School excursions

The Early Start Discovery Space is the perfect destination for your next Early Childhood, Primary or Secondary School excursion! We are dedicated to learning through play and activities that inspire imagination and ignite a love of learning. All excursion experiences are mapped to the Early Years Learning Framework and relevant NSW Syllabus documents.

Make a booking enquiry

Excursion options

Early Childhood & Kindergarten Excursions

Days: Monday – Friday (NSW School Terms Only)
Times: 11am to 1pm
Capacity: Minimum 20 and maximum 100 children per session

Self-Guided Excursions - $15 per child

Your group will spend two hours independently exploring Early Start Discovery Space. You will be briefed by a Discovery Space Team Member and supported with materials, including a map outlining our schedule to ensure you maximise your time across all of our experiences.

Guided Excursions - $20 per child

Your excursion will include time for independent exploration of our Experiences PLUS a guided play-based workshop facilitated by one of our Team Members. There are options to choose from (see below) which are directly related to the Early Years Learning Framework and relevant NSW Syllabus documents.

Guided Excursion options:

  • Where’s The Bear?: In this play-based workshop children participate in active storytelling of “We’re going on a Bear Hunt” using percussion instruments and dramatic play. The children then become detectives, finding clues around the Space in search of our very own Discovery Space bear!
  • Ball Run: In this hands-on, play-based workshop children use pipes, tracks, ramps and a giant magnetic wall to construct large scale ball runs – experimenting and collaborating through discovery and play!
  • Loose Parts Play: Responding to the story, “MunChA! MuncHa! MuNcha!” children’s imagination and curiosity are activated through access to loose parts, inspiring and challenging them to create a pest-proof vegetable plot!
  • What to do with a cardboard box?: Inspired by the text, “What to do with a box”, children use cardboard and loose parts to create  imaginative cardboard creations!
  • Garden Explorers: In this play-based, discovery workshop children use digital tools to explore the fascinating world of insects and plants.
  • Stories in a Suitcase: Step into the world of ‘Stories in a Suitcase’ led by expert Discovery Space storytellers, immersing children in interactive story worlds based on much loved books including: “Bower Bird Blues”, “Gymnastica Fantastica” or “Searching for Cicadas”.

Make a booking enquiry

Primary School aged excursions

Days: Monday – Friday (NSW School Terms only)
Times: 11am to 1pm
Capacity: Minimum 20 and maximum 100 children per session

Self-Guided Excursions - $15 per child

Your group will spend two hours independently exploring Early Start Discovery Space. You will be briefed by a Discovery Space Team Member and supported with materials, including a map outlining our schedule to ensure you maximise your time across all of our experiences.

Guided Excursions - $20 per child

Your excursion will include time for independent exploration of our Experiences PLUS a guided play-based workshop facilitated by one of our Team Members. There are options to choose from (see below) which are directly related to the Early Years Learning Framework and relevant NSW Syllabus documents.

Guided Excursion options:

  • Bricks and Clicks: The Bricks and Clicks guided, play-based workshop includes the following activities:
    1. Concept Exploration: Children will develop their problem-solving skills while exploring the concepts of floating and sinking.
    2. Boat Construction: Children participate in a hands-on activity, working in small collaborative groups to design and create LEGO brick boats that float.

  • Trains: The Trains guided, play-based workshop includes the following activities:

    • Community Concept: Children will explore the concepts of ‘what makes a community’ and ‘what makes a place special’ using local communities as an example.

    • Community Design: Using their understanding of people and places, children will work in collaborative groups to construct their own community.

  • Roald Dahl Adventure: The Roald Dahl Adventure guided, play-based workshop includes the following activities:

    • Quirky Characters: The world of Roald Dahl’s The BFG comes to life! Children play with images, sounds and words to ‘gobblefunk’ their own quirky characters.

    • Wild Stories: Children play with narrative elements to construct their own wild stories.

Make a booking enquiry

High School Excursions

Days: Monday – Friday (NSW School Terms only)
Times: 12pm to 2pm. This is the only option for timing for high school excursions so that students have access to the entire Discovery Space without the general public from 1pm - 2pm.
Capacity: Minimum 20 and maximum 60 students per session

Exploring Early Childhood Studies - $20 per child

We invite you to bring your Exploring Early Childhood Studies class to the Early Start Discovery Space.

Our Exploring Early Childhood Studies program includes the following activities:

  1. Guest workshop: A UOW Early Years Academic delivers an interactive, 45 min workshop on learning-through-play and the Early Years programs on offer at UOW.
  2. Independent play: Students (and teachers!) are encouraged to play with all our Experiences on offer in the Discovery Space.
  3. Guided Tasks: Students participate in two short activities at two of our most popular experiences, linked directly to NSW Syllabus outcomes.

Make a booking enquiry

Important information

If you have a question not answered in the information below please email discovery-ed@uow.edu.au 

Terms & conditions

Our conditions of entry, commitments and expectations can be found on our Terms and Conditions webpage.

We requires at least one adult per group and highly encourage two adults per group (based on the number of children attending the excursion). Please also ensure you meet the ratio of teachers/caregivers approved by your Principal or Centre Director for your excursion. 

It is the responsibility of the coordinating teacher to ensure:

  • All children and accompanying teachers are briefed on the conditions of entry, and expectations and commitments.
  • Principals and centre directors conduct their own excursion risk assessments.

By requesting an excursion you warrant that your Principal or Centre Director has received appropriate consents from the parent or guardian of participating students for their child’s participation in the Early Start Discovery Space activities including the recording and disclosing of personal information for Discovery Space administrative purposes. Any photographs and video taken by children or teachers/carers should be for personal use only. Please respect the privacy of other visitors when taking photographs or video.

Planning your visit

Risk Assessment

To assist you in planning your own risk assessment, please see our Venue Safety & Risk Management Summary.

Schedule

Early Years and Primary Excursion Schedule

  • 10.45am Arrival and briefing
  • 11.00am – 1.00pm Play time in Discovery Space including guided experience (if booked).
  • 1.00pm Departure

High School Excursion Schedule

  • 11:45am Arrival, briefing and UOW Academic workshop
  • 1:00pm – 2:00pm Play and guided activities in the Discovery Space
  • 2:00pm Departure

Groups

For ease and movement around the Discovery Space, students will be split into smaller groups to explore the Early Start Discovery Space experiences across two hours. Please organise groups prior to your visit. We will provide maps and we ask that you follow our visit schedule to ensure you get to see all the Experiences and do not overload one area for our other members and guests visiting and using the Discovery Space too.

  • 20-30 students = 2 groups
  • 30-40 students = 3 groups
  • 40-60 students = 4 groups
  • 60-80 students = 5 groups
  • 80-100 students = 6 groups

Bag storage

We encourage schools to leave any unrequired materials (bags included) on buses if appropriate. We do, however, provide trolleys for student to store their bags in and free lockers are available for adults to store belongings if required.

Food

We recommend that students to bring their own lunch. Lunch can be consumed prior to or after your excursions on the University of Wollongong campus or the beautiful Botanic Gardens situated nearby.

You can purchase food at the onsite café, The Ugly Duckling. For large groups, we recommend pre-ordering catering. The cafe is run independently of the Discovery Space. You can contact the cafe on 4226 4226.

Please note if purchasing coffee at the cafe, is to be consumed outside in the Discovery Gardens or Circle Garden and is not permitted inside the Discovery Space. 

Gift Shop

The Discovery Space Gift Shop is available for children to purchase a memento of their excursion, or for educators to purchase resources. This will not be included in the excursion schedule and will need to be managed by organising teachers. Please note the Gift Shop trading hours differ to the Discovery Space

Getting here & parking

For directions and charter bus drop off details, please refer to our Getting here and parking webpage. 

Cost, payment & cancellations

Cost

Excursion Type Pricing
Self-Guided Excursion $15 per child*
Guided Excursion $20 per child*
Exploring Early Childhood Excursions $20 per student
Accompanying adults Free of charge

*All children must be paid for irrespective of being a member. Membership privileges to do not apply to any school excursion held within the Discovery Space.

Payment

There are two payment options available for excursions:

  1. Invoice: after the date of your excursion we will get an invoice prepared and sent to you with the final numbers of who attended on the day
  2. Pay via Eftpos/Credit Card: on the day or over the phone once final numbers are confirmed

Cancellations

If you are not able to attend your booked excursion you must advise us within 5 working days of making your booking to cancel, reschedule your visit, or receive a refund (if any payment has been made). In the circumstance we are not advised of cancellation prior to a booked School Group Excursion, refunds will not be given unless required by law.

Additional needs bookings

For special needs group bookings, please contact us to discuss your needs. Options may include scheduling your visit for an afternoon when we are closed to the general public (during NSW school term only).

All our experiences have been designed to be accessible by all – including wheelchair accessibility – and account for different learning styles. There are internal and external lifts and ramps to support access for all.

When filling out the online enquiry form for a school excursion, please do let us know about any students with additional needs that we can plan to support them during their excursion. Alternatively, you can contact us if there are additional ways we can support your visit by emailing discovery-ed@uow.edu.au 

Play and learn together

Contact us Join our mailing list
About the artwork

On the lands that we study, we walk, and we live, we acknowledge and respect the traditional custodians and cultural knowledge holders of these lands.

Enter