National Science Week in the North East

National Science Week is occurring from 14 to 22 August, and several neighbourhood houses in the North East have received grants from Inspiring Victoria to deliver fun, informative and interactive activities!

Play, Make, Sow Day | Greenhills Neighbourhood House

Greenhills will be running a play and make day, presenting practical and fun ways that families and the broader community can be involved in sustainability. Activities will include 'messy play' facilitated by the childcare staff which will include open ended nature play, recycled craft and simple gardening activities.

There will be a series of workshops, aimed to encourage repair and reuse through visible mending, including sewing demonstrations by the local Boomerang bag group, as well as a workshop on harvesting winter vegetables and simple pest reduction techniques.

Bee Friendly | Whittlesea Community House

This 'Bee Friendly' activity will education community about the importance of caring for our environment and biodiversity, and will facilitate connections to the Whittlesea community garden. An experienced facilitator will deliver a presentation all about native bees, suitable habitats and gardening environments (including the use of pesticides and organic sprays), buzz pollination, selecting bee friendly plants, and working towards increasing native bee and insect populations locally. Participants will have the chance to build 'bee hotels', which will be installed in the community garden and their homes.

Eco-dyeing 101 Using Neighbourhood Plants and Flowers | Alphington Community Centre

This workshop will teach community members how to dye natural materials such as wool, silk and cotton using plants and flowers from the immediate neighbourhood. It's fun, sustainable, responsible, has a low carbon footprint, and is a process jam packed with science. The workshop includes a neighbourhood walk to explore plants and flowers that could be good for future projects.