Education Workshops at Fed Square
My Patch My City
Presented by Fed Ed and Artillery Interior Architecture
My Patch My City is a fun model-making workshop exploring the relationship between design, sustainability, communities and future cities. Children construct their own ‘patches’ for the city from a wide range of raw and recycled materials. As the workshop progresses, patches are pieced together to form a vibrant cityscape reflecting the amazing diversity and creative ideas of the group.This Education Week activity is presented by Fed Ed with the support of the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development.
Where: Deakin Edge
When: Thursday 23 May, 9.30am – 11.30am and 12pm – 2pm
Duration: 2 hours
Recommended Age: Years 4 – 6
Price: Free
Bookings: feded@fedsquare.com
Please note: This event is fully booked. Please email if you wish to be on the waiting list.
The Power of the Voice
As part of Fed Square’s month-long, free program The Light in Winter, Faye Muir and Mandy Nicholson from the Victorian Corporation for Languages will lead a fire-side workshop. They will share their knowledge of the Boonwurrung and Wurundjeri traditions to connect students to the country they live on, listening for its power through the voice of the land – expressed in language, stories and song.
Visual artist Anu Patel has created an exciting response to the lines, curves and spirals of the Helix Tree in her lantern designs this year. Students will have the opportunity to collaboratively design a lantern for their school from a series of stunning components created by Anu. Students will be guided to express their connection between self and the environment in the unique way they assemble the interlocking lantern shapes.
Classes will receive a framed photo of their creation and be invited to take part in the Solstice Celebration on 22 June, from 5pm – 8pm.
Where: The Square
When: Thursday 6 + 20 June, 10.30am -1pm or 1pm – 3.30pm FULLY BOOKED
Duration: 2.5 hours
Recommend Ages: Years 4-8
No. of students: Maximum 30 per workshop (schools may book more than one workshop)
Price: $5 per student
Bookings: feded@fedsquare.com
The Voice of the People
As part of Fed Square’s month-long, free program The Light in Winter, this special guided tour in June will focus on the Helix Tree as a symbol of life. Students will be introduced to the significant and original work of art created by light artist Bruce Ramus. Students will also visit the The Light in Winter’s Indigenous campfire. This tour will highlight Fed Square as a democratic and civic space, and how the voices of many people and groups are represented or expressed.
Where: The Square
When: Monday – Friday, 1 – 30 June
Duration: 1 hour
Recommend Ages: Primary + Secondary
Price: $5 per student
Bookings: feded@fedsquare.com
Shaping a Democracy
Fed Square provides a meeting place for communities to gather and have their voice heard in times of both celebration and protest. Since Fed Square opened on 26 October 2002, it has hosted close to 17,000 events of significance, including Sorry Day and a visit by the Queen. In this fieldwork experience, students will explore the factors that led to Federation and learn about recent experiences of democracy and citizenship.
Where: Fed Square precinct
When: Monday – Friday, throughout the Semester
Duration: 1 hour
Age: Year 6
Price: $5 per student
Bookings: feded@fedsquare.com
Patterning the Square
Federation Square is festooned with a crazy swarm of triangles seemingly random, but generated by a simple algorithm, first described by Princeton Mathematician John Conway. In this workshop, students will break the code, unlock the pinwheel grid and in the process explore the language of symmetry and aperiodic/periodic tessellation.
Where: The Atrium or Deakin Edge
When: Monday – Friday, throughout the Semester
Duration: 1 hour
Age: Year 7
Price: $5 per student
Bookings: feded@fedsquare.com
Circle the Square Tours
Circle the Square is Federation Square’s tour for schools and explores the themes surrounding Fed Square’s role as Melbourne’s dynamic city square including: public spaces, community, cultural events, and interpretations of Fed Square’s distinctive architecture, design and history. With so many events and activities held at Fed Square, each tour provides a different experience and makes a great addition to your Melbourne city school excursion or camp. Fed Ed tours can be tailored to suit the needs of your group. See the following descriptions for examples of subject-specific tours.
Where: Fed Square precinct
When: Monday – Friday, throughout the Semester
Duration: 1 hours
Age: All ages
Price: $5 per student
Bookings: feded@fedsquare.com
Circle the Square – History
This tour focuses on Australian history, drawing links between the coming together of Australia’s colonies at Federation in 1901 and the modern-day coming together of Melbournians at Federation Square. Bridging past and present, students take a journey where they will encounter the stories of the people who once lived and worked on the land where Federation Square now stands, including in its past incarnations as an Indigenous camp site, telegraph office, morgue and train station. Touching on Indigenous history, colonial settlement, the gold rush and Federation, this tour evokes the connection between memory and place and brings our history to life.
Circle the Square – Sustainability
A guided tour of Federation Square’s unique architecture and complex engineering will give students an understanding of the site’s civic unity and cultural space. Students will learn about the two-stage design competition to redevelop the precinct, investigate the site’s environmental sustainability practices and de-code the iconic fractal façade.
Circle the Square – Visual Art & Poetry
Treading the Square gives students the chance to explore Carter’s artwork Nearamnew in an interactive and creative way using the technique of ‘Headstone rubbing’. Using thick tracing paper laid over the stonework, students trace lines of the text using chalk, charcoal or wax. The poems they create can then be displayed as living poems from the Square.
