Creative Science for Kids

Amazing animals – frog science with Dr Jodi Rowley and Dr Rebecca Webb

Let’s celebrate World Frog Day with five fun and fascinating fast facts about frogs, a chat with some froggy scientists, Dr Jodi Rowley and Dr Rebecca Webb, and a gooey chia seed frog spawn activity for you to try yourself at home.
 
Presented by Jenny Lynch and Matilda. Written and produced by Jenny Lynch. Music by Purple Planet Music. Sound effects by Pixabay.
Image: Green Tree Frog Litoria caerulea (Photo credit: Dr Jodi Rowley)
 
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Episode content:
00:00 Introduction and fast facts
03:33 Interview with Dr Jodi Rowley
11:19 Interview with Dr Rebecca Webb
14:51 Chia seed frog spawn activity
 
FrogID citizen science project led by Dr Jodi Rowley at the Australian Museum: https://www.frogid.net.au/
 
Dr Rebecca Webb at the University of Melbourne: https://findanexpert.unimelb.edu.au/profile/962839-rebecca-webb
 
Chia seed frog spawn activity
You will need: cold water, a measuring cup, a tablespoon, 2 tablespoons of black chia seeds, and a spoon for stirring. Chia seeds are small seeds that you might be able to buy at a supermarket, a fruit and vegetable shop, or a health food store.
Wash your hands with soap and warm water.
Add half a cup of cold water to the measuring cup.
Add two tablespoons of black chia seeds to the water.
Stir the mixture and leave it to sit for about 5 minutes.
Stir it again and then leave the mixture to cool down in the fridge for 2 hours.
After 2 hours, take it out of the fridge and stir the mixture one more time.
Make sure your hands are clean before picking up the mixture to play with it.
When you take it out of the fridge, you will have a cup of gooey chia seed frog spawn.
You can also try adding honey or maple syrup to the chia seed mixture to make a tasty snack!
 
What’s happening?
Chia seeds are the seeds of the plant Salvia hispanica which is native to Mexico and Guatemala. When the seeds are mixed with water, a slimy coating forms to protect the seeds until they have time to grow. The slimy coating on the seeds looks a lot like the gooey jelly in frog spawn that protects frog’s eggs until they are ready to hatch.

Creativity – inspiring science with Cristy Burne

It’s time to widen your mind with five fun and fascinating fast facts about creativity, an interview with Cristy Burne, a storyteller who knows a lot about science and creativity, and an imaginative paper activity for you to try yourself at home.
 
Written, presented, and produced by Jenny Lynch. Music by Purple Planet Music. Sound effects by Pixabay.
 
Creative Science: https://www.creativescience.com.au
Facebook: @creativescienceaustralia
Instagram: @creative_science_australia
 
Episode content:
00:00 Introduction and fast facts
04:02 Self-correcting science
05:11 Interview with Cristy Burne
11:14 Piece of paper activity
 
Cristy Burne: www.cristyburne.com
 
Piece of paper activity
You will need: an ordinary piece of paper
This activity starts with a couple of ideas of things to do with a piece of paper and then it will be up to you to come up with something new to do with the paper.
Try rolling up the piece of paper to make a cylinder shape. Stand the cylinder on one end. Is it strong enough to support something? Which way did you roll the piece of paper? Was it a long cylinder or a short cylinder? Try rolling it the other way. Is it stronger now?
Hold the piece of paper high above the ground and let if fall to the floor. Does the paper fall quickly or slowly? If you fold the paper in half, will it fall any faster?
Now it’s your turn. What can you think of to do with the piece of paper? Give yourself a few minutes of thinking time to hold the piece of paper and imagine something to do with the paper that you have never thought of doing before.
What’s happening?
Creativity in science often involves thinking about existing ideas and imagining something new. Taking the time to look at familiar objects in new ways can lead to exciting new thoughts, inventions, and discoveries.

Fundamental forces – the Universe with Professor Lisa Harvey-Smith

Let’s explore the nature of the Universe with five fun and fascinating fast facts about the four fundamental forces, an interview with Professor Lisa Harvey-Smith, an astrophysicist who knows a lot about the Universe, and a surprising paper folding activity for you to try yourself at home.
 
Written, presented, and produced by Jenny Lynch. Music by Purple Planet Music. Sound effects by Pixabay.
 
Creative Science: https://www.creativescience.com.au
Facebook: @creativescienceaustralia
Instagram: @creative_science_australia
 
Episode content:
00:00 Introduction and fast facts
05:11 Interview with Professor Lisa Harvey-Smith
11:29 Paper folding activity
 
Professor Lisa Harvey-Smith: www.lisaharveysmith.com
Future You: www.futureyouaustralia.com.au  
 
Paper folding activity
How many times do you think you can fold a piece of paper in half?
You will need: a long piece of toilet paper.
Lay the toilet paper out on the floor and fold it in half lengthways. That’s one fold.
Keep folding the toilet paper in half over and over again and remember to count each fold. After 4 or 5 folds, the bundle of paper will be getting fairly thick. Can you keep folding?
Keep folding until you cannot fold the paper in half anymore.
 
What’s happening?
The toilet paper is pretty thin, but every time you fold it in half, the thickness of the bundle of paper doubles. After one fold, it is twice as thick as the original toilet paper. After the second fold, the bundle is 4 times as thick. After the third fold, the bundle is 8 times as thick, then 16 times, and then 32 times, and after the sixth fold, the bundle is 64 times thicker than a single sheet of toilet paper.
 
The current world record for folding a piece of paper is 12 times and the record was set in 2002 by Britney Gallivan, a high school student in the United States. Britney used mathematical equations to work out the size and thickness of the paper she needed to achieve the record, and the tissue paper she used was over one kilometre long! After the 12th fold, the bundle of paper was 4,096 times as thick as a single layer of tissue paper.

Sustainable science - plastic problems with Dr Charlotte Beloe

It’s time to get sustainable with five fun and fascinating fast facts about plastic, an interview with Dr Charlotte Beloe, a scientist who knows a lot about microplastics in the ocean, and a cornflour bioplastic activity for you to try yourself at home.
 
Written, presented, and produced by Jenny Lynch. Music by Purple Planet Music. Sound effects by Pixabay.
 
Creative Science: https://www.creativescience.com.au
Facebook: @creativescienceaustralia
Instagram: @creative_science_australia
 
Episode content:
00:00 Introduction and fast facts
03:26 Recycling plastic
05:14 Interview with Dr Charlotte Beloe
10:29 Bioplastic activity
 
Bioplastic activity instructions
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon of cornflour, 4 tablespoons of water, 1 teaspoon of vinegar, ½ teaspoon of glycerine, and a few drops of food colouring.
Kitchen equipment: a small saucepan, stove or hotplate, metal spoon for stirring, and a baking tray on a heat-proof surface.
 
Add all of the ingredients to the small saucepan and stir with the metal spoon until everything is well mixed.
NOTE: An adult must assist with the next steps that involve heating the mixture on a stove or hotplate.
 
Stir the mixture over a medium heat and keep stirring with the metal spoon until the mixture starts to boil.
Reduce the heat and keep heating and stirring for 2 or 3 minutes.
Pour the hot mixture onto the baking tray and spread it out to make a thin sheet.
Leave the sheet of bioplastic film to cool and dry for 1-2 days. The finished bioplastic film should be see-through and flexible.
 
This recipe can also be used to make moulded bioplastic shapes by pouring the hot mixture into silicone moulds (e.g. silicone ice-cube trays). The bioplastic in this activity is ‘compostable’, which means it will break down in a compost heap or if it is buried in the ground.
 
Corn flour contains starch which is made up of ‘amylose’ and ‘amylopectin’ molecules which are both made up of glucose molecules. Heating corn flour with water causes some of the starch to form long chains. Vinegar affects the formation of the long chains. The glycerine acts as a ‘plasticiser’ which is a chemical that can change the softness and pliability of a plastic. Changing the amount of glycerine in the recipe will change the properties of the bioplastic film.

Amazing animals – marine mammals with Dr Vanessa Pirotta

It’s time to take a splash in the sea with five fun and fascinating fast facts about marine mammals, an interview with Dr Vanessa Pirotta, a wildlife scientist who knows a lot about whales, and there’s a warm-blooded blubber activity for you to try yourself at home.
 
Written, presented, and produced by Jenny Lynch. Music by Purple Planet Music. Sound effects by Pixabay.
 
Creative Science: https://www.creativescience.com.au
Facebook: @creativescienceaustralia
Instagram: @creative_science_australia
 
Episode content:
00:00 Introduction and fast facts
03:49 Dugongs and manatees
04:31 Interview with Dr Vanessa Pirotta
11:06 Blubber fingers activity
 
Dr Vanessa Pirotta: https://www.vanessapirotta.com/
Books by Dr Vanessa Pirotta: ‘The Voyage of Whale and Calf’, ‘Oceans at Night’, ‘Humpback Highway’
 
Blubber fingers activity instructions:
Marine mammals have lots of special adaptations to help them survive in the sea. One of these adaptations is whale blubber, which is a layer of fat that keeps warm-blooded whales warm in cold ocean water.
You will need: a bowl, cold water from the fridge, ice cubes, two disposable gloves, a spoon, and some soft butter or margarine. If you don’t have any disposable gloves, try using two small plastic bags instead.
This activity is pretty messy, so do it next to a sink, with soap and warm water ready for washing your hands at the end.
Fill the bowl with cold water and add some ice cubes to the water to make it really cold.
Scoop 2 big spoonfuls of soft butter or margarine into one of the disposable gloves and squeeze the butter or margarine down into the fingers of the glove, pushing any air bubbles out of the fingers.
Put the other glove on one of your hands first. 
Put the glove filled with butter or margarine on your other hand and make sure your fingers are covered with the butter or margarine. 
Carefully place the fingers of both of your hands into the ice-cold water. Try to keep your fingers in the water for at least 2-minutes, but take them out of the water if they feel too cold. What do you notice?
 
Your buttery fingers should last longer in the water because the butter is protecting your fingers from the icy cold water. Heat energy always moves from a warm object to a colder object and the butter is acting as an ‘insulator’ because it slows down the movement of heat energy out of your fingers.
A lot of cold-climate animals have blubber. Seals, whales, and polar bears, all have a layer of blubber to stop them losing too much heat from their bodies.
 

Cutting edge technology – virtual reality with Dr Vanessa Moss

Let’s get immersed in a high-tech virtual world with five fascinating fast facts about virtual reality, an interview with Dr Vanessa Moss, an astrophysicist who uses virtual reality to collaborate with other scientists, and an eye-opening binocular activity for you to try yourself at home.
Written, presented, and produced by Jenny Lynch. Music by Purple Planet Music. Sound effects by Pixabay.
Creative Science: https://www.creativescience.com.au
Facebook: @creativescienceaustralia
Instagram: @creative_science_australia
Episode content:
00:00 Introduction and fast facts
04:05 Interview with Dr Vanessa Moss
10:33 Dominant eye activity
 
Virtual science exhibition, The Future of Meetings TFOMxCSIRO Exhibition Hall
NOTE: This virtual space uses quite a lot of data (100MB). The space is compatible with Safari, Chrome and Edge browsers (partial support for Firefox). It is also accessible via the Spatial.io phone app or Oculus Quest 2 (VR).
https://www.spatial.io/s/TFOMxCSIRO-Exhibition-Hall-64a1609a2e4f7d91d95a43bd?share=9027864886891104356
 
Dominant eye activity instructions:
The hand you use for writing is your ‘dominant hand’ and most of us are either left-hand dominant or right-hand dominant. A few people are ambidextrous, which means they can use one hand just as easily as the other.
Did you know that you probably have a dominant eye as well as a dominant hand?
Follow these steps to test which is your dominant eye.
Stretch your arms out in front of you and use your fingers and thumbs to make a triangle shape that you can see through.
Focus on an object in the distance and keep staring at it.
Keep your arms stretched out, but slide your hands together to make the triangle smaller, while still looking at the distant object.
Keep looking at the object, and close one of your eyes.
If you can still see the object, the eye that is still open is your dominant eye.
If you can’t close one eye at a time by winking, try asking someone to help you by carefully covering one of your eyes with their hand.
If you can’t see the object, switch eyes, so the other eye is closed.
If you can now see the object with your open eye, then this is your dominant eye.
If it didn’t work, try again, or maybe you are one of the few people who does not have a dominant eye.
As well as testing for your dominant eye, this activity demonstrates how each of your eyes sees a slightly different picture of your surroundings. Virtual reality relies on this binocular vision to create realistic images of three-dimensional worlds.

Spaced out science – space junk with Mars Buttfield-Addison

Get ready to launch into fascinating fast facts about space junk, an interview with Mars Buttfield-Addison, a computer scientist and science communicator who knows a lot about space debris, and an easy orbital activity for you to try yourself at home.
Written, presented, and produced by Jenny Lynch. Music by Purple Planet Music. Sound effects by Pixabay.
Creative Science: https://www.creativescience.com.au
Facebook: @creativescienceaustralia
Instagram: @creative_science_australia
Episode content:
00:00 Introduction and fast facts
03:28 A big collision in space
04:10 Interview with Mars Buttfield-Addison
10:49 Orbiting sock activity
 
Orbiting sock activity instructions:
You will need: a pair of long socks, for example, knee-high socks or football socks,
or ask if you can borrow a pair of adult-sized socks.
Roll up one of the socks and push it down into the other sock, so it is in the toe end of the sock.
Make sure you have plenty of space around you before doing this step. Hold the open end of the sock and swing the sock around in a circle, so the rolled-up sock is orbiting your hand. Make the sock swing around in a circle as fast as you can, and then slow down the speed until the sock only just stays in a nice, round circle-shaped orbit.
Hold the sock about halfway along the length, so the orbit is smaller. Swing the sock around again so it orbits your hand in a smaller circle. Make it swing around as fast as you can again, and then slow down the speed while keeping it in a circle-shaped orbit.
What do you notice about the speed of the larger orbit compared to the smaller orbit?
The sock can orbit a lot slower in the larger orbit compared to the smaller orbit.
This is only a model made from socks, so the forces are a bit different compared to a real satellite orbiting Earth.  In our sock model, the long sock is providing the force to keep the rolled-up sock in its orbit, so the long sock is a bit like gravity holding a satellite in orbit.
A satellite is held in orbit by the force of gravity. For lower orbits, the force of gravity is stronger and a satellite in a lower orbit has to move faster to avoid falling down to Earth. Higher orbit satellites experience less gravitational pull, and they move more slowly to stay in orbit.

Mind blowing science - National Science Week

Saturday 9 August to Sunday 17 August 2025 is National Science Week in Australia, so it’s time to blow your mind with five fun and fascinating fast facts about different types of science, some mind-blowing recent discoveries in science, a few different voices sharing their favourite mind-blowing science, and an activity that’s oozing with science for you to try yourself at home.
 
Written, presented, and produced by Jenny Lynch. Music by Purple Planet Music. Sound effects by Pixabay.
 
Creative Science: https://www.creativescience.com.au
Facebook: @creativescienceaustralia
Instagram: @creative_science_australia
 
National Science Week
Find free resources and National Science Week events happening near you:
https://www.scienceweek.net.au/
 
DIY Science activities: https://www.scienceweek.net.au/diy-science/
See Creative Science live on stage at these Sydney events:
Saturday 9 August 2025, Sydney Science Trail at the Australian Museum 
Sunday 10 August 2025, Science in the Scrub at Western Sydney Parklands
Sunday 17 August 2025, Science in the Swamp at Centennial Park
Thanks to Inspiring Australia NSW for helping us connect with special guests:
Eylem Altuntas, Developmental Psychologist, Western Sydney University
Jinx Moore, Medical Research Scientist, University of Technology Sydney
Dr Patrick Capon, Science Communicator, Australian Red Cross Lifeblood
Dr Alison Gould, Science Communicator, Australian Red Cross Lifeblood
Kira Lowe, PhD Candidate, University of Wollongong
Kenya Fernandes, Microbiologist, University of Sydney
Alicia Haines, Forensic Biologist, University of Technology Sydney
 
Episode content:
00:00 Introduction and fast facts
4:30 New discoveries in science
6:10 Special guests with mind blowing ideas
9:20 Elephant toothpaste activity
 
Elephant toothpaste activity instructions:
You will need: A measuring cup, some warm water, a small jug, a teaspoon of dry yeast, a small plastic drink bottle, some dishwashing liquid, and a few drops of food colouring.
You will also need about 100 millilitres of 3% hydrogen peroxide.
Ask an adult if you have any at home or you can find it at a pharmacy.
Be careful when using the 3% hydrogen peroxide because it can stain clothes and other material, and you might like to wear gloves to protect your hands.
 
This activity is pretty messy so you should do it on a tray next to the kitchen sink or in a sheltered outside area.
 
Use the measuring cup to add about 50 millilitres of warm water to the small jug.
Add one teaspoon of dry yeast to the warm water, stir it gently, and leave it to sit for 5 or 10 minutes to ‘activate’ the yeast. You will know when it’s ready because there will be bubbles on top of the water.
While you’re waiting for the yeast mixture to bubble, use the measuring cup to add about 100 millilitres of 3% hydrogen peroxide to the plastic bottle.
Add a big squirt of detergent and a few drops of food colouring to the bottle and swirl the bottle to mix the liquids.
NOTE: If you want to make a video or take a photo of the Elephant Toothpaste reaction, get ready now before you do the next step, because the reaction will happen quickly.
Pour the yeast mixture from the jug into the bottle, step back and see what happens. You should see bubbly foam oozing up and out of the bottle.
 
The chemical formula for hydrogen peroxide is H2O2 and you might notice that it is made up of hydrogen and oxygen atoms, just like water, which has the chemical formula H2O. Hydrogen peroxide slowly breaks down to turn into water and oxygen gas.
Yeast contains a chemical called ‘catalase’ which speeds up this reaction. The bubbles you see in the Elephant Toothpaste are bubbles of oxygen gas made by the hydrogen peroxide breaking down. Hydrogen peroxide can cause damage to the cells in living things, like us humans and the yeast used in this activity, so many living things make the chemical ‘catalase’ to get rid of hydrogen peroxide.

Ancient science – Aboriginal technology with Belinda Huntriss

Let’s step back in time with five fascinating fast facts about how scientists date the ages of ancient artefacts, an interview with Belinda Huntriss, a Worimi woman who is passionate about sharing her knowledge of Aboriginal science and technology, and a tasty sedimentary layer activity for you to try yourself at home.
 
Written, presented, and produced by Jenny Lynch. Music by Purple Planet Music. Sound effects by Pixabay.
 
Creative Science: https://www.creativescience.com.au
Facebook: @creativescienceaustralia
Instagram: @creative_science_australia
 
Belinda Huntriss: https://freshwater-education.com/
Freshwater Education: Aboriginal education consultancy, professional development workshops, teaching resources, keynote speaker, educator mentoring
 
Books mentioned by Belinda:
Young Dark Emu – A Truer History by Bruce Pascoe 
The First Scientists by Corey Tutt
 
Episode content:
00:00 Introduction and fast facts
04:07 Deep dive into the Madjedbebe rock shelter in Arnhem Land
05:28 Interview with Belinda Huntriss
12:24 Edible sedimentary layers activity
 
Edible sedimentary layers activity instructions:
You will need: a bowl, a few spoons, a glass or tumbler, 2 or 3 biscuits or cookies of your choice, custard or chocolate pudding, chopped fruit and sprinkles.Note: You don’t have to use all of these ingredients to make the sedimentary layers. You might have some tastier ideas you’d like to try.
Place the biscuits or cookies on a chopping board or in a bowl and make biscuit crumbs by crushing the biscuits with the back of a large spoon.
Make layers of the ingredients in the glass or tumbler, by adding the ingredients one layer at a time. Start by covering the bottom of the glass with biscuit crumbs. Add a layer of custard or pudding, a layer of chopped fruit and a few sprinkles.
Repeat the layers, starting again with biscuit crumbs, and keep adding layers until you are happy with your sedimentary layer dessert.
Use a small spoon to dig into the layers and eat your dessert. You can travel back in time to a few minutes ago when you added the first layer of biscuit crumbs!
Sedimentary layers form when small pieces of rock, sand, and soil settle on top of each other. The layers can also include left over material from plants and animals. As more and more layers are buried, pressure and time causes solid rock to form, and this type of rock is called ‘sedimentary rock’.

Imagine that - brain science with Sarah Macdonald and Max Gambale

It’s time to fire up the mind with five fun and fascinating fast facts about imagination, plus some questions for Sarah Macdonald and Max Gambale, two creative people with interesting imaginations, and a visualisation and drawing activity for you to try yourself at home.
 
Written, presented, and produced by Jenny Lynch. Music by Purple Planet Music. Sound effects by Pixabay.
 
Creative Science: https://www.creativescience.com.au
Facebook: @creativescienceaustralia
Instagram: @creative_science_australia
 
Episode content:
00:00 Introduction and fast facts
03:43 Deep dive into aphantasia
04:30 Interview with Sarah Macdonald and Max Gambale
10:09 Visualisation and drawing activity
 
Visualisation and drawing activity instructions:
You will need: two pieces of paper, coloured pencils, and a banana. You don’t have to use a banana, but you will need an object that has a familiar shape and that is not too complicated to draw.
 
Hide the banana so you cannot look at it while you draw. In your mind’s eye, picture a banana in as much detail as possible. If you have aphantasia, you might be thinking of the idea of a banana and the concept that it is yellow, or maybe a bit green, and that it has a curved shape.
Draw a picture of the banana you are thinking about. Take your time to draw as much detail as possible. When you have finished your drawing, turn the paper over so you can’t see the picture.
Take the banana out of its hiding place, put it down in front of you, and look at it very carefully. Look at the colour and shape of the banana. Can you see any shadows on the banana and any markings on the skin?
Draw a picture of the banana and look at the real banana as many times as you like to try to make your drawing as realistic as possible.
When you have finished drawing the real banana, turn over the first drawing and compare your two pictures. Did you find it easier to draw a picture of a banana when you could see the real banana? Or did you find it difficult to draw all of the details?
When we picture a banana in our mind, we often see a simple image of a curved yellow shape, and maybe some black spots. Looking at a real banana reveals many details that we might not imagine in our mind. To draw a realistic picture, it also takes a lot of practice and skill to make an accurate drawing of what we are observing with our eyes.