Saturday saw the start of Scitech's 2016 Winter Toddlerfest running from 23rd - 31st July. If you have a curious and adventurous 0-5 year old this is a must do day out in Perth right now.
The centre has been transformed into a playground for toddlers. It is packed with exciting activities designed to intrigue, educate and inspire young minds and bodies. As soon as you enter the centre you can feel the energy and excitement of busy toddlers everywhere!
Everything has been well thought out and planned to give children the maximum amount of independence to explore each environment and activity.
The shows have been tailor made for Toddlerfest lasting only 10-15mins, ensuring they capture the imagination and concentration spans of their young audience.
Toddlers love nothing more than being busy and experimenting with everything; and scitech have created the perfect environment for them to do this!
There are six main areas to visit including the shows plus Discoverland so it's well worth having a look at the program and times of the shows before you go so you can plan your day. There is so much to do. I would head to the areas you want to do first, especially if it's busy or planning around nap times.
www.s citech.org.au/events/all/1703-toddlerfest
Discoverland is the first area you come to as you enter Toddlerfest, this is a hub of activity and one of the busiest areas. It has a wide range of activities and experiments to keep everyone occupied.
The space station area is very popular, watch out for the flying balls as they are launched from the top of the research pod. The equipment uses suction to move the balls up and down the clear tubes. The children can load these up, press the suction button and then release the balls into the room.
Did you know thongs are musical....at Todlerfest you can learn to play "row, row, row your boat" using the musical thong player... So much fun!
Move sail boats, wind turbines and fly a hot air balloon using just the power of wind. Use shadow puppets to tell a story using different coloured lights and puppets. Learn the principles of push and pull, vacuum suction, turning, balancing and cycling. Find the right buttons and levers to operate machinery; it is all here to explore. Total stimulation and discovery.
There is also a quieter seated area with tables for the children to sit at with building blocks, trucks and lego.
The Budding Builder area is also a very busy section with children transporting large foam bricks up and down ramps in wheelbarrows, using pulley systems and posting them through a large wall making a pile of bricks ready to be transported all over again! This is a great space with two benches for parents to use whilst their budding builder gets building...
The final section in Discoverland was the aquatic area with a large fish tank that's the perfect hight for a toddler to stand up in and look right inside the tank! There is also a large periscope and a fabulous bubble sensory light that you can change colour.
Next up was Explore-a-saurus which opened earlier in the year. It's life-like dinosaurs will make you feel like you are on a journey back in time to when these giants roamed the earth. It's a great exhibition for all ages, from those who like to roar to the budding palaeontologist. There is so much in this section, it's a very hands on learning area that actively encourages the children to get involved.
Animal farm was the section that got the biggest reaction for us, it was just adorable. Bunnies, lambs, kids, ducks, a very large sheep dog and chickens. All the animals were just brilliant with the steady flow of toddlers stroking, brushing, petting and generally following the animals around.
There are brushes to comb the animals with and they can help with feeding throughout the day. The staff are all very helpful and hands on with both the animals and the children.
In the main area of the centre there is a chance to explore "Your World" with experiments using hot air, noise, heat, light and kinetic energy. There is so much to do which is great, as there is generally always something available to have a go at even when it is busy.
Most of the activities in this area need a bit of working out, great for a bit of family team work!
The science theatre is also here showing a shadow puppet show called "A Dinosaurs Tale" at regular intervals throughout the day. This is suitable for all ages and is a very interactive performance.
At lunchtime we checked out the Tastebud eating area. There is plenty of seating and highchairs, luckily we had read Buggybuddy's top tips before we came and packed our own morning tea and lunch.
There are only vending machines available inside Scitech, selling hot and cold drinks, chips and chocolate everything is priced at $2.50. There are two cafes outside the entrance to Scitech in City West that serve sandwiches, hot chips and refreshments.
The Toddler's Wonderland is towards the back of the main area and has lots of great ideas that you can do at home and cool play equipment. It has everything from pan pipes made from different types of tubes, puzzles, slides, blocks and a ride on car. It is a super tactile area perfect for inquisitive hands and minds.
Grab your white coat and protective glasses to enter the mini Scientist lab! Here your budding scientist can identify with what a real science lab would be like and how to conduct experiments. On week days there is a fabulous opportunity to meet scientists and researchers from the Telethon Kids Institute.
We finished our day at the Planetarium which was very calming. The show called Beyond earth was tailor made for toddlers lasting only 10 minutes and was captivating from start to finish. A perfect way to finish our Toddlerfest day!
In the foyer there is a selection of organisations including Playgroup WA and SDERA providing early childhood information. They have some great leaflets and general advice for parents on everything from car seats to sleep.
Scitech is both pushchair and wheelchair accessible and there are pram parks throughout the centre especially for the event. However, on a busy day there is not much room to manoeuvre, so if possible I would avoid taking a pram. They have set up a fantastic parent's room with comfy chairs and a play area, plus the toilets are toddler friendly with steps and training seats available.
There is limited parking at City West that allows free parking for the first two hours. If you park outside, 2 hour tickets are available from the nearby ticket machines however, if you plan on staying for longer remember to collect a car parking permit when buying your tickets in the centre. If you park in the undercover car park and intend on visiting for longer than two hours, get your parking ticket validating when you purchase your Toddlerfest entry.
I would highly recommend Toddlerfest at Scitech, it is definitely a captivating day out and so much fun (which is not always easy with a toddler)!
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