STEM and art combine to create explosive fun at Steam Ahead in Sydney’s Biggest Backyard

Published: 8 May 2019 at 12:00 am

Steam Ahead, an interactive art and science extravaganza for kids (and grown-ups) is set to take over Bungarribee Park in Western Sydney Parklands (Sydney’s Biggest Backyard) on the weekend of 25 and 26 May. Giant roving creatures, interactive installations, games, workshops, discussions & demonstrations will be free for families to enjoy.

Designed for 7 to 12-year-olds, Steam Ahead brings art and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) together in the most explosive ways – maybe even literally, at the Crazy Science Lab.

Organiser Grant Dowling predicts a dynamic and immersive weekend, exploring how humans co-exist with nature through the lens of science, technology and art. “We want to show how art and science can work together to engage and inspire the next generation,” Mr. Dowling said.

Western Sydney Parklands Executive Director Suellen Fitzgerald said “Steam Ahead is an exciting opportunity for children to stretch their creative and scientific minds and have fun in the beautiful surrounds of Bungarribee Park in the process”.

Although the kids won’t notice, there’s a serious side to Steam Ahead too. The future of food, sustainable living, mindfulness and good mental health are just some of the more pressing matters they might unwittingly be exploring.

Most of all though, Steam Ahead is about fun in the form of curiosity, with opportunities for the kids to collaborate, code, taste, touch, plant, make, create and think about how the world around them works.

Featured artists and attractions:

The Edible Bug Shop – find out all about the nutritional value of bugs and the role they are likely to play in our diets in the future. Taste them if you dare!

Crazy Science Lab – create bubbling CO2 canisters that fly through the air, investigate the pH of chemicals and see amazing 'magical' potions that appear to change colour in front of your eyes.

Forensics: Who Dunnit? – test fingerprints, bite marks, splatter patterns and all sorts of evidence to help solve a tricky mystery.

Lost in Books – take a seat and be treated to a story or share one of your own with the crowd.

Nature Journaling – explore the riches of the natural world by writing and/or drawing the surroundings.

Gen Zen Warriors – try mindfulness techniques that include dance, relaxation, crafts, art, games and movement.

Robotics Man – a heady mix of circus, stunts, comedy and construction, Sam takes his audience on a journey of epic proportions!

Steam Ahead is on Saturday 25 and Sunday 26 May 2019, 9:30am to 4:30pm at Bungarribee Park (corner of Holbeche and Doonside Roads, Bungarribee). Entry is free and all the installations, games, workshops, discussions and demonstrations are too.

Thanks to Blacktown City Council for including Steam Ahead as part of the Blacktown Festival program.

Find out more: https://www.steamahead.org.au/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/STEAMAHEADFEST