SMART Squad: Future Makers - Build a Mini Eco-House (Sugar Valley)

Future Makers - Build a Mini Eco-House 

Calling all budding builders and eco-engineers! 

Do you know how solar panels work? What makes wind turbines generate electricity? And how can a pile of clay and straw help to keep houses cool in summer and warm in winter? 

Learn all this and more in our Future Makers: Build a Mini Eco-House program! 

Across five weeks, children will learn how STEM^ is helping to build and power the homes of the (not-too-distant) future: 

🏠 Construct a model house and get hands-on with clay and straw to build an insulated wall 

☀️Use a mini solar panel to power a motor and switch on a light 

⚡Design, build and test a wind turbine and measure the electricity generated 

🗑 Create a piece of furniture using recycled materials

🌳Decorate the eco-house and take it home to keep 

There will be plenty of time for open-ended exploration and creativity each week, so children can work at their own pace with support from the SMART Program’s expert educators. 

^STEM is an acronym for science, technology, engineering and maths 

Ages: 8-12 years (students enrolled in primary school years 3, 4, 5 & 6, including homeschool) 

When: 5 consecutive Tuesday afternoons, with drop-off from 3:45pm: 

• Tuesday 11 August | 4:00pm - 5:15pm 

• Tuesday 18 August | 4:00pm - 5:15pm

• Tuesday 25th August | 4:00pm - 5:15pm 

• Tuesday 1st September | 4:00pm - 5:15pm 

• Tuesday 8th September | 4:00pm - 5:15pm  

Location: Sugar Valley Library 156 Portland Dr, Cameron Park NSW 2285. View in maps

Cost: $125 per student (incl. GST) for the 5 sessions  
(Families enrolling 2 or more children can use discount code FAMILY#25 at checkout to receive a $25 discount) 

Host: The University of Newcastle's SMART Program and Lake Mac Libraries 

Contact: Please contact the SMART Program with any questions via 0448 846 261 or smart@newcastle.edu.au 

SMART Squad is an after-school STEM Club program from the University of Newcastle, in partnership with Lake Mac Libraries. It is made possible due to funding from the Australian Government's Maker Projects: Community STEM Engagement Grants, providing opportunities for young people in the Lake Macquarie region to engage with STEM.