Unlocking the science of fun in school holidays
School holidays can be long and isolating for kids and their families.
School holiday programs through care providers can fill the gap to ensure no child misses out when school isn’t in session.
But school holiday programs don’t have to come without the fun. Our School Holiday Program in Melrose Park, South Australia, is using science to engage children in a supportive space thanks to local volunteers.
School holiday fun is good for families
School holidays programs play a range of roles for children and families. They can help keep children engaged with their friends, develop social skills and manage big changes like starting school or high school.
The programs also help parents and carers stay connected to services and activities to build happy, healthy home environments.
Behaviour Support Specialist, Andrew Crowdon, said the program provides a fun, relaxing and age-appropriate social interaction for clients at risk of social isolation due to circumstances out of their control.
“It provides opportunities for therapy in a safe environment and the chance to observe and implement strategies developing our Positive Behavioural Support Plans for clients,” he said.
“The science afternoon was a big hit with all attendees in showing that science can be fun, relatable and is not limited to a standard classroom.”
Learning through play
Through an afternoon of experiments with Dr Owen Osborne, the children got hands-on with magical beakers and chemical interactions. Dr Osborne is a science teacher at a local school who volunteered his time to the program.
A crowd favourite was creating a lemon battery to power an LED light using lemon juice, a galvanised nail and a piece of copper. Science in action that promotes learning as well as fun!
The afternoon also included:
- a big and bold alcohol and water experiment to demonstrate combustion
- colourful chemical reactions of an iodine clock
- the science behind extinguishing candles with CO2.
Call 1800 236 762 to find out when the next holiday program will be made available.