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What we are reading right now. 📚📖 The hiatus

What we are reading right now. 📚📖
The hiatus in face to face visits with schools and community give us an opportunity to broaden our understanding of what we do, and why. .
#learningthroughplay #unediscovery #curiosity #creativity #collaboration #confidence #candoattitude #globalcitizen #play

It's What Animal Am I Wednesday! . Let's hear fro

It's What Animal Am I Wednesday! .
Let's hear from this weeks guest.
. “Hiya Friends! Thanks for having me today for ‘What Animal am I Wednesday’! .
Can you guess who I am?
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I’m one of the lovable larrikins of Australian bird life, and I’m the most abundant and familiar of Australian parrots, occurring over most of the mainland and some offshore islands. .
I’m very noisy and love to play with my fellow bird friends in large flocks in a variety of timbered habitats. .
I have a characteristic screech and beautiful distinctive colours that might make it easy to guess who I am!
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Can you guess who I am?”
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If you think you might know who this week's guest is, tell us in the comments below!
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For more What Animal Am I activity sheets, videos, and other ideas to play at home or school, head to the link in our bio. .
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#naturalhistory #mystery #guessinggame #teachersofinstagram #bird #whatbirdisthat

📸CALLING ALL PHOTOGRAPHERS - GREAT AND SMALL .

📸CALLING ALL PHOTOGRAPHERS - GREAT AND SMALL
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Do you live in a region affected by the recent bushfires? Are you a keen photographer?
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Over 46,000,000 acres burnt in the 2019-2020 bushfire season in eastern Australia, including South Australia, New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland. Understanding how the environment recovers from this unprecedented fire season is an important scientific goal.
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As a citizen scientist, your observations from recently burnt areas are important. Providing it's safe to do so, take a walk in areas of burnt bushland, and upload observations to the Environment Recovery Project. We are also interested in common species just as much as rare species.
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Award-winning documentary production company, Northern Pictures, are seeking photographers working on bushfire-related projects (stills and video) - from when the fires first hit, to now, documenting the regrowth. They will be used for a special natural history documentary to be screened internationally.
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Help scientists understand how species can recover from bushfire – be involved today. Find out more at the official website - link in bio.
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#bushfireseason #bushfirerecovery #bushfirecrisis #citizenscience #regeneration #ecosystemrevival #emvironmentalrecovery #citizenscience #bushfireproject #bushfiresaustralia

🤖TEACHERS - WIN A LEGO SPIKE PRIME SET OF 3 FOR

🤖TEACHERS - WIN A LEGO SPIKE PRIME SET OF 3 FOR YOUR CLASS!🤖
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Thanks to our friends at Modern Teaching Aids, you can win this fantastic STEM Education kit for your class through our LEGO Construction Challenge. But what is LEGO SPIKE Prime? Head to the link in our bio to find out!
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Encourage your young ones to get creative and make a LEGO build to be a part of the challenge.
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There are individual prizes up for grabs too!
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. #legocompetition #createabuild #bealegomaster #lego #legospikeprime #challenge #teachersofinstagram #classprize #individualprize

🎭Theatre communicates on many levels. 🎭 . "I

🎭Theatre communicates on many levels. 🎭
. "It can tell a story through narrative, explore ideas and themes, aim to move the audience to laughter or tears or get them thinking. .
Sometimes theatre can impact an audience so powerfully that they are moved to go out into the world and make a difference.
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In Discovery's new show, Rocking Through Time, we playfully explore the story of rocks, tapping into the idea that the clues to the past are beneath our feet."
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Read on with our talented team member, Anita, as she explores the behind the scenes making of the show, COVID-19 creations and a new found appreciation of rocks! Link in bio. .
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#discovery #theatre #arts #creations #geology #geologyshow #rockshow #behindthescenes #voyagershow

🐦Our mystery animal is the Red rumped parrot! 🐦
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The scientific name of this parrot is 𝘗𝘴𝘦𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘵𝘶𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘶𝘴. .
Red rumped parrots are common in urban parks and gardens. If they are disturbed, they will fly up into the trees and call noisily, before returning to the ground again to feed. They feed in pairs or small groups, and sometimes with other parrots species. .
What advantage might they gain by feeding in groups? Red-rumped parrots breed in tree hollows, laying their eggs in the bottom of the hollow. The female will lay 4-8 eggs and she incubates the eggs (i.e. she keeps them warm), while the male collects food for her. .
The babies will leave their nest when they are about four weeks old. Male and female red rumped parrots will mate for life.
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For more information and photos of these beautiful birds check out resources page - link in bio.

It's What Animal Am I Wednesday! . Let's see who

It's What Animal Am I Wednesday!
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Let's see who has decided to 'fly' in this week!
. "Why hello there! Thanks for having me as the mystery guest today. .
Can you guess who I am? .
You can find me in open woodlands, forest edges, grasslands, and urban parks and farmlands across south eastern Australia. .
I eat seeds, leaves, grass, fruit and flowers and my friends and I often munch away on the ground in pairs or in small groups. .
In my species, males and females look different, and we call this sexual dimorphism. My feathers are mostly green, with some yellow and blue. I’m a male, and when I fly you can get a good look at my bright red rump. .
Females of my species aren’t as brightly coloured as the males. Females are olive green in colour, with a green rump.
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What animal do you think I am?"
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If you think you know, why not draw a picture and post it in the comments below!
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For activity sheets, and other videos, experiments and ideas for playing at home, head to the link in our bio.
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#unediscovery #specimen #naturalhistory #bird #colour #guessinggame

🧱Do you love LEGO?🧱 . We love LEGO so much

🧱Do you love LEGO?🧱
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We love LEGO so much we've decided to partner with our friends over at Modern Teaching Aids and Armidale City Public School to bring you a LEGO Construction Challenge!!
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With awesome individual prizes and an epic class prize to be won, we want every school aged child Australia wide to be involved and create a build that brings out the inner LEGO Master!
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Want to be involved? Watch this space. We are launching tomorrow and we can't wait for you to be a part of it!.
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#lego #legochallenge #teachersofinstagram #win #legomaster #brickmania #create #legobricks #winlego #legospikeprime #spikeprime #coding #steam #stem #eductation #science #technology #engineering #arts #maths #competition

🦅 Our mystery animal is the Wedge-tailed Eagle!

🦅 Our mystery animal is the Wedge-tailed Eagle! Its scientific name is 𝘈𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘢 𝘢𝘶𝘥𝘢𝘹. .
Wedge-tailed eagles are one of the largest eagles in the world. They are found from sea level to alpine regions, although prefer wooded and forested land and open country. .
Wedge-tailed eagles have been spotted soaring over 2000m above the ground! Small planes fly at around 3000m, but they have been known to interfere with hang gliders and other flying objects containing humans. .
Females are generally heavier than males, maxing out at around 5.3kg, while males are around 4kg. The birds are monogamous, meaning they mate for life. .
The animals nests are enormous. Nests have been known to be 1.8m wide, 3m deep and can weigh up to 400kg!
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To discover more about Australia’s Wedge-tailed eagles head to the link in our bio.

🧱 Something big is coming! Watch this space! 🧱
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I wonder what Kirsti and Andréa are doing in the video above? 🤔
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Here's a clue: it involves you, a creative build, some brightly coloured bricks and some really cool prizes... Any ideas?
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Keep an eye on our socials and resources over the coming week for more information!
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#discovery #discoveryvoyager #challenge #blocks #lego #creation #prizes #watchthisspace

It's What Animal Am I Wednesday! . Let's hear from

It's What Animal Am I Wednesday! .
Let's hear from this week's guest:
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"Why good morning! Thanks for having me today for ‘What Animal am I Wednesday’! Can you guess who I am?

I am Australia’s largest bird of prey, also known as a raptor, and have a very large wingspan of up to 2.3 metres!
You can find me all throughout mainland Australia and Tasmania, as well as southern New Guinea.
I love to eat rabbits and hares, and this will make up most of my diet, although I also eat some lizards and mammals – both dead and alive.
You might see my friends and I attending a carcass, but we make sure only 2 or 3 of us eat at any one time.
I have a characteristically shaped tail and love to soar high in the sky!
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Can you guess who I am?”
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Do you think you know what this creature might be? Draw a picture and post it in the comments below!
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For more What Animal Am I Wednesday activities and information, head to the resources page on our website - link in bio!

💥 Science in the Disco Lab 💥 . A little whi

💥 Science in the Disco Lab 💥
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A little while ago we explored how burning sugar and bicarb soda can combine to produce an amazing carbon snake. This is an example of combustion - combining heat, fuel and oxygen to produce a reaction. .
We love combustion reactions, and if you've seen us on the road you'll recognise this exciting one that is the grand finale of our Creative Chemistry activity!!
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Check out the video below to explore combustion and the fire triangle with Andréa - it is sure to knock your socks off!
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DISCLAIMER: Do not try this experiment at home or school. This experiment is performed under laboratory conditions by trained professionals, with the associated risks mitigated through careful WHS safety planning. .
For other experiments that can be done at home, as well as activities, discoveries and ideas, head to the link in our bio! .
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#discovery #combustion #combustionreaction #donttrythisathome #fire #firetriangle #firefighting

Our mystery animal is the... . 🐡Yellow Boxfish!

Our mystery animal is the...
. 🐡Yellow Boxfish! 🐡
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Its scientific name is 𝘖𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘤𝘶𝘣𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘴. Both the common and scientific name refer to its amazingly box-shaped body.
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Around Australia, boxfish occur from the central coast of Western Australia around the tropical north and down the east coast to south of Sydney. .
Baby boxfish generally settle on sheltered rocky and coral reefs, with young fish often found in small groups. Adults are usually solitary, occurring on deeper coastal slopes and areas where there are crevices and ledges for shelter. .
Yellow boxfish mainly eat algae, but will also feed on small marine animals like worms and small fish. .
In 2006, Mercedes-Benz created a new type of car that was inspired by the shape of the yellow boxfish! However it was later discovered that this shape was not a good one to model a car on!
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For more information and videos head to the link in our bio!

It's What Animal Am I Wednesday! . Let's hear fro

It's What Animal Am I Wednesday!
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Let's hear from this week's guest.
. “Why hello there! Thanks for having me today for ‘What Animal am I Wednesday’! Can you guess who I am?
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I live in coral and rocky reefs in tropical and temperate marine waters throughout the Pacific Ocean and Indian Ocean, and the south eastern Atlantic Ocean.
You can find me in water that is 1 to 40 metres deep.
I change colour as I grow. When I am young, I am bright yellow with black spots. As I get older, my colour fades and my spots become smaller and brownish, sometimes even changing to white spots with a black margin.
My bright colours and spots warn predators to steer clear. If I get stressed, I can release poisonous secretions from my skin.
My body has a very distinctive shape-I look like a swimming box!
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Can you guess who I am?”
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For What Am I Wednesday activity sheets, videos, experiments and other ideas for playing at home or at school, head to the link in our bio.
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#discovery #unediscoveryvoyager #specimen #naturalhistory #naturalhistorymuseum #guessinggame #whatami

Expressions of Interest are now open for the desig

Expressions of Interest are now open for the design of our Boilerhouse Discovery Space here on the UNE campus in Armidale. .
A once in a lifetime chance to design an iconic STEAMpunk industrial structure dedicated to learning through play in regional Australia.
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If you are, or know, a groovy, innovative, forward thinking architect with experience in playscapes, sustainable educational spaces and experience design & fabrication, WE WANT YOU!
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Go to Tenderlink for details. Or contact UNE Discovery Program Leader Dr Kirsti Abbott at
une-discovery@une.edu.au
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#unediscovery #learningthroughplay #playmatters #steampunk #industrialdesign #uneboilerhouse
📷 Terry Cooke

🔎What makes you curious?🔎 . Here's a creepy

🔎What makes you curious?🔎
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Here's a creepy crawly curiosity with Dr. Jean!
. 🐛Why are millipedes in my house?
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Millipedes always make me smile. I’m not sure if it is the timid way they move, or the fact that they can successfully coordinate so many legs! .
Centipedes and millipedes are part of a group called myriapods (Ancient Greek: murias = ten thousand, pod = foot). Centipedes have only one pair of legs per body segment compared to millipedes with two pairs of legs per segment. .
I have noticed quite a few millipedes in my house lately. Most millipedes are found in cool, moist environments, where they feed on decaying plant and animal matter. I’m curious to know why they are in my kitchen. Are they are after shelter (perhaps from rainy weather), or food? .
Are some species attracted to light? Or they could just accidentally end up in the house while they wander around. .
Do you have any ideas? Could you come up with an experiment to test your ideas? Post your ideas in the comments below!
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For more activities, videos and ideas to play with science, technology, engineering, arts and maths at home, head to our resources page! Link in bio. .
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#unediscovery #curiosity #millipede #why #specimen #experiment #whenitrains #legs

Our mystery animal is the Tasmanian devil! The sci

Our mystery animal is the Tasmanian devil! The scientific name for the animal is 𝘚𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘶𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘪..
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The Tasmanian devil got its name from early European settlers, who heard mysterious growls, coughs and screams coming from dense bushland. Upon investigation they found a dog like animal with bright red ears, enormous teeth in a gaping jaw and saw a resemblance to the devil himself. .
Devil fossils have been found widely across Australian and are thought to have become extinct on the mainland around 3,000 years ago due to the spread of the dingo. Now, due to a rare contagious cancer, the population has gone from around 120,000 to 20,000, and devils are are now classified as an endangered species.
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The powerful jaws of the devil can completely devour its prey; bones, fur and all, and can exert a force of around 120 PSI – that’s around 8kg per square centimetre of jaw! .
Curious? Check out the links in our bio for devil noises and more!

It's What Animal Am I Wednesday!! . Let's hear fro

It's What Animal Am I Wednesday!! .
Let's hear from this week's guest:
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“Hello friends! Thanks for having me on today!
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I am a famously feisty carnivorous marsupial, meaning I have a pouch where I raise my young.
Being nocturnal, I spend most of my nights wandering great distances (up to 16km) in search of carcasses or live food like wallabies, other small mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and insects.
I have a reputation of being aggressive, with my sharp teeth and fierce noises, but this is only usually when I’m scared or to assert my dominance when I’m feeding.
I can give birth to between 20 and 30 raisin-sized young called Joey’s, but as I only have four teats in my pouch, many don’t survive.
I was once native to mainland Australian, but now I can only be found in Tasmania.
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Can you guess what animal I am?”
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Can you guess this week’s guest? For activity sheets to draw the mystery animal, as well as other challenges, experiments and ideas to play at home, head to the link in our bio!

🤔What makes you curious?🤔 . Follow on with

🤔What makes you curious?🤔
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Follow on with Andréa as she explores her curiosity below!
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The sun and the idea of time has always made me curious. How was time developed in the first place? And why can we use the sun to tell the time? .
I'm not an astronomer, so I thought I'd check in with Phil, Discovery's resident astrophysicist, to answer some of my curiosities. You can check out his answers to the following in the link in our bio!
. ⌚️How did people long ago develop the idea of time? ☀️How did they use the sun to tell the time? 🧭And, what are sundials and why are they important? .
The idea that the oldest sundial dates back to around 5500 years ago blows my mind. This got me thinking, how cool would it be if we could make one of our own!
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Check out the video to see just how easy it is create your own sundial at home. That way, you can tell the time without checking the clock inside! .
Head to our resources page for full instructions so you can play along at home.
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#astronomy #astrophysics #asktheexpert #sundial #tellingtime #makeyourown #createyourown #ancientmethods #science #steam #stem #playbased

🖌Discover Our Friends 🖌 . Our friends over

🖌Discover Our Friends 🖌
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Our friends over at UNE Life are excited to announce their Short Story Competition, for staff, students and the wider UNE community!
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The Short Story writing competition is a collaboration between Creative New England, the New England Writer’s Centre and award-winning local author Sophie Masson!
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With cash prizes for first and second place, now is the perfect time to indulge your inner writer. What's more, is they have a separate first place for under 18 participants!
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Find all the details here 👉 www.unelife.com.au/babh/cne/short-story-competition
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#competition #friendsandpartners #creativenewengland #creativewriting #creativity #isolationcreation #win #beinvolved

Did you know that Greta Thunberg has a beetle name

Did you know that Greta Thunberg has a beetle named after her? It’s true! Join Anita as she explores her curiosity below.
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Back in October 2019, a new species of beetle was named in honour of climate activist Greta Thunberg. The scientific name for the beetle is 𝘕𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘱𝘵𝘰𝘥𝘦𝘴 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘢𝘦 and it belongs to the family of beetles called Ptillidae. How cool is that?
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Scientists use Latin and Greek to name most organisms according to things like their physical characteristics and/or behaviour. For example, the scientific name of a koala is 𝘗𝘩𝘢𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘴 𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘶𝘴 which literally means pouch bear grey!
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Occasionally though, a new species will be named after where it was found or in honour of a famous person. For example, 𝘔𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘱𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘪 was named in honour of David Attenborough. And back to Greta’s beetle, 𝘕𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘱𝘵𝘰𝘥𝘦𝘴 I think translate to no (nell) eyes/sight (optodes).
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To discover more about 𝘕𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘱𝘵𝘰𝘥𝘦𝘴 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘢𝘦, check out:
https://www.nhm.ac.uk/…/new-species-named-after-climate-act…
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You might like to create your own new species, like the one I found in my bird bath today, and give it a scientific name in honour of a famous person. I named my new species 𝘕𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘴𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘱𝘦𝘪 in honour of the great Australian swimmer, Ian Thorpe. 𝘕𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘴𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘴 translates to swimming (necto) feathered (pinnatus) bear (arctos).
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Head over to our website for details on how to create and name your own creature! Link in bio.
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#discovery #gretathunberg #taxonomy #specimen #latin #latinbinomials #isolationcreation #beetle #newspecies #createyourown

🐲Our mystery animal is the Frilled-Neck Lizard!

🐲Our mystery animal is the Frilled-Neck Lizard! 🐲
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Its scientific name is 𝘊𝘩𝘭𝘢𝘮𝘺𝘥𝘰𝘴𝘢𝘶𝘳𝘶𝘴 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘪. As their name suggests, Frilled-Neck Lizards (also known as frillnecks) have a large, loose ‘ruff’ or ‘frill’ around their neck that they can spread out when they are threatened.
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How do you think the spreading of this frill might help protect the lizard from threats like predators? Do you think it would make the lizard look bigger or scarier? .
Even part of the lizard’s scientific name refers to this amazing frill! The name Chlamydosaurus is derived from the Ancient Greek chlamydo, meaning "cloaked" or "mantled", and saurus, meaning "lizard". Frillnecks can also use their frill to communicate with other frillnecks. For example, males are territorial and the frill is displayed when males are about to fight each other. Frillnecks are large lizards (up to 90 cm total length) and the frill can be spread to a diameter more than four times that of the lizard’s body!
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For more information check out head to the link in our bio!
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#discovery #voyagingonline #playingathome #naturalhistory #lizard #specimen #taxidermy #frillnecklizard #defence #australiannative #isolation #guessinggame

It's What Animal Am I Wednesday! . Let's hear fro

It's What Animal Am I Wednesday!
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Let's hear from this week's guest.
. “Good morning everyone! I’m excited to be the ‘What Animal am I Wednesday’ mystery guest! Can you guess who I am?
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I am a lizard who lives in tropical Savannah woodlands throughout northern Australia and southern New Guinea.
I am usually arboreal, meaning I spend most of my time in the trees. However, I will head to the ground to look for food, or to fight over my territory.
I like to eat insects and small vertebrates like lizards and mice.
If you find me on a tree, I will hide by sliding around to the opposite side of the tree trunk.
If you frighten me on the ground, I can stand up on my hind legs and run to the nearest tree. If you are still bothering me, I will open my mouth to a wide gape and spread out the large frill that usually lies in folds around my neck when I am at rest. .
Can you guess who I am?”
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For more activities, video and ideas for playing at home, and to draw what you think our mystery animal might be; voyage over to our resources page: www.unediscoveryvoyager.org.au/resources/
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#unediscovery #steam #stem #naturalhistory #guesswhoiam #lizard #specimen #naturalhistorymuseum #funathome #isolation

🔬HEY PARENTS, TEACHERS and KIDS! 🔬 . We’v

🔬HEY PARENTS, TEACHERS and KIDS! 🔬
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We’ve had great feedback from our citizen science projects that whole family can be involved in at home. .
To add to this, we’re voyaging over to our friends at the Australian Citizen Science Association to explore April as Global CitSciMonth!
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Citizen Science Month offers thousands of opportunities for you to turn your curiosity into impact. There’s something for everyone, everywhere! If you are home schooling, stay at home or just having a staycation you can join a project or event from wherever you are to help scientists answer questions they cannot answer without you. .
There is something on every day (and night) during CitSciMonth and most are suitable for students to join in online. .
Check out their calendar for more information - find the link in our bio. .
These include projects such as the Grey Mangrove Hunt or join the ACSA team in the Stall-A-Thon where they will be helping to find a cure for Alzheimers with Stall Catchers.
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Note: Check the time zones before you sign up for web events as this is a global events month.
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For more citizen science projects, ideas, videos and other activities voyage over to our resources page.
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#unediscovery #citizenscience #citizensciencemonth #australianscience #globalscience #scienceathome #scienceplay #contributetoscience #playalongathometothisone

Our mystery animal is *drumroll please*... . The

Our mystery animal is *drumroll please*...
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The Bare-nosed Wombat!! The scientific name of this animal is 𝘝𝘰𝘮𝘣𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘴 𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘴. It is also known as the Common Wombat. .
There are three species (types) of wombat in Australia, the Bare-nosed Wombat, the Southern Hairy-nosed Wombat and the Northern Hairy-nosed Wombat. They all live in burrows in the ground. .
The Bare-nose Wombat (pictured) is the largest burrowing mammal in the world! Wombat burrows can extend to 30m long and 3.5 metres below the ground. Because they love to tunnel, wombats have evolved a backwards facing pouch so their young don’t get a face full of dirt! .
Wombats are particularly possessive of their feeding grounds, and will mark out scent trails and use their dropping to mark boundaries. They do have cube-shaped poo, which stops it rolling away in hilly areas. .
Wombats also have a characteristically hard area of cartilage on their rumps and backside that they use to harden burrow walls and in self-defence. .
Curious? Head to the link in our bio for more!