Discoverland

kid_and_tank Bring your little ones in to play in Discoverland, Scitech’s exclusive area for 3 – 7 year olds! Kids can play with hands-on exhibits that stimulate them to experiment with forces through magnets, air, water, gravity, electricity and their muscles.

Discoverland has just unveiled its latest exhibit – Shadow Play! Children can explore the world of shadows and light dispersion in this under-the-sea themed set. Using props in the shape of sea creatures and plants, they are encouraged to create a story whilst using an array of coloured lights to set the mood.

Kids can also play in the exciting underwater area where they are encouraged to dress up as sea creatures using costumes provided before venturing into the cave. Inside, kids can get up close and personal with fish by crawling into a specially-built live aquarium, play with colourful bubbles and mirrors, match sea animals to their shadows and spy on their parents using a periscope.

Encourage your child to interact with the exhibits:

	Bubbles and Mirrors What you are learning A bubble is formed when gas is trapped inside liquid. Air bubbles will rise to the surface of the ocean because air is less dense (or lighter) than water. Mirrors reflect, or bounce back, light. The mirrors behind the bubble tube make it appear that there are many bubble tubes and many, many bubbles. The surface of a bubble is also like a mirror, reflecting light. When coloured light shines onto a bubble, the reflected light is also coloured, making the bubbles appear red or green or blue. What to do Press one of the big coloured buttons to create your bubbles. Questions you can ask your children What colour bubbles can you make? What do the bubbles do? Where do the bubbles go? How many bubble tubes can you see?
	Periscope What you are learning Light moves in a straight line. Mirrors reflect light. We can use mirrors to redirect (or bend) light, helping us to see around corners. What to do Look through this periscope. Questions you can ask your children What can you see? Where is it?
	Dress ups and Puppets What you are learning "To raise new questions, new possibilities, to regard old problems from a new angle, requires creative imagination and marks real advance in science." - Quote - Albert Einstein What to do Use your imagination, the puppets and the dress ups to pretend you are an underwater animal. Questions you can ask your children Can you move like this animal? I wonder why its body has this shape? What would this animal eat?
	Aquarium What you are learning The fish in this aquarium are tropical and need warm water. People take oxygen from the air when they breathe. We need air to make our body work. When people go underwater, they hold their breath or take air with them in an air tank. Fish are able to take the oxygen they need from the water. They take in water through their mouth and pass it over their gills which work like lungs. What to do You can pretend to be a fish. Just crawl inside the underwater cave. Questions you can ask your children In what ways are the fish different to each other? In what ways are the fish different to you? How do the fish move? How many different types of fish can you see?