Embracing their inner Bill Nye - A look at week one of the Daily Discovery Series

 

Genevieve Gill looks at her hands and recoils in shock.  

After a long day of work, they’ve somehow become bright yellow! And how did this happen? 

Well, instead of lounging around on the beach this summer, Gen is taking her love of science to the next level by working for Let’s Talk Science as a Summer programming assistant. One of her many tasks is to perform engaging and interactive experiments to inspire little scientists. 

“I want to make hands-on learning accessible, and I enjoy making static videos. The Daily Discovery Series allows me to combine these interests.” 

A graduate of McGill University with a bachelor of science kinesiology and a master’s in occupational biomechanics, Gen is one of five programming assistants working on the Daily Discovery Series. Week one (July 5-9), otherwise known as Messy Science week, was the first of six in the series. 

And, with her yellow hands, Gen really took Messy Science to the next level. 

The Daily Discovery Series is specifically designed for youth aged nine to 11; however young explorers slightly older or younger are also welcome to participate.  

Each day of the week, there is a short video activity, and the week ends with a live quiz show - the Brain Buster, which is full of laughs and learning! Videos and activities are hosted and created by Let’s Talk Science’s summer programming assistants, who are STEM mentors from universities across Canada. Future weeks feature the Four Elements (earth, air, water, fire), the Edge of the Universe, Forces and Movements, Digital Literacy, and Naturalism. 

While channelling their inner “Bill Nye the Science Guy,” the other coordinators focused on having fun and embracing what it feels like to be a little scientist again. One coordinator even took the bubbles they created on a boat with friends later in the day, sharing the fun that science can be with others. 

“It’s cool to see so many ways we can teach STEM. I really like how Let’s Talk Science is making hands-on learning accessible digitally,” says Gen, who always gravitated towards science as a child and is excited about sharing her passion for STEM with youth. 

As expected, week one brought along its fair share of challenges for  every coordinator. Many got into the spirit of messiness by getting oobleck everywhere.

Each coordinator also struggled to get used to talking to the camera and ensuring their video setup had them and their activity in the frame without harming their equipment in the process. With five more weeks of exciting activities, each of the coordinators will indeed be reminding themselves that everyone has to start somewhere! And while they’re teaching little explorers science, they’re learning some pretty valuable skills in the process.  

When asked what she would say to youth about getting engaged in STEM, Genevieve shared, “Be as curious as possible. Science is about being curious and getting excited about the world around us. STEM is everywhere in the world, and I encourage youth to try it even if they don’t believe it’s for them”.  

 

Ignite curiosity and learning with the Daily Discovery Series. Open the door to a summer of exploration today - https://bit.ly/3cdRdGK 

Stay tuned to the adventures of Let’s Talk Sciences summer coordinators with our weekly blog. We’ll be sharing it every week on Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter, and Instagram!