Matter Lab
Can your team build with Moon dust?
Moonbase Alpha has to make what it needs from Moon dust. Pairs test brick recipes for lunar concrete, find out what dissolves in water, filter dirty water for reuse, sort the base's waste for recycling and composting, melt water from icy regolith and log a core sample like a Mars rover.
Years 5–6 + HPGE
Hands-on
Investigations
Inquiry Based
Primary School Workshops
Customise
Your
Experience
What's In Matter Lab?
A Moonbase Alpha mission dome for Years 5–6 and HPGE. Teams take on the dome's missions with challenge cards and report whether their dome is safe.
Every session opens with an alert from Moonbase Alpha, and ends with the crew reporting whether their dome is safe.
Inside · pairs · fair test
Inside · pairs · fair test
Inside · pairs
Inside · pairs
Inside · pairs
Inside · pairs
Year Levels
Years 5–6 + HPGE
Duration
60 or 90 minutes
Group Size
Up to 32
Price (incl GST)
$690 (60 min)
$21.56 per student
$790 (90 min)
$24.69 per student
Differentiated challenge cards matched to your class
Choose experiences to match your class interests
Predict, test, observe and explain
THE CRAZY SCIENTIST DIFFERENCE
Multiple Investigations. Learning Matched to Every Stage
Differentiated challenges and syllabus-connected learning across the workshop.
Explore the learning at your stage.
Stage 3 — Matter Lab
Stage 3 cards challenge teams to work out how a Moon base could make, reuse and recover the materials it needs, and to back each decision with evidence.
Relevant NSW Science & Technology outcomes (2024)
Every group works from a Stage 3 challenge card written for these outcomes.
✓ ST3-PQU-01 — A fixed amount of usable matter makes up all the material on Earth
Pose questions to determine whether substances dissolve in water by identifying variables and conducting and evaluating fair tests
✓ ST3-SCI-01 — A fixed amount of usable matter makes up all the material on Earth
Explain how recyclable, reusable, renewable, biodegradable and compostable materials enhance sustainability
✓ ST3-SCI-01 — A fixed amount of usable matter makes up all the material on Earth
Investigate ways to collect and process waste to reduce pollution or increase the sustainable use of materials
✓ ST3-SCI-01 — Our solar system is a part of one of billions of galaxies in the Universe
Research how living things can travel and survive in space
✓ ST3-DDT-01 — Design processes explore opportunities and develop solutions
Develop design ideas to build a prototype using design criteria
See the Science in Action
LEARNING BEYOND THE WOW
What Students learn & How We Support Teachers
What Your Students Will Learn
Differentiated challenges and syllabus-connected learning across the workshop.
Differentiated challenges and syllabus-connected learning across the workshop.
Differentiated challenges and syllabus-connected learning across the workshop.
Differentiated challenges and syllabus-connected learning across the workshop.
Differentiated challenges and syllabus-connected learning across the workshop.
Differentiated challenges and syllabus-connected learning across the workshop.
How we support teachers
Challenge cards for every stage, used by
students during the session.
Classroom follow-up experiments to keep the learning going
Risk assessment, Working With Children Check and public liability insurance details, sent before your visit
Thinking skills students practise
READY TO BOOK?
Workshop Requirements & Bookings
Everything You Need to Know
Up to 32 students per session
Group Size
60 or 90 minutes
Session Time
A classroom with tables for 16 pairs. Everything runs inside.
Space & Setup
All materials, equipment, safety glasses and stage challenge cards.
What we Provide
“Want something to take home? Ask about our take-home extras when you enquire.”
Enquire About This Workshop
30+ Years Teaching Science
Experienced science teacher designing activities that keep children engaged, involved and learning.
We Bring Everything
Experiments, equipment and materials come with us — you just provide the space and the kids.
Tailored to Your School
Activities are adjusted to suit your class’s stage
Fast Availability Reply
Tell us your preferred date and we’ll get back to you with availability, packages and suitable extras.
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