Quokkavision is Scitech's brand new puppet show premiering in the July school holidays, all about our sense of sight and what happens when we perceive things differently.
Did you know that Scitech is one of the only science centres in the world to have a puppet theatre?
Puppet shows are an incredibly effective way of engaging our youngest audiences in science. By harnessing children’s imagination and sense of play through fun and interactive performances with colourful characters and memorable story lines, our science communicators are able to introduce children age three to seven and under to science concepts and how to use their senses to explore the world around them.
Scitech’s brand new puppet show Quokkavision does just that through the lens of eyesight. Premiering in the July school holidays, our visitors will meet Kylie the quokka who loves to look close up at the blue daisies on her Rottnest Island home, and Charlie the little bird who became trapped on a ferry and wants to get back to the mainland. Our science communicator and the audience will have to help Charlie get home and Kylie see the flowers better by exploring the sense of sight.
The show encourages the audience to think about how they use their sense of sight and the different ways we perceive the world, and how engaging your eyes in a variety of ways not only helps you discover and explore but is also good for your eye health. The show also introduces children to the process of eye tests and the technology that can enhance and correct our vision.
Scitech reached out to Optometry WA who put us in touch with optometrists Helen Binckes and Kristen Larson, whose expertise Theatres Coordinator Adam Bennett said was hugely valuable in developing the show.
“They showed us the different ways they test for eyesight with younger children, for example they use simple pictures for children who don’t know their letters yet to read a traditional eye chart, and talked with us about the importance of education around eye health,” he said. “Creating experiences around accessibility and inclusion is really important to us at Scitech, and I’m really excited for children who have had eye tests and wear glasses to be able to relate to the show and feel really included.”
Adam said it was great to have such an iconic Western Australian animal feature in a Scitech show for the first time.
“We worked with designers Nigel and Janet from Strange Arrangements to create the puppets for the show, and it was actually their idea to have a quokka as the lead character which we loved,” he said. “Alongside learning about their sense of sight, children will also be immersed in the flora and fauna of Rottnest Island that is so important to us here in WA.”
Head to the Scitech Discovery Centre during the July School Holidays to see Quokkavision on the Big Stage.
Scitech is a not-for-profit organisation proudly supported by the Western Australian Government through the Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation
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