By Ophelie Maraval
Hundreds of kids were running around at Scitech this morning finding out the secret tricks of carnival games.
Boy playing with the magic mirror
Children of all ages had their share of fun lying on beds of nails, experiencing gravity, playing with a distorting mirror, and for the most courageous, the guillotine challenge.
Scitech has launched the Carnival of Science to allow the public to see what is behind the curtains of the physics, maths and psychology of circus tricks and routines.
History is part of the package: for example, kids learn that sword swallowing has helped doctors to find out how to insert instruments down a throat for medical treatments.
“Kids can learn simple science, like if something goes up how can it come back down and they can expand on that,” says Margaret Hurt, a teacher at Bunbury Cathedral Grammar School who’d brought students to Scitech for the day.
At a time where science is often left behind in many schools, and with funding in education declining, Scitech provides a good alternative for teachers to raise awareness of science.
By making science engaging and enjoyable, Scitech hopes to better interact with its audience.
Kids get run their own experiences at Scitech and become scientists for one day.
Thomas Coe, Scitech’s science communicator, says the exhibitions aren’t restricted to children.
“Adults are having as much fun as kids if not more,” he said.
Scitech gets strong support from the state government’s Office of Science which encourages them to share general science knowledge with West Australians.
The Carnival of Science at Scitech is on until the end of October.
Scitech’s next exhibition is called Backyard Adventures and is designed to raise awareness about sustainability issues.