This spring is the perfect time to visit Questacon the National Science and Technology Centre. See for yourself what has captivated generations of visitors as the Canberra institution celebrates its 30th anniversary.
Questacon turns 30 this year. Picture: supplied
Check out the huge Festival of Questacon on Saturday 24 November. Every 30 minutes, Questacon will hold live science shows with bubbles, liquid nitrogen and fire. A program will be available on the day so you can plan which ones you want to see. Head to the Shell Questacon Science Circus to explore the travelling hands-on exhibits. Or blast off with Questacon’s rocket design classes in the Questacon Maker Project. Families can design and build their own rockets and launch them into the sky.
Expect hands-on science at Questacon. Picture: Supplied
Many Canberra community organisations will be running activities on the day. Kids can try nature sketching, spaghetti bridge building, meet a pilot and even pat a snake. Grab a snack and a drink from the food trucks and stroll around the Maker Market which will sell the best of Canberra’s hand-made goods.
If you can’t make it on that date, don’t worry. Questacon has eight interactive galleries with more than 200 hands-on exhibits to explore 364 days of the year. Ask any family and they will tell you this place is the best thing to do with kids in Canberra.
Kids can free-fall down a six-metre slide, freeze their own shadow, experience an earthquake and challenge a robot to a game of air hockey.
Explore perception, colour and physics at Questacon. Picture: Supplied
In Q Lab kids can design and test intriguing experiments and watch explosive demonstrations. Little scientists and their carers will enjoy Mini Q as they play, discover and learn in an exhibition specifically designed for ages 0-6.
Mini Q will delight the little ones. Picture: Questacon
Questacon’s Spectacular Science Shows are great fun for the whole family. You may even get to take a staring role. Check Questacon’s What’s On page before you go to see which shows are on your days. The shows do rotate and change regularly.
In Tasty Science kids learn why chilli is hot, how it is possible to fool your taste buds and why we hate certain foods. In Perception Deception you will find out how easy it is to fool your brain and how our brains can fool us. Awesome Earth covers the mechanics of natural disasters with displays on volcanos, earthquakes, cyclones and tsunami.
Test out science with your own hands at Questacon. Picture: Supplied
The science covered at Questacon is mapped to the Australian curriculum. Codes and teaching resources for each subject can be found online.
Kids and big kids will love the Q Shop. Take the Questacon experience home with you with the range of science-themed books, toys and souvenirs. Try making crystals, read about the moon or attempt to make your own solar powered robot.
Questacon is open every day except Christmas Day from 9am to 5pm.
Where: King Edward Terrace, Parks ACT.
More information: www.questacon.edu.au
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