Questacon Welcomes Science at Play

1 August 2005

Ever been told to put away your toys and finish your homework? Well thanks to the new exhibition, Toys: Science at Play, toys will help you learn.

Questacon – The National Science and Technology Centre today welcomed Toys: Science at Play, an exhibition celebrating the science behind the toys that have entertained young and old for generations.

The vibrant and playful gallery has exhibits including robots, dolls, hula hoops and kaleidoscopes. Visitors can fly a helicopter solo, catch magnetic fish and spin a zoetrope or you can make a giant jigsaw, create sound effects for a short animation and look through a huge periscope.

Not only is one of Questacon’s galleries now full of these colourful and interactive toys, the exhibition also demonstrates that playing with toys helps to develop skills that you then use throughout your life. They build physical and mental skills, foster creativity, critical thinking, cooperation and also helps to connect parents and their children.

Toys also reflect technological developments in our society, they have been part of human culture for thousands of years. Children today play with high-tech toys but also enjoy toys from ancient cultures such as marbles, yoyos and balls.

Most of the toys on display in the exhibition are from a more modern age however some have been made from patterns which have been around for generations.

The exhibition is divided into a number of areas including: Imaginative – Toys which take us to another world with the help of our imagination. Mysterious – Toys that use unseen forces such as magnetism and gravity. Creative – Toys that require performing whether it be karaoke, puppets or home made instruments. Timeless – Toys that have been used by many generations and are still appealing.

The exhibition comes from Scienceworks in Melbourne and will be on show at Questacon until January 2006.