Technology has become the core of most education.
But for the first time, children visiting the National Museum of Australia can make their own 'time-travelling robots' and explore a mystery place from Australia's history.
Years of work and months of trialling have made the museum's new Kspace, designed for children aged five to 12, ready for the school holidays.
Teams use giant touch screens to build their robots with a photo of themselves, then blast back to one of eight scenes.
It could be back to the 1930s, when the Sydney Harbour Bridge was being built, or to the Victorian goldfields in 1854, or even back to when dinosaurs roamed the lands.
They then have to work together to complete a mission, before they learn about the scene they had visited and send home a postcard.
Project manager and executive producer Karina West said the experience is an upgrade of the museum's old Kspace 1.0, which was entertaining but not quite educational.
"What we really wanted to do with this new facility for kids was to make that balance between talking about Australian history and it being fun really strong," she said.
"As far as we are aware, there is nothing like this in Australia, and I think we are trying to offer something that kids don't do at home, by being on site and playing with friends rather than on their iPads at home playing alone."
Curtin Primary School year 5 student Hannah Hardy said she learned a lot about how the Sydney Harbour Bridge was built.
"It was really fun and unique, I've never ever ever been to anything like it. It was fun travelling back in time, and to learn while also having a lot of fun," she said.
While many experts worked on the project – including a full-time curator – children's feedback also influenced the decision process, said National Museum director Dr Matthew Trinca.
"It's a great introduction for kids to the rest of the museum, because there is nothing like a museum to make you wonder and be amazed about what it means to be human and to live in this country," Dr Trinca said.
- General admission to Kspace is free, and costs $3 a head for school groups. Sessions take to 30 minutes and can be repeated with different scenes. Open seven days, 9am-5pm.
