House of Science going national

House of Science going national

25th November 2014

The House of Science is opening branches in three other locations from early next year.

Launched in Tauranga 12 months ago, the House of Science has been so successful that other parts of the country want a slice of the action. Director Chris Duggan says three regions are making final preparations to launch similar centres in February next year. Each area will have their own unique flavour, reflecting the House of Science motto of ‘resourcing and connecting the local science community’.

Locally Chris and her large team of volunteers have continued to develop resource kits, now totalling 21 boxes which together reach 3000 students every term. TECT has come on board with finance for the vehicle costs and two vans can now be seen on Western Bay of Plenty roads delivering the kits to the 40 member schools. Chris says: “Teachers really appreciate the quality of our resource kits, the sponsors that have paid for them and the convenience of the delivery service.”

Currently housed at Waikato University’s Coastal Marine Field Station, the House of Science is bursting at the seams with three separate children’s programmes, several robotics teams, teacher professional development and science tutoring sessions every week as well as intensive science and robotics holiday programmes. A children’s programme specialist has been employed to run the popular hands on sessions. Science badges can be earned if students wish to take their new found skills to the next level with home based projects.

The House of Science VEX robotics team has gone from strength to strength with two competitive high school robots performing extremely well in the Bay of Plenty scrimmages and a VEX-IQ team of intermediate aged students also ready to take on the local opposition. There were 24 students who took part in holiday robotics programmes run by the older team members, this was an excellent fundraiser for the club and will be repeated in January. Parents keen to send their children to any of the programmes run at the House of Science are encouraged to get in early as spaces fill very fast.

ENDS

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