Meet Nicola - The Science of Play Teacher/Consultant
Mum, teacher, rollerskater & travel enthusiast!
Hello!
My name is Nicola, and I’m a creative and passionate Early Childhood Teacher with 25 years of experience in language and literacy development. I hold a Master of Education (Language & Literacy), a Graduate Certificate in Learning Difficulties, and a Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood Education.
I believe play is powerful—it nurtures relationships, relieves stress, and boosts happiness. Most importantly, play is essential for developing children’s communication and language skills along with imagination, decision-making, and problem-solving abilities. Play also offers a natural way to integrate curriculum content, vocabulary, and world knowledge - particularly when related to rich and engaging texts.
I’ve developed a range of uniquely curated incursions that I would love to facilitate in your school or early learning centre - sharing my passion for play and language development with your kiddies!
Warmly,
Nicola J ✨
The Science of Play Mission
Our Mission is to put the power of play back into early childhood education.
Play builds empathy, creativity, cognition & communication skills.
At The Science of Play, we offer a variety of engaging workshops designed to foster creativity and critical thinking in children. Our hands-on activities encourage exploration and collaboration, ensuring that learning the curriculum is both fun and engaging. Join us to discover how play can enhance your students educational journey.
The Science of Play Incursions
Grandpa's Attic - history & english
pop culture & Technology Over time- History & the arts
pop culture & Technology Over time- History & the arts
Discover what is inside old suitcases that were found in grandpa's attic. Students will explore and wonder - What were they used for? What are they made of? How were they made? Do we still use these items today? Comparisons between items from the past and present will also be investigated.
COST: $10 per student (plus GST)
Minimum 2 x 1 hour incursions booked on same day (same incursion).
pop culture & Technology Over time- History & the arts
pop culture & Technology Over time- History & the arts
pop culture & Technology Over time- History & the arts
What did children do for fun in the past? How did they communicate with each other? Students will journey back in time and discover the music, dances, technology, clothing and popular trends/toys/games from the past. If you want to smile, laugh and learn some dance moves, this incursion will have you and your students learning some simple dance routines/styles to music from other eras!
COST: $10 per student (plus GST)
Minimum 2 x 1 hour incursions booked on same day (same incursion).
High Tea with Henrietta - history
pop culture & Technology Over time- History & the arts
Sensory Sea Experience - science & english
Students will be invited to Henrietta's High Tea Party and be involved in preparing and setting up a simple high tea. Cucumber sandwiches, peppermint or green tea will be prepared by the students. They will set the table and delight in sipping tea out of delicate tea cups and eating off Henrietta's fine china!
This incursion is ideal for a special occasion or activity groups for older students.
COST: $12 per student (plus GST)
Minimum 2 x 1 hour incursions booked on same day (same incursion).
Sensory Sea Experience - science & english
Australian Animal adventures - science, art & english
Sensory Sea Experience - science & english
Students will have the sensory experience of touching, seeing...and smelling sea creatures (purchased fresh/frozen from a local fish monger). Surprised squeals of delightful, or disgustful discoveries will be heard as the students explore body parts, coverings, and adaptations. Featured sea creatures include: Blue Manna Crab, a medium sized fish, octopus and other depending on availability. Water play including pollution threats to these ocean creatures (plastic pollution, oil spills, large net fishing) will add a conservation element to the experience. Students will conclude the workshop by drawing and labelling a sea animal.
COST: $12 per student (plus GST)
Minimum 2 x 1 hour incursions booked on same day (same incursion).
Panda Sanctuary - science & english
Australian Animal adventures - science, art & english
Australian Animal adventures - science, art & english
Everyone loves pandas! Learn about these lovable and playful mammals by role-playing being a panda scientist/carer and learning facts about them. Where are they from? What do they eat? Why are they endangered? The panda scientists/carers also have to have a break so a Chinese restaurant play centre will also be set up for the students to role play. A story book about pandas will be read and teacher follow up language, literacy and art lessons provided.
COST: $10 per student (plus GST)
Minimum 2 x 1 hour incursions booked on same day (same incursion).
Australian Animal adventures - science, art & english
Australian Animal adventures - science, art & english
Australian Animal adventures - science, art & english
Australia is home to a variety of unique and fascinating flora and fauna. Students will learn about native Australian animals including their habitats, adaptations, body coverings and body parts along with how the indigenous seasons influence the plants and animals. All experiences are not with live animals. Teachers may select a focus animal e.g. Koala's and create a class book together by painting pictures to go along with the story provided and look after the Koalas in a play Koala Sanctuary. Or students can be taken on a bird observation hunt to find out what native birds live nearby and then paint them to create a class book.
COST: $10 per student (plus GST)
Minimum 2 x 1 hour incursions booked on same day (same incursion).
Betty O'Barley on the Farm - coming soon - english, science, the arts
Have you ever attended a scarecrows' wedding? Students will be engaged in helping to make preparations for Betty O'Barley's wedding. This incursion includes reading of the story, The Scarecrows' Wedding by Julia Donaldson, learning a simple barn dance, crafting the animals from the story and making Mr Hay - Betty's groom. At an additional cost teachers can be given all the tools and advice needed to create an assembly item based on this project which can align with the Royal Show Scarecrow competition.
COST: $10 per student (plus GST)
Minimum 2 x 1 hour incursions booked on same day (same incursion).
an African adventure - science, english, the arts
Meet Geraldine Giraffe as she takes your students on an African adventure to learn about African animals, body coverings and special features. Students will also role-play living in a traditional African village, wearing fabric 'chitenge' skirts, carrying baby dolls on their backs, shopping at the market that will be set up, carrying food in baskets on their heads and dancing and playing musical instruments. The properties of African artefacts will be explored and discussed: including describing colours, patterns, materials used and purpose of artefacts. Related texts: Handa's Surprise, Giraffe's Can't Dance, Handa's Eggs.
COST: $10 per student (plus GST)
Minimum 2 x 1 hour incursions booked on same day (same incursion).