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 3 March | 4:00pm - 5:15pm

Tuesday 10 March | 4:00pm - 5:15pm

Tuesday 17 March | 4:00pm - 5:15pm

Tuesday 24 March | 4:00pm - 5:15pm

Tuesday 31 March | 4:00pm - 5:15pm

Location: Toronto Library, tirrabiyangba, Corner Brighton Ave and Pemell St, Toronto 2283  View in Google Maps

Can’t make it to Toronto in Term 1? The same program will run at the following libraries later in the year:

Term 2 – Windale Library

Term 3 – Sugar Valley Library
Term 4 – To be advised

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.

Contact the host of SMART Squad: Future Makers - Build a Mini Eco-House (Toronto)