Education

The appeal of our exhibitions is universal. Each exhibition comprises high quality educational materials and presents opportunities for innovative and engaging public programming. To request a sample summarised copy of one of the below books, please send a request to our team via our Contacts form.

Primary Physics: The principles behind Leonardo’s science

The principles behind Leonardo’s science is the official educational publication accompanying the Da Vinci Machines exhibition.
M.Ellen, A. Davies, Sunshine Education, Bellevue Hill, NSW, 2007
The Educational Supplement and Primary Physics book have been designed to give teachers and students the opportunity to experience some of the excitement and sense of achievement of taking on tasks that will challenge them and stretch what they think they can do.

Building a working model based on the ideas of Leonardo da Vinci will stimulate the imagination, be rewarding and will be fun. The lessons and activities are based on the interactive machines and displays in the exhibition and have been specifically adapted to sequentially build up an understanding of how physics principles form the basis of Leonard’s scientific investigations.
Suitable for ages 8 to adult and ideal for S.T.E.M / S.T.E.A.M (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Mathematics) learning.

The principles behind Leonardo’s science was awarded the prestigious Moonbeam Children’s Book Award in the Activity Book category. Supported by The Science Foundation for Physics.

Primary Physics: The principles behind Roman Machines

The principles behind Roman Machines is the official educational publication accompanying the Ancient Rome / Julius Caesar exhibition.
M.Ellen, A. Davies, Sunshine Education, Bellevue Hill, NSW, 2012
The Educational Supplement and Primary Physics book have been designed to give teachers and students the opportunity to experience some of the excitement and sense of achievement of taking on tasks that will challenge them and stretch what they think they can do.

Building a working model of a battering ram or a rolling tower out of paddlepop sticks, rubber bands and the like will stimulate the imagination and the joy of human simplicity. The book brings together the fundamental lessons of physics and links them together with models of the Roman machines. The lessons have been specifically adapted to sequentially build up an understanding of how physics principles apply to the operation of the Roman machines in the exhibition.

Suitable for ages 8 to adult and ideal for S.T.E.M / S.T.E.A.M (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Mathematics) learning.

Activities

A major part of our interactive exhibitions revolves around engaging visitors with hands on experiments and activities. As Leonardo da Vinci himself once said: “Experience is the father of learning”. We are pleased to make available some of the most popular activities from our exhibitions for personal use, Have fun!

Make your own Da Vinci Parachute

Step 1: Cut the parachute out (along the thick black outer lines)
Step 2: Fold the parachute along the thin red lines
Step 3: Glue the “glue here” tab underneath the opposite side (the alternate point C)
Step 4: Punch or cut holes in the circles labelled A, B, C & D (note that both “C circles” should line up to form 1 hole)
Step 5: Cut 4 strings into lengths of 12 inches or 30cms and tie them to the corner holes
Step 6: Tie the loose ends of the 4 strings together (you can add a paperclip or small weight to the knot for extra weight)
Step 7: Let it go!

Make your own Da Vinci Glider

Assembly:
Print on heavyweight (250gsm) A4 paper or glue to light card paper. Cut along the solid lines, including the slots in the sides of the body (this will require a craft knife).
Fold along dotted lines. For best results, scoring or creasing the fold lines is recommended.
Stick the parts together using double sided tape (recommended) or glue.

Flight:
Launch gently, with the nose pointed slightly downward.

Archimedes Stomachion Puzzle

Designed by the famous scientist Archimedes during the Hellenistic era (323 – 31BC), the Stomachion is a mathematical puzzle game that teaches players about spatial relationships. On a more advanced level, the Stomachion is an example of a branch of advanced mathematics called combinatorics.

The game is to cut out the coloured shapes and try to rebuild the perfect square. Archimedes found 536 different ways to reassemble the pieces
into a perfect square. How many can you find?
(Pro tip: try turning some of the pieces coloured side down to add an extra element of difficulty!)

 

Roman Board game (Simple Merels)

History:
This is a simple version of the ancient Roman game merels, also known as nine mans morris. A board for playing this simple version of the games was discovered at the Roman fort Segedunum in Newcastle, England.

The Rules:
Merels is a game for two players in which the players take turns to place one of their three coloured tokens onto an unoccupied circle on the game board. The first player to get three of their tokens in a straight line wins the game. Once all the tokens have been placed by the players, they take turns moving one of their tokens to an adjoining vacant position. If a player cannot move any of their tokens, they must pass.

Duration:
A game of simple merels takes approximately 5 to 10 minutes to play

For all exhibition and hosting inquiries

Thomas Rizzo
Director of Traveling Exhibitions
(Melbourne, Australia)