Escape the Predictable.
‘The New World’ – What is it?
We partnered with the best escape room Melbourne has for school excursions and created The New World – an ‘escape room’ inspired activity facilitated at your school by Steam Train Education staff.
What will students do?
Students take on a shared mission to complete an objective by following a trail of clues and solving a series of STEM topic puzzles.
They must work as a class and as smaller organised groups focussing on teamwork, observation, communication, creative thinking and problem solving.
What sort of puzzles will they complete?
Students race against the clock whilst visiting 2 hemispheres from our themes (MAGIC, SPACE, EXPLORER and WONDERLAND). There they will discover clues and tools needed to complete STEM inspired physical and mental puzzles.
Once two hemispheres have been successfully completed all students will return to the spaceship and work together as a larger group on a tech-puzzle experience to complete the mission.
Meet the Team in …
S
T
E
A
M
TOM HUDSON
Tom is the owner and founder of The Mystery Rooms. He has a varied professional background with experience in Vocational Education, Investment Banking, Fitness, Travel, Coding and Escape Room Building.
Outside of work his passions include expeditions and outdoor survival. Tom’s previous expeditions include a 500 day (30,000km) bicycle trip and a 100 day row across The North Atlantic Ocean. He currently holds a Guinness World Record for the furthest distance rowed at sea in 24 hours.
Tom is passionate about STEM activities because he believes that students with industry-relevant skills and a care for our environment will ultimately transform us from living ‘on’ our planet, to living ‘with’ our planet.
TOM
DESIGNER & BUILDER
SAM
PROGRAM MANAGER
SAM WHITE
Sam has facilitated school groups in a variety of programs since 2002. This has included sports and athletics coaching, adventure activity instructing and as an expedition leader.
Sam currently facilitates STEM activities for school excursions. He delivers engaging incursions and workshops for Primary and Secondary schools and professional development workshops for teachers and parents.
Sam loves getting out into nature, exploring the many awesome places Australia has to offer by foot, MTB and Kayak. Outside of these pursuits, Sam enjoys reading sci-fi and fantasy novels, creating and listening to music, and learning about sustainable ways to live.
Our Approach to Interdisciplinary Learning!
The New World is designed to deliver interdisciplinary learning by combining the philosophy of STEM and the curriculum objectives of General Capabilities in one activity.
The New World session is tailored for students in Grades 5-8. It integrates the Victorian Curriculum’s capabilities areas of Critical and Creative Thinking and Personal and Social Capability seamlessly. Working through the puzzles, students are prompted to think critically as they analyse clues, infer connections, and formulate hypotheses, fostering their problem-solving skills. Moreover, engaging in collaborative investigation encourages social interaction and teamwork, nurturing their ability to communicate effectively, resolve conflicts, and respect diverse perspectives.
As students work together, they not only enhance their cognitive abilities but also develop empathy and understanding, as they navigate various social dynamics within the group. This immersive experience not only ignites their imagination and curiosity but also cultivates essential life skills necessary for personal growth and success in an interconnected world.
The boundaries for learning are infinite but to get students onboard the Steam Train, we understand that our activities must first capture the imagination!
Challenge Accepted!
What is STEAM Education?
The individual pillars of STEM Education (Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics) have appeared in school curriculums for decades, but with the exponential development in industry demands it just isn’t enough for employees to succeed with a learn, copy, repeat approach.
The fundamental principles of STEM Education are not only to reference at least two pillars but to engage students in activities where their own exploration, curiosity and critical thinking ultimately take them to an outcome that is not limited to a predetermined conclusion. Especially a conclusion that has been fixed and documented in the past.
Through the growing philosophy of STEAM (the inclusion of Arts) we can now raise engagement in the core STEM principles by delivering ideas through creative, artistic and expressive platforms for learning.
We look forward to working with you soon!
Common Questions
To check availability & make a booking requests, please e-mail tom@steamtrain.education
All booking costs are required to be settled within 10 business days of invoice and at least 48 hours prior to an event, whichever comes first.
A single session can host up to 32 students with prices starting from just $400 + gst per session.
Schools can book one or two groups simultaneously in a session, with the possibility of running three sessions per day. There may be additional travel costs incurred for schools located +2 hours drive from Geelong.
Prices are per session, whereby the cheapest applicable rate will be applied to all groups per day.
The New World:
The New World is a school incursion experience where students can access a dynamic and engaging interdisciplinary learning challenge without the admin and logistics of a school field trip.
We bring the game to you, running general capabilities activites over 90-100 minute windows to suit all school class schedules.
Our skilled facilitators not only have a strong background in building and operating escape rooms, but are also educators and facilitators in their own right.
Upon Arrival:
We require the school to provide an uninterrupted indoor space approximately the size of 1/4 netball court.
Each group of students is assigned the holistic mission by our Steam Train Education facilitator.
The group is then divided into 4 smaller teams (random or predetermined), each travelling to 2 hemispheres in The New World, with further time dedicated to preparation, reflection and skills training. The activity concludes with a facilitator-led class process to complete the mission.
The New World experience is a interdisciplinary learning activity designed for Grades 5-8 and can be facilitated accordingly to abilities of each group.
We run tailored version of the activity for Primary students at Grades 5-6 and Middle School students at Grades 7-8.
The New World fits seamlessly into both General Capabilities programs and STEM projects, presenting a broad range of relevant topics and testing capabilities:
- Critical Thinking: Sharpen your analytical skills by deciphering clues, solving puzzles, and unravelling mysteries.
- Collaboration: Foster teamwork and cooperation as you work with fellow participants to tackle challenges and accomplish shared goals.
- Problem-Solving: Cultivate resilience and adaptability by confronting obstacles head-on and developing innovative solutions.
- Communication: Hone your verbal and non-verbal communication skills through effective interaction with team members and facilitators.
- Creativity: Unleash your imagination and think outside the box to devise unique strategies and approaches to overcome obstacles.
- Time Management: Learn the importance of prioritisation and resource allocation as you race against the clock to complete tasks
- Self-Confidence: Build confidence in your abilities as you overcome challenges and achieve success through perseverance and determination.
- Leadership: Identify and nurture leadership qualities by taking initiative, delegating tasks, and inspiring others to excel.
- Respect and Empathy: Cultivate a culture of inclusivity, understanding, and empathy towards fellow participants, fostering a supportive and harmonious environment.
- Reflection and Growth: Engage in introspection and self-reflection to identify areas for improvement and set actionable goals for personal and academic growth beyond the experience.
Our workshops are booked either one group or two groups simultaneously, facilitated over 90-100 minutes depending on your class timetable.
This allows for 3 sessions to be run per day over 3 double lesson periods.
A group is between 16-32 students and schools may combine classes to save on session costs. For example, two simultaneous groups allows for up to 64 students, allowing some schools to divide 3 classes between 2 groups.
Combining the minds of Steam Train Education and The Mystery Rooms we have produced an engaging STEM activity in the framework of an ‘escape room’ inspired game.
The New World is an immersive workshop designed to foster critical and creative thinking skills while enhancing students personal and social capabilities through collaborative problem-solving and inquiry. This includes:
- Critical Thinking: Sharpen your analytical skills by deciphering clues, solving puzzles, and unravelling mysteries.
- Collaboration: Foster teamwork and cooperation as you work with fellow participants to tackle challenges and accomplish shared goals.
- Problem-Solving: Cultivate resilience and adaptability by confronting obstacles head-on and developing innovative solutions.
- Communication: Hone your verbal and non-verbal communication skills through effective interaction with team members and facilitators.
- Creativity: Unleash your imagination and think outside the box to devise unique strategies and approaches to overcome obstacles.
- Time Management: Learn the importance of prioritisation and resource allocation as you race against the clock to complete tasks
- Self-Confidence: Build confidence in your abilities as you overcome challenges and achieve success through perseverance and determination.
- Leadership: Identify and nurture leadership qualities by taking initiative, delegating tasks, and inspiring others to excel.
- Respect and Empathy: Cultivate a culture of inclusivity, understanding, and empathy towards fellow participants, fostering a supportive and harmonious environment.
- Reflection and Growth: Engage in introspection and self-reflection to identify areas for improvement and set actionable goals for personal and academic growth beyond the experience.
The puzzles are varied and will expose students to a broad range of topics and observations. Though no prior knowledge of these topics are required, the puzzles will raise learning/discussion in such topics that include:
- Invisible Light Spectrums
- Light Refraction, Reflection and Absorption
- Magnetic Properties of Metals
- Radio Waves
- Mechanical Systems
- Electrical Engineering Sensors
- Magnetic Locks
- Navigation
- Binary & Decimal Conversions
Students are equipped with a range of tools to assist them in their mission. Such examples include:
- Endoscope
- Compass
- UV torch
- RGB torch
- Stud Finder
- Digital Tuner
- Magnets
In addition students will have tech exposure to hardware that includes:
- PCB
- Arduino
- Gyroscope
- Reed switches
- RFID
- Wifi router
- Sound sensors
- Neo-pixels
- MP3 Modules
We can facilitate one or two groups of students simultaneously onsite (in separate rooms or one larger space).
Though class sizes are often capped at 24 students, we can facilitate up to 32 students in a single session, allowing you to combine classes and save on session costs.
This allows up to 64 students on a single session of two groups, or a maximum of 192 students within a day (3 sessions of 2 groups).
Equivalent per student price starting from just $12.50 (ex GST)
Within the experience, students are divided into 4 smaller teams of between 4-8 (depending on the class size).
All students participate in the session simultaneously, with each team completing two hemispheres exposing them to a varied selection of puzzles and challenges.
For the final stage of the mission our Steam Train Education facilitator will guide the group through a larger group challenge using all of the information they have gathered from The New World.
