Presented with Museums Victoria as part of Playbound Festival
Gowrie at The Harbour is excited to partner with Global Play Lab to host an event at the centre as part of Museum Victoria’s annual Playbound Festival.
On 16 July, The Harbour will be opening its doors to the community with an exciting experimental hands-on discovery lab called Lightscape Explorers. This interactive experience will invite children to explore light, shadow, and transparency using child-safe STEM tools like microscopes, blacklights, and projectors. Children are free to experiment with natural and recycled materials-such as stones, leaves and plastic- observing how they change and interact with different types of light.
Early Learning Manager, Sabiha, is excited for The Harbour to participate in the event, saying that there is a responsibility to share the important of open-ended play-based learning with the wider community beyond just families who attend the early learning service. “We acknowledge the diversity of our community, and the barriers families face to accessing quality early learning and care,” says Sabiha. “As such, we jumped at the opportunity to share a little bit about what we do with local families.”
Educational Leader, Philippa, says that the idea for Lightscape Explorers came about after reflecting on the box construction during last year’s Playbound event. “We observed that the open-ended nature of the play materials was easily accessible by parents to engage with their children,” says Philippa. “We wanted to offer something similar this year, but with the added complexity of light play to spark curiosity and wonder.”
In partnership with Global Play Lab, a series of digestible posters and booklets will be created for families at the event which they can take home. Educational Leader, Philippa, says that these resources will support parents/guardians in understanding both the benefits of this style of open-ended play and their vital role as a scaffolder of learning. “While children experiment, question, wonder, hypothesise and create theories, their parent or guardian can engage with the teaching materials for prompts as to how to support their child in play.”
Community engagement sits at the heart of this initiative, with importance on family participation in children’s learning. “For many of our families we are a home away from home and a place for families to gather and meet others,” says Sabiha. “We welcome any opportunity to increase opportunities for our families to engage as participants in their children’s learning.”
Details
Playbound is a 16-day family festival in the City of Melbourne. Running during the winter school holidays, the festival offers performances, workshops, crafts and activities for children aged 0 to 12 years.
Event: Lightscape Explorers
Ages: 0-6
Location: Gowrie @ The Harbour
1 Seafarer Lane, Docklands, Victoria 3008
Date & Time: Wednesday 16 July, 10am – 12pm
Cost: Free. Bookings required at www.tickettailor.com/events/globalplaylab/1686113
Website: museumsvictoria.com.au/playbound-2025/lightscape-explorers/
