Podcast

Curiosity Built the Boilerhouse

Interviews with leaders in early childhood education, play space design, and all things STEM about how to educate and inspire the next generation of leaders and innovators.

Curiosity Built the Boilerhouse documents the building and development of the Boilerhouse Discovery Space, an immersive early childhood discovery space being built at the University of New England, in regional NSW, Australia. If you are interested in science communication, early childhood education, science centres, and discovery spaces, then this podcast is for you!

Latest Podcast episodes

Tony Okely is the Director of Research at Early Start at the University of Wollongong. In this interview we talk about how the researchers and academics of Early Start work within the Early Start Discovery Space to research kids learning and development. Tony’s research focusses on understanding children’s physical development and activity. We talk about the challenges facing kids today and how getting active can provide significant benefits for kids’ physical, mental, and social development.

April 19, 2021

Galia Urquhart is the director of Yarm Gwanga, an early childhood centre at the University of New England providing day-care to the New England community. In this interview we talk about how Yarm Gwanga’s refurbished outdoor play space embraces nature play and encourages kids to get outside and get their hands dirty. We also chat about the challenges of providing childcare during the coronavirus pandemic and how it has affected their daily practices.

April 12, 2021

John Marsden is the Principal of both Candlebark School and the Alice Miller School in regional Victoria. Having spent much of his career working with kids and in schools, and getting more and more frustrated with the limitations of the school system, John Marsden finally had the opportunity to open his own schools and provide children with a unique learning experience with real-life experiences at the core of their teaching approach. In this interview we talk about how schools have an enormous responsibility to foster strong, creative and resilient children.

April 5, 2021

John Stewart is the conductor of the Living School in Lismore, NSW. The Living School was established with one simple goal in mind – to be different. In this interview we chat about how schools are a ‘monoculture’ and how offering unique learning experiences are essential for engaging kids and their families in the school system. We also talk about what it’s like starting a school from scratch, and all the unexpected challenges that came with the Living School opening its doors at the beginning of 2020.

March 29, 2021

Kristin Alford is the Director of the Museum of Discovery at the University of South Australia. The Museum of Discovery is a future focussed museum that tackles some of the biggest issues facing society. In this interview we talk about how the museum’s immersive experiences come to life by bringing together science, art and storytelling. We also talk about how the Museum acts as a vibrant conduit between the University of South Australia and the general public.

March 22, 2021

Stuart Creal is the Director of Science Space at the University of Wollongong. In this interview we talk about how Stuart’s career path has taken him from being a boat builder in the UK, to being the Director of Australia’s most popular regional science centre. We also talk about what makes for a great science centre activity and the importance of holding on to low-tech ‘retro’ experiences as an escape from the high-tech digital world we live in.

March 15, 2021

Ben Newsome is the founder of Fizzics Education, a science education company that brings science shows and experiences to communities across Australia. In this interview we talk about how Ben has grown the company from one person and a ute doing birthday parties on the weekend, to an award winning team with offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Canberra. We also talk about how Ben approaches the challenge of distilling a complex scientific concept into an accessible and educational hands-on activity.

March 8, 2021

Martha Johnson is the manager of education and experiences at Early Start Discovery Space at the University of Wollongong. In this interview Martha takes us on a journey through the Early Start Discovery Space and the experiences waiting for kids and their families inside. We also talk about how parents and teachers can enhance play-based learning by getting involved themselves, and letting kids take the lead, guiding the grown-ups through play.

March 1, 2021

Adam Sellinger is the Director of Children’ Discovery, an organisation dedicated to bringing playful learning experiences to children and their families across Australia. In this interview we talk about how Children’s Discovery began with a mission to build an immersive children’s museum. This mission eventually transpire with the construction of Early Start Discovery Space at the University of Wollongong. We also talk about what makes for a great play-space experience, and how to design interactive kids’ activities.

February 22, 2021

Stephen Long is the Principal Architect for the Boilerhouse Discovery Space. He and his colleagues at Architectus, along with their partner James Cubitt Architects, will be bringing this state of the art discovery space to reality. In this interview we talk about how Stephen and his team will be turning a decommissioned industrial building into an inspiring play space for kids in regional NSW. We also talk about how architects work and collaborate to bring their clients’ visions to life.

February 15, 2021

Dr Sue Elliott is a Senior Lecturer at the University of New England and specialises in studying early childhood education practices. In this interview we talk about how education is embracing practices like nature-play and play-based learning. This represents a shift away from previous tendencies to “cotton-wool” kids and protect them from any and all risks. Research is showing that the desire to protect kids from experiencing risk may be doing more harm than good in the long run.

February 8, 2021

Curiosity Built the Boilerhouse follows the journey of a decommissioned industrial building in regional Australia being rebuilt into a children's discovery space. Each episode features an interview with experts in education, STEAM, play-based learning, architecture, design and more! If you are interested in early childhood education, play space design, science centres and children's museums then this is the podcast for you!

January 19, 2021