About Us
Bubble Dome is a niche children’s educational publishing company founded in 2000 by Rebecca Merle. Rebecca is a former primary school teacher, with two degrees in education and design.
The development of writing and thinking skills resources for primary schools is one of the company’s main areas of expertise. In New Zealand Bubble Dome also runs computer- based school holiday courses, after-school extension workshops, in-school extension workshops, and training workshops for teachers.
Writing and Thinking Skills Resources
Bubble Dome designs writing and thinking skills resources for children aged from five to eleven years of age and works in collaboration with world renowned author and lateral thinker Dr Edward de Bono, whose 67 books have been translated into 38 languages. The leading international authority on conceptual and creative thinking, Dr Edward de Bono was the originator of the popular Six Thinking Hats Method and the term ‘lateral thinking’.
The Writing Adventures product is a unique resource designed to develop children’s high-level thinking skills through the use of unusual characters and lateral thinking activities. Bubble Dome uses the latest in 3D computer graphics to illustrate Writing Adventures. The Bubble Dome website and supporting animations link directly into the content of the Writing Adventures cards.
Each Writing Adventures set relates to a different primary school level with a corresponding reading age that makes the cards easy for children to work from independently within a classroom environment.
NEW ZEALAND INFORMATION
Bubble Dome offers the following programmes in New Zealand.
School Holiday Courses
Every school holiday break Bubble Dome runs school holiday workshops where 3D computer learning is combined with lateral thinking problem solving activities. These courses are held at Epsom, Auckland. We cater for children aged from 5 to 16 years, grouped according to age and experience. Topics covered include 3D animation, games design, special effects and computer programming. For more information click here
After-school Extension Workshops
In Auckland, Bubble Dome runs after-school extension workshops, or “Thinkers Clubs”, at twelve different locations across Auckland. These workshops are very hands-on and have a science and technology focus. Each week there is a science experiment, following which students take the knowledge they have gained to make their own models and inventions. Unusual briefs are given in order to encourage students to “think outside the square” and develop their lateral thinking skills. The workshops are designed for children aged 6 to 13 years. For more information click here
In-school Student Extension Workshops
Bubble Dome offers student extension workshops in primary schools for gifted and talented students, or those wanting to improve their lateral thinking. There are twelve different workshops to choose from within the areas of science, technology, design or literacy. We are happy to discuss any specific requirements that an individual school may have. For more information click here
Training Workshops for Teachers
Bubble Dome offers workshops for teachers to train them in techniques for extending their gifted and talented students, or to provide ideas for improving their science, technology or literacy programmes. Through interactive workshops teachers are taught strategies for developing their students’ lateral thinking and high level thinking skills. There is a range of different workshops to choose from within the areas of science, technology, design or literacy.
From time to time Bubble Dome also offers teachers the opportunity to take part in workshops on 3D computer modelling and animation, as taught on the children’s school holiday courses. For more information click here