Year 6 Visit Sydney Science Park

On Thursday 22 August, Year 6 visited Sydney Science Park, they jumped on the bus in the morning for a 40 minute drive out to Luddenham. The MLC School girls were joined by several other schools. The girls rotated between a range of pillars, including Heat, Energy, and Health, to name a few. They learnt from a range of industry experts about each pillar, conducting experiments and collecting data. This trip is used to springboard the girl’s Collaborative Learning Project (CLP) Showcase presentation idea to solve a real-world problem related to building a new community with an innovative, sustainable and future-minded focus. Students from Year 6 reflected on their time out at Sydney Science Park.

– Year 6 Teachers

When Year 6 went to Sydney Science Park for the day we did many fun activities in small groups. My favourite activity was the urban development, I found this fun because we got to make our city and think about all the necessities that we might need in it. I made this with one of my friends in my group. The day was about exploring the types of Pillars and having fun. I think I can speak on behalf of Year 6; everyone had an excellent day at Sydney Science Park!
– Keira Ritchley (Year 6B)

Year 6 students had the privilege of attending Sydney Science Park. The adventure began with a bus ride, leading the grade to a fun and educational experience. The class were split into groups, each exploring different activities. One activity focused on heat, where we learned about the dangers of heat and its consequences. After 15 minutes, students rotated to a new activity. Some rotations headed water filtration and urban development, learning about smart cities and how urban areas can be sustainable. My favourite activity was the energy presentation, where we discovered how sustainable energy sources are used in various environments, such as farms, cities, and homes. We also had the chance to examine a water filtration system and understand how it works. Overall, this trip was both exciting and educational, it also broadened our knowledge and helped us with information for our upcoming projects.
– Leona Nadarajah (Year 6B)

I loved Sydney Science Park; it was a great experience for us students to have. Two of my favourite things my group did were the circular economy and water, but all the activities were so engaging a fun! It’s interesting you think about what this park is going to be in the future and hopefully, I come back here one day and see it all done. The work and people going into this city were incredible, it was super engaging and hands-on activities like the water experiments and the heat, the health. SSP gave me so many questions and ideas for my project and experiments I should do.
– Alice Boddam-Whetham (Year 6M)

When we went to Sydney Science Park, we did lots of fun activities with other schools. I have learned so much from Sydney Science Park while having fun! I enjoyed the part when we got to do a scavenger hunt in Smart Cities. In groups of three, we had to find the red cones that gave us information to fill out a worksheet. I learned about the Sydney Science Parkland and what they are planning to do to it. It was a nice experience.
– Charlotte Hing (Year 6M)

Our trip to Sydney Science Park was such a fun and interesting experience. We got to talk to experts from all around Sydney and we gained so much knowledge and ideas for our upcoming showcase. I particularly loved the urban development stall where we got to design a sustainable city that you would love to see at SSP. I also loved mapping out routes for roads and public transportation at the transport and mobility stall. It was such a wonderful day. 
– Isla Young (Year 6F) 

I had a blast at Sydney Science Park! There was so much to offer and learn with each station being just as exciting then the last one. All the staff were so friendly, and all the activities were fun and engaging. We even had our timetables showing us what we would be doing all day. SSP gave me some new, innovative ideas for my showcase and helped me decide what pillar I would be choosing. My favourite activity was circular economy, in which I learnt that glass could be turned into sand! Thank you to all the Year 6 teachers for organising this super fun day.
– April Cookson (Year 6F)

On Thursday 22 August Year 6 students from MLC School arrived at Sydney Science Park! Everyone was so excited to see what they could learn. There were so many fun and educational experiments but most importantly they covered so many different areas but the main ones were transport, water, energy, heat, and the circular economy. They were all so fun, but our favourites were the comparison of the different materials, The smart city scavenger hunt, and looking at contour lines. This was an interesting and magical experience and it was such a blast!
– Faith Huynh and Gemma Verden (Year 6K)

On 22 August, we travelled to Sydney Science Park, and we learnt multiple skills on how to improve and create a sustainable city. We learnt about energy, health, heat, transportation, smart cities, circular economy, urban development, and urban agriculture. We also did a site tour and thirty six girls in the grade had the opportunity to plant trees for future generations.

We were taught that water is the most significant aspect of urban development. For the future, SSP community will be planning to become a sponge city. Sponge cities are new urban planning that emphasises flood management via strengthening green infrastructures instead of purely relying on drainage systems. The concept of a sponge city is that urban flooding, water shortages, and heat island effect can be alleviated by having more urban parks, gardens, green spaces, wetlands, nature strips and permeable pavements, which will both improve ecological biodiversity for urban wildlife and reduce flash floods by serving as reservoirs for capturing, retaining and absorbing excess stormwater.

In conclusion, SSP is an enjoyable day out of the classroom learning about how to build a sustainable and inviting city. It was also fun to know that we can help design a city that we could live in when we are adults.
– Gaia Bigolin and Vivienne Nguyen (Year 6K)

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