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 school STEM 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 4 zones (MAGIC, SPACE, EXPLORER and WONDERLAND) where they will discover clues and tools needed to complete STEM inspired physical and mental puzzles.
Once all 4 zones have been successfully completed all students will return to the spaceship and work through a facilitated tech puzzle experience to complete the mission.
Make a Booking
Meet the Team in …
S
T
E
A
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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.
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.
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!
Common Questions
To check availability & make a booking requests, please use the website calendar & booking request form.
All STEM activity 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 STEM activity session can host up to 32 students and costs a flat rate of $600 + gst per session.
Schools must book at a day rate of $1800+gst with the option to run 3 sessions. There may be additional travel costs incurred for schools located +2 hours drive from Geelong.
The New World:
The New World is a school incursion experience where students can access a dynamic and engaging STEM themed challenge without the admin and logistics of a school field trip.
We bring the game to you, running STEM 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 at the school:
We require the school to provide an uninterrupted indoor space approximately the size of 1/4 netball court.
We require the school to provide one member of staff capable of assisting our Steam Train Education facilitator to unload props and push a trolley to the allocated space. We also require one member of staff to assist with the reverse process at the completion of the day.
The props/puzzles and set decorations are assembled by the Steam Train Education facilitator and the session is fully facilitated.
The New World Game:
Each class/group of students (16-32) is assigned the holistic mission by our Steam Train Education facilitator.
The class is then divided into 4 smaller teams (random or predetermined), each travelling to 1 of 4 zones in The New World with a 10-12 minute window of opportunity to locate a key component of the mission.
After each zone completion, a quick reset ensues and the groups rotate around the zones until all 4 teams have completed all 4 zones.
Each zone requires multiple steps to be achieved, using a variety of different puzzles that expose a variety of topics aimed at promoting conversation and interest in STEM themed topics.
Upon the completion of all 4 zones, our Steam Train Education facilitator will guide the class through a final 4 stage challenge using all of the information gathered during The New World exploration.
An approximate 90-100 minute session run sheet might look like:
- 15 minutes: Class arrival, welcome and briefing.
- 12-14 minutes: Zone 1
- 2 minute: Reset
- 12-14 minutes: Zone 2
- 2 minute: Reset
- 12-14 minutes: Zone 3
- 2 minute: Reset
- 12-14 minutes: Zone 4
- 18 minutes: Class technology puzzle
- 3 minute: Conclusion.
The New World experience is a STEM activity designed for Years 7-10 and can be facilitated accordingly to abilities of each group.
Our STEM activities are booked on a per-day basis with sessions facilitated over 90-100 minutes depending on your class timetable.
This allows for 3 STEM activities to be run per day over 3 double lesson periods.
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.
We are not only passionate about inspiring students to pursue STEM focussed studies and careers, but also to develop them ready for adulthood and employability. Our puzzles require engaging in the 8 core employability skills set out by the Victorian Government.
- Communication
- Teamwork
- Problem Solving
- Initiative & Enterprise
- Planning and Organising
- Self Management
- Learning
- Technology
Puzzles:
The puzzles are varied and will expose students to a broad range of STEM 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
Tools:
Students are equiped 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
Whilst technically there is no minimum number for our STEM activities, our maximum class or group size is 32 students per session.
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 4 zones 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 class challenge using all of the information they have gathered from The New World.
