What If City

Onderzoekend en Ontwerpend leren tijdens de excursie: Wat Als Stad

Watch the video

Inquiry-based and Design-based Learning

During your school trip, The Discovery Factory is one big open workshop where pupils design and build buildings. We work according to the principle of inquiry-based and design-based learning (O&O). By building and experimenting, you arrive at an idea and keep developing it further.

Invent and build a new city

Together with all the pupils, we build one big city of the future. Inspired by a short film, the pupils come up with ideas by making things (design-based learning).

For this, they use several ‘workshops’ at The Discovery Factory:

Die-cutting machine and materials for cardboard structures
Scrap corner with recycled building materials
Woodwork shop with scroll saw machines
Soldering workshop for the lighting

At the end of the programme, the pupils bring all their ideas together in the scale model of the city and talk about their ideas and creations.

Want more inquiry-based and design-based learning? Take a look at our programme “Make your own invention“.

Practical information

Duration: 2.5 hours

Suitable for: all years and levels of secondary education

Group size: Maximum of 60 pupils at a time

Costs:

€25 start-up fee per group/visit.
+ €12.50 per pupil.
(For fewer than 15 pupils, we charge for 15 pupils)
optional: €1.50 per pupil for a drink and a biscuit

School visit request form

"*" indicates required fields

What is the name of your school?*

School address*

Street name and house number

School location*

Postcode and town

Would you like to book?*

I would like to book, please send a confirmation

Other

Once we receive your request, we check whether everything you asked for is possible. We then send you a confirmation or get in touch to discuss the details.

What type of education are you visiting The Discovery Factory with?*

Primary education (PO)

Special primary education (SBO)

Secondary education (VO)

Secondary vocational education (MBO)

Other

Which level?*

Basis/Kader, lower years

Basis/Kader, year 3 or 4

VMBO, lower years

VMBO, year 3 or 4

HAVO, lower years

HAVO, year 3, 4 or 5

VWO, lower years

VWO, year 3, 4 or 5

Special secondary education (VSO)

Other

Which year group(s)?*

Year group 1/2

Year group 3

Year group 4

Year group 5

Year group 6

Year group 7

Year group 8

Preferred date for your visit

DD dash MM dash YYYY

If several dates are possible, please add them under 'Other questions or comments'

Preferred start time*

Hours

Minutes

If you start in the afternoon (from 13:00), you get a €1 discount per pupil.

Number of pupils*

Please enter a number greater than or equal to 1.

Workshop capacity varies and is not unlimited. If you choose more than one workshop, groups can rotate. For fewer than 15 pupils, we still charge for 15 pupils.

Which theme/adventure would you like to experience?*

School trip (free play/discovery)

De Uitvinders Goochelen met Techniek (year group 1/2)

De Uitvinders Maken Muziek (year group 1/2/3)

De Uitvinders en De Beestenbende (year group 3/4)

De Uitvinders in Afrika (year group 4/5)

De Uitvinders en Het Grote Mensen Mysterie (year group 5/6)

De Uitvinders en Het Verborgen Oog (year group 7/8)

De Uitvinders en Het Zonnewiel (year group 7/8)

De Uitvinders van Droomstad (year group 6/7/8)

Make your own invention! (year group 6/7/8)

De Uitvinders en de Quantum Code (upper primary and secondary)

Scrap&Snap (upper primary and secondary)

Soldering and Coding (upper primary and secondary)

Other

The theme/adventure usually starts with a film to inspire the pupils. The starting fee is a one-off €25 for the booking and coffee/tea for the supervisors, plus €5.50 per pupil. (A school trip also costs a one-off €25 plus €12.50 per pupil; a school trip lasts up to 5 hours.)

Food and drink*

We would like squash for the pupils (€1.00 per pupil)

We would like squash and a snack for the pupils (€1.50 per pupil)

We will bring all our own food and drink

The snack is a biscuit or an ice cream

Which programme would you like?*

Design programme

Soldering and Coding

Scrap & Snap

Invented by Livia

Chain Reaction/Scrap

De Uitvinders en de Quantum Code

The What If City

Other

The theme/adventure usually starts with a film to inspire the pupils. The starting fee is a one-off €25 for the booking and coffee/tea for the supervisors, plus €5.50 per pupil.

De Uitvinders Maken Muziek*

All workshops

The children get to work making musical instruments. They need at least 1 supervisor (teachers and parents) for every 5 children. The staff of The Discovery Factory will instruct and support your own group supervisor(s). The cost is €4 per pupil on top of the starting fee.

Goochelen met Techniek*

All workshops

The children get to work with magnetism, transmission, air pressure, light and motion, among other things. They need at least 1 supervisor (teachers and parents) for every 5 children. The staff of The Discovery Factory will instruct and support your own group supervisor(s). The cost is €4 per pupil on top of the starting fee.

Beestenbende workshops*

Making masks (vacuum forming)

Programming workshop

Water gang (outdoors)

Den building (outdoors)

You can choose several workshops. Each lasts about an hour and costs €2 per pupil per workshop.

Africa workshops*

Woodwork workshop (with sawing machines)

Green screen workshop (max. 15 children; larger groups only combined with another workshop)

Coming up with and presenting inventions (2 hours/€3)

Water gang: giving African animals a drink (outdoors)

Building African huts (outdoors)

You can choose several workshops. Each lasts about an hour and costs €2 per pupil per workshop.

Grote Mensen Mysterie workshops*

Soldering an alarm system

Green screen workshop (max. 15 children; larger groups only combined with another workshop)

Coming up with and presenting inventions (2 hours/€4)

Building a wooden car (incl. a rally race on the Nerdy Derby track)

You can choose several workshops. Each lasts about an hour and costs €2 per pupil per workshop.

Verborgen Oog workshops*

Woodwork workshop (with sawing machines)

3D pen workshop

Green screen workshop (max. 15 children; larger groups only combined with another workshop)

Soldering a Morse code transmitter

Water gang: pumping water to the island (outdoors)

Coming up with and presenting inventions (2 hours/€3)

You can choose several workshops. Each lasts about an hour and costs €2 per pupil per workshop.

Zonnewiel workshops*

Woodwork workshop (with sawing machines)

3D pen workshop

Green screen workshop (max. 15 children; larger groups only combined with another workshop)

Soldering a buzz wire game

Building large circus wagons (outdoors, max. 15 children; larger groups only combined with another workshop)

Coming up with and presenting inventions (2 hours/€3)

You can choose several workshops. Each lasts about an hour and costs €2 per pupil per workshop.

Design theme*

Plastic soup

Architecture/school playground

Furniture

In our cinema, pupils are inspired by short films on the chosen theme. After a brainstorm with the designers of The Discovery Factory, they start designing themselves. Based on their design drawings, they build models using a range of materials and tools. In our green screen studio they interview each other. Secondary school pupils pitch their designs live to the whole group, and are encouraged to think about details such as the use of materials and marketing. Cost: €10 per pupil.

Soldering and Coding*

Soldering/Coding combination

The whole class solders real Morse code transmitters. When we are done, everyone has their own transmitter! Then it is time for programming skills. How do you translate messages and send commands in Morse code? In small groups you get to work coding and decoding. Using Morse code, you control your classmates as if they were real robots. Cost: €9.50 per pupil.

Building a city*

The What If City

Together we build a new city with all kinds of machines and materials at The Discovery Factory. Cost: €12.50 per pupil.

Scrap&Snap*

Scrap&Snap

The whole class takes old appliances apart. We discover what is inside and turn the parts into new robots. Together we programme our modern Snapmaker milling machine to make stamps with your own name. In the woodwork shop we make the handles and stamp blocks. Cost: €10 per pupil.

Invented by Livia*

Building Livia bikes (max. 20 pupils at a time)

Soldering a tilt sensor

Workshop "Designing for a disability"

After the feature film about teenager Livia, who designs a special bike for her disabled brother, we get hands-on! Pupils can build Livia's special bike and test it on a course. They can also discover how to solder an automatic indicator for a bike by rebuilding the sensor, and take the result home. In the design workshop, pupils work together to design and make an aid for a classmate who is given a particular simulated disability. Cost: starting fee plus €3.50 per workshop per pupil.

Chain Reaction/Scrap*

Chain Reaction

Scrap

Together we design and build a chain reaction track, and we turn old appliances into new works of art that you take home. Cost: starting fee plus €3 per workshop per pupil.

De Uitvinders en de Quantum Code

Feature film, cracking the code

Feature film, cracking the code and quantum viewer workshop

The feature film and the code-cracking game are the core. FREE FOR A LIMITED TIME! Optionally, you make a quantum viewer (FREE FOR A LIMITED TIME!). For primary schools, please bring 1 supervisor per 10 pupils.

Make your own invention!*

Make your own invention!

You make your own invention that makes the world better or more fun! Together, all the inventions form a world exhibition. Cost: €9.50 per pupil.

De Uitvinders van Droomstad*

De Uitvinders van Droomstad

You build your own city of the future. Cost: €9.50 per pupil.

Sponsors of The Discovery Factory

Sponsors who know that whoever has the youth, has the future.