Nature, Science and Culture Event
National Science Week is in August and to celebrate Alithia held an event that merged science, nature and culture. This was the first sneak peek of the Learning Space that will be open next year in Valla (on the Mid North Coast of NSW).
“Scientists have recently determined that it takes approximately 400 repetitions to create a new synapse in the brain – unless it is done with play, in which case, it takes between 10 and 20 repetitions!”
- Dr. Karyn Purvis.
Based on the interests of the children from previous events, the topic for the science workshop was volcanoes!
There was an abundance of information to browse, allowing for discussions to cross from science into other realms, with hands-on activities for exploring the chemistry of making volcanic lava. Messy fun!
We were joined by Nature Play Academy, which ran a free one-hour workshop that included a large selection of activities and materials.
Children crossed into physics as they whittled their own bow and arrows and tested the distance-range of their shots.
These activities build resilience, confidence and problem-solving skills, while encouraging engineering and scientific understanding through play.
In addition children could experiment with bush swings, hammocks, balance lines, ochre, clay, boat making and testing, and much more.
It is early days at this property that has recently been donated, and Alithia is currently underway with a bush regeneration plan (with Local Land Services) which has included the removal of lantana and the planting of trees with root systems that will help to hold the river bank (environmental science at its most fun!). The children have been interested to see the grass growing from the seed they planted.
Michael Jarrett from the local language centre led us through a Welcome to Country in language to open this space to the community. He had help from five-year-old Ayana, who led us through a special sequence to connect us to Gumbaynggirr country. And founder of Alithia, Talula, began with a taste-tester of the brain gym and breathing techniques that we will use each morning at the Learning Space to get everyone focused, embodied and switched-on for the workshops.
Alithia now has resources such as a white board, a couple of tables, chairs, book displays, buckets and more, thanks to the sponsorship of our local bank, the Banana Coast Credit Union, which joined us for this day.
The core foundation of Alithia is made up of the communication tools that we teach to parents, educators and children and will be using in the Learning Space when it opens daily in 2019. We also aim to share the latest scientific knowledge on child development; how brains are wired and how learning occurs. To incorporate these factors into the event, we shared some useful tools and facts on the trees.
It has been wonderful to provide these free events and activities to families in a rural area, and to watch them connect and learn together. Thank you to the volunteers that make up the entire Alithia team and to the mentors that volunteered their time and resources for the day.
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