Looking for a way to bring science to life in your classroom? Join the National Portrait Gallery for a special National Science Week online session designed for Years 4–8, where art, history and hands-on science experiments come together.
The National Portrait Gallery, together with special guest David Lampard (That Science Gang), invites students to take part in an energetic and interactive 45‑minute session. Students will explore portraits of three Australian scientists and discover how art can reveal what people do, how they think and what they’ve created, all brought to life through interactive activities.
Along the way, students will:
- Learn about portraits that reveal the stories of important scientific discoveries
- Understand how observation, curiosity and creativity are used in both art and science
- Recognise how everyone uses artistic and scientific thought processes every day.
About David Lampard
Creative Director of That Science Gang, David Lampard is an award-winning science communicator and theatre maker whose work spans television, live performance and education. His work brings science to life through storytelling, humour and audience participation. Lampard is the creator of popular science theatre shows including The Alphabet of Awesome Science, You Are a Doughnut, Splish Splash Science and This Show is NOT Rubbish!
Curriculum Connections
Students explore how scientific ideas are developed through inquiry, while also examining how inventions shape our lives and society. Through portrait analysis, they interpret how artists communicate identity, and stories using visual evidence to understand achievements of Australian scientists. The session supports cross-curriculum learning in Science, HASS and the Arts, while building essential skills in observation, questioning and interpretation. With a strong focus on critical and creative thinking and active participation, students gain confidence to see themselves as capable thinkers – recognising that they already use scientific thinking in their everyday lives.
Materials
All registered teachers will receive a simple list of everyday items needed for the hands-on components.
