Test Lab and the Makers Club at Scienceworks
Kid inventors and builders this might just be the most awesome exhibition to hit Scienceworks – the Test Lab is a space that invites you to get inventive with materials. Add the Thursday Makers Club and the Weekend Makers Workshops and the older kids will get an insight into how things work and hands-on building experience.
When: Thursday Makers Club is every Thursday (until September school holidays) from 4.30-6pm, the Weekend Makers Workshops are every weekend and times vary, check the website for the full details. The Test Lab exhibition runs until 2 October 2016. (During September holidays there will be holiday programs running)
Where: Temporary gallery space at Scienceworks, 2 Brooker Street SPOTSWOOD
Cost: Main Test Lab space is included as part of the general admission to Scienceworks, to do a workshop prices vary and the Thursday Makers Club is $5 (or $3 for members).
We went along to kid-test the Thursday Makers Club (for kids aged 10-15) and Immi (10) went along with a friend. Both the girls dived straight in and were keen to get building. The project for our session was scribble-bots – little robots that scribble.
The whole space is really cool and the 8-year-old was incredibly curious – but they are strict about the age of the kids taking part, so Charlie and I entertained ourselves making marble runs in the main space. Meanwhile, the girls were busy inventing – and they tried quite a few different ideas and designs before they settled on the final scribble-bot. It was interesting seeing all the different scrobble-bots the kids came up with – all so different!
I never got to do anything like this as a kid – and I love that such a fantastic workshop exists (if only it was an ongoing thing!). But get in quick as this is a temporary exhibition at Scienceworks and come 2 October the Test Lab will be bumped out forever. The girls were immensely proud of their creations and 1.5 hours was the perfect amount of “tinkering” time.
Given the Club finished at 6pm I decided we would avoid the peak hour trip over the Westgate and so we drove 5 minutes up the road for a quick Pizza at Motorino.
