Social Story for a family visit to the Creative Lab

I am going to come to the Creative Lab program at Melbourne Museum. I will arrive at the entry to the Creative Lab program on ground level.

I will enter an area with chairs and tables for me and my adults to wait. I will be greeted by friendly people who work at the museum.

A person called the ‘program host’ will greet me and give me a token, with a picture of an animal on it.

Some children will have the same picture of an animal as me and other children will have different pictures of animals.

The program host will then invite me to come into the Creative Lab space, where I will see an area with cushions and other children. I might not know the other children but that’s okay, they will still be friendly.

The program host will ask me to sit on the floor and I will learn what is going to happen in the ‘River to Reef’ program. When I am listening to the program host:

• I might hear sounds of water,
• I might see videos of animals,
• I might see coloured blue and green lights.

  

After the staff member has finished speaking, they will ask me to look at my token and match it to the same picture at the ‘maker’s tables’. There will be an iPad with a picture of an animal to help me find the right table. When I find my table, I will sit down with the other children. We can watch pictures of animals on the iPad to inspire my artwork.

At the end of the video, the program host will ask another staff member to explain the next activity. At the maker tables I will be asked to colour a picture of an animal. On the tables there will be a wooden tray with:

• Watercolour pens
• Brushes
• Watercolour paints
• Paper
• A sponge

I can be very creative when colouring. I can also ask my parents/guardians or the museum staff for help.

When I have finished colouring in, the staff member will ask me to move to the next area. There will be a display wall with pictures of underwater creatures and plants called a diorama. There will also be lots of items and objects made from modelling clay that will look like animals and plants that might be found in the environment.

I can display my artwork on the river to reef diorama. I can move the objects closer to my artwork to create an underwater scene.

After some time, the staff member will ask, if I would like a photo of my creation. I can also take a photo with my parents or guardian standing next to my creation if I like.

When it is time, the program host will say well done and then goodbye.

I will exit the Creative Lab program through the same door as I entered on the ground floor. It might be quieter or busier than before I came in. I will think about what I have seen and learnt in the Creative Lab program.