Australian Adventures: Day 21: Thursday April 2

My terrible paper rocket

We didn't go to school today but before you scold, it was because we had Questacon training. See, the term ends next week, which means that the last week we are here, school will be out on break (or holiday, as they call it). So instead we will be working at a place called Questacon, which is the National Science and Technology Center. For those of you who have been to Impressions 5, it's basically a hands on science museum. Our job will be helping in 4 different areas: the Science Time room or the Japan Theater, both of which put on different science shows for kids, depending on their age, helping with the paper rocket exhibit outside, or busking. Busking is somewhat like street performing; we're putting on small shows in the lobby area for kids to participate in. Possibly my favorite side show is the Dr. Scar kit. This is where we get to give the kids scars and black eyes, using make-up of course, and we talk to them about blood and cells and how they work.

We took turns practicing on each other and ourselves

Another one of our body-based shows includes Mr. Seymour Guts, where we "dissect" a dummy and talk to the kids about the different names and jobs of all our organs. We also have a music cart and a colored milk cart, where we play with a lot of colors and instruments and show the kids how science helps create them. A crowd favorite is the astronauts. This really just includes putting on space suits and taking pictures with kids, occasionally discussing the aspects of space.

Once we had been fully inducted (including awesome badges and key cards) we grabbed some lunch at the cafe then made our way to the Parliament House. The building is seriously huge.

There are 4500 rooms, including a travel agent, a bank, a hair salon, a florist, a pool, and a gym. There are 17 courtyards. It took 8 1/2 years to build and is supposed to last 200 years.