Whirlwind of excitement, learning and fun − Fun Palace 2018

Laura Ellul participated in the Fun Palace 2018 Professional Development event at State Library of Queensland (State Library) from 3 – 7 October 2018. 

My Fun Palace work placement experience by Laura Ellul – Mackay Regional Council 

Travelling to the 2018 Fun Palace was a whirlwind of excitement, learning and fun. The day was filled with action packed activities intended to light the imagination and creativity of participants on fire. For the first half of the day, my vantage point was from the Steampunk LED station. Here I assisted children as young as seven assemble a gear operated, light up device powered by a Joule thief circuit. Even though this was a very fiddly, hands on activity which required (a lot) of adult help, each participant walked away with a smile and a working Steampunk LED device. I found this activity just as challenging as the young participants and left with a surprising new confidence in myself to assemble a simple electronic device.

For the second half of the day I was able to assist with various other activities which allowed me to see some of the incredible creations that participants had been making. There were ingenious flying devices being flown in the Aerodynamic Wind Tunnel, children running around with hydraulic powered Cardboard Claws and the State Library was even getting a makeover in Minecraft. There was too much going on for me to see, but everyone was having a blast. Overall, the 2018 Fun Palace was a fast paced, exciting day that I am proud to have been a part of.

About the author

Laura Ellul is Young People's Services Library Assistant at Mackay Regional Council.