A school holiday program for Children's University Tasmania families was drawing to a close at the School of Creative Arts and Media - Media School, University of Tasmania, when words that felt like music to our ears, if not our soul, were uttered with great enthusiasm.
"I can't wait to come to University."
The families had just been taken on an impromptu tour of the Media School, and the Children's University students - although drawn from several different schools - were by now were very familiar with each other and bubbling with confidence.
It was a little different from two-and-a-half hours earlier when they had arrived with parents, grandparents and siblings at the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS), far more subdued and in some cases a little uncertain about what they had signed up for.
IMAS Research Associate Pat Wongpan soon broke the ice - pun intended - with a photo of himself as a young child wedged into a household refrigerator.
His mother didn't know it at the time but Antarctica was already calling and Pat was apparently always destined to become a Quantitative Sea Ice Biogeochemist/Ecologist.
That's Pat's story anyway.
Best made plans
Pat and Andy Terhell, Associate Lecturer, School of Creative Arts and Media - Media School, provided the families with a quick explanation of what we all agreed was an ambitious plan of activities for the students:
- They were to be split into four groups and taken on a fact-finding mission of the Frontiers for Young Minds exhibition by the assembled IMAS team.
- The students were to use their new or expanded knowledge of Antarctica and the Southern Ocean to produce an informative poster.
- They would then be offered the opportunity to deliver a presentation on their work on camera.
- Finally, after re-fueling with some well-deserved morning tea, they were to walk en masse to the Media School studios to edit and then broadcast their short film to the group.
Of course, everyone was cognisant of time restraints and that some of the students might be reluctant to present to camera, but took the approach that even if the students didn't deliver a science documentary but had fun and learnt a lot trying, the program could be considered a success.
Little did we know.
"After years of creating science communication videos with researchers and working with university students on a variety of projects, it was exciting to create science videos with children, and their performance exceeded my expectations," Andy said.
"I thought we’d set a rather ambitious task and the children smashed it out of the park.
"I can’t wait for the next one."
A few days on from the program we spoke to a Rokeby Primary School student about his experience.
"I loved making the video and my sister loved watching them," he said.
While his mother reported:
"He also went home and researched all the Antarctic animals he had learnt about."
A busy holiday period on and off campus
This highly successful collaboration with IMAS and the Media School was just one of the on-campus Children's University Tasmania school holiday programs held around the state in July.
The Centre of Excellence for Plant Success and the John Elliott Classics Museum hosted a visit by 39 Children's University family members at the Sandy Bay Campus.
The students donned lab coats to put plants under the microscope, and learnt how leaves breath, drink and show they are stressed.
Although freezing flowers with liquid nitrogen was clearly one student's favourite activity.
"Oh cool, I've seen this on YouTube," he said.
At the Classics Museum the captivating lives and after-life of Ancient Egyptians was in the spotlight.
The students made their own ushabti figures and wrote their names in hieroglyphs.
At the Cradle Coast Campus, participants flew drones, were immersed in the VR world, learnt how to become a sustainability superhero, explored creative connections with nature, and learnt how medicines work in our bodies.
At Inveresk, students went behind the scenes to see how theatre is made, connected with nature, visited the Library and designed an artwork, explored the edges of kanamaluka and created a creature to become part of a collaborative installation.
Off campus, 50 Children's University family members were treated to a memorable tour of Government House.
While participants in a West Coast school holiday program were challenged by a scavenger hunt at the West Coast Heritage Centre, learnt about mining and rocks that are 500 million years old, and made and tested a water turbine with Hydro Tasmania.
Collaborate with Children's University
Children's University Tasmania Coordinator Georgia Sutton said the school holiday programs had been a great success, and the Children's University Tasmania team at the Peter Underwood Centre, looked forward to future collaborations.
"More than 200 family members participated in our July holiday programs," Georgia said.
"We intend to make fun, hands on, on-campus activities like these the focus for school holiday programs, and I warmly invite all areas of the University to consider collaboration with Children's University any time throughout the year.
"As the University staff and students who have collaborated with us in the can attest, any involvement with Children's University is a very rewarding experience."
Children's University encourages and celebrates learning outside school hours.
Participation is voluntary and open to 7-14-year-olds.
The program is being delivered in 51 schools and learning hubs in the South, North, North-West and on the West Coast.
"We have about 1300 active members around Tasmania," Georgia said.
"We are always on the lookout for fun and engaging activities for our members, and our team can assist in the co-creation of those activities."
Contact the Children's University Tasmania team if you are interested in partnering with us, would like to discuss an idea or hear more about the program.