
* Is white light pure? Is fire light different from lamp and sunlight?
* Which colour of the rainbow is the most energetic?
* Glow in the dark vs fluorescent colours and its many uses
* How to separate white light into the primary colours @ home
* Persistence of vision and how it is used in the movies
* How light is bent/reflected with mirrors, lenses and used in optical fibre and periscopes
* How to transmit sound on a torch light beam and the application in the NBN
This session requires a darkened or semi-darkened room.
Sound / Resonance / Standing Waves
Level: Year 1 to 10
“Sound” simply is air pressure changes that are sensed by our eardrums.
In this session we discover
* The important link between vibrations and sound
* The differences in how sound is conducted through air and solids
* We investigate many different objects that vibrate, especially those in orchestras using wind & strings
* Find out how vibrations in gramophone needles come about
* See a demo of a sound wave and its echo
* Listen to Prof Bunsen’s amazing singing rods
* Hear a singing tube stimulated by hot air and find out if sound can be ‘poured’
* See beads dance on a speaker and more
(Year 8+ Wave interactions, refraction, resonance, standing waves, Doppler effect, and more)
Energy & Electricity
Level: Year 4 to 10
Humans have fallen in love with electrical energy because of what it does for us.
In this fun & interactive session, we will start our discussions on static electricity with some amazing demonstrations using electrons to move, levitate & glue items. Then we will shift our attention to how changing magnetic fields push electrons along and create electrical currents (Faraday’s principle).
We will discover that energy can be stored in batteries, food, muscles, springs, fuel, elastics, capacitors and we see examples of all. Discover how energy is converted from potential energy to kinetic energy in toys, steam engines and experience chemical energy ‘exploding’.
Our next step is an investigation of conductors, insulators, electromagnets, simple batteries, electric motors and generators. A simple power station will generate electricity on the table. This session is big on energy conversions.
New Option: Our Nicola Tesla demonstration with a singing Tesla Coil!
Renewable Energy: Get Energized!
Level: Year 4 to 10
Energy makes the world go round. It is that strange invisible entity that has the ability to “create change”. What is energy, how is it converted and how can it be stored & used sustainably?
Energy, energy everywhere but humans have fallen in love with one specific form – electrical energy. So how do we turn a tree’s chemical energy into electrical energy? Burn it. Yep.
We will demonstrate the two laws that rule our universe:
1. Energy cannot be made or destroyed
2. Energy can be transformed but with huge losses
Show how generators ‘make’ energy and trace the energy cycles back to the sun
Discover solar cookers, water heaters and solar panel magic
Discuss the importance of photosynthesis and discuss our energy needs while ‘exploding’ a teaspoon of sugar
Run three engines on clean green power
Discuss a number of ways to store energy and produce safe hydrogen/oxygen explosions using water and electricity only
Chemistry Secrets Revealed
Level: Year 7 to 10
A Show that emphasizes the important role that molecules play in our everyday lives.
This is a fast-moving session with controlled explosions, chemical backbone stuff, fun chemical reactions, smokes, gels and more. Why do some chemicals explode? Why can rocket fuel be made from plants and how? Can sugar explode and where does it get the energy from? Understand what the influence of CO2 is on our environment using toy chemicals. Learn why fumigating a restaurant can be dangerous and see hydrogen and butane explosions. Find out how chemical miners lamps work, how water can save lives, how a magnesium pencil sharpener can power a clock, how Yuri Geller bent teaspoons and much more.
A selection of our best Science Demonstrations
Level: Year 6 to 10
A mix from our best Chemistry & Physics sessions. Geeky but cool!
In this interactive show we take our best and most fun demonstrations and mix and match to your requirements and age level. The aim is to “expose, excite and ignite” the imagination of students and change their perspective of science . . .
Here are a few options: Find out how car collisions can be explained with bouncing balls, why Apple has its head office in Silicon Valley, hear resonance in singing rods, lock a student in a thin bin liner so he / she can’t escape, hear the difference between AC / DC and then listen to the rock band on a light beam, split white light with the swing of the wrist, turn your skull into a speaker and much more . . .
Do you have a topic that is not listed?
We can customise an engaging interactive presentation for you and align the content with your Study Unit and the Australian Curriculum.
Let us know what you have in mind.