Roberts Creek Elementary takes on the Let's Talk Science Challenge
At 6:00 a.m. on a cold and rainy day in May, a group of young students huddled together at the Langdale Terminal on the Sunshine Coast of British Columbia. After months of planning, Eran Foreman’s grade 6/7 class was finally ready to embark on a special field trip to the University of British Columbia. With their outrageous outfits and excited energy, they were on the way for their very first time competing in the Let’s Talk Science Challenge.
Foreman heard of Let’s Talk Science through a mentor who had sent her some resources. She quickly adopted many of Let’s Talk Science’s programs into her classroom. “I was on a little email blast with a bunch of other grade 6/7 teachers that said: ‘Hey! Check out Let's Talk Science!’” says Foreman. “They seemed to have some excellent curriculum and great programs, so that’s how I initially got hooked, lined and sinkered with Let's Talk Science.” She started with Clothing4Climate, a program that saw massive success in her classroom. “These are kids who are really strong social justice advocates and interested in changing the world,” Foreman says, adding that the program also appealed to the students’ interest in fashion and looking good for their Instagram accounts. After witnessing the success of Clothing4Climate, Foreman decided to bring the Lunar Rover Challenge into her classroom. “I had a bunch of kids who were really interested in space,” recalls Foreman. “That came out very quickly in terms of their interests and their preference, so I kind of ran with it.” The project was another huge success.
The first time Foreman saw an email about the Let’s Talk Science Challenge, she thought it looked interesting. “Wouldn't it be lovely to go? Wouldn't it be great to get these kids down to UBC? Wouldn’t it be so awesome if they could walk around UBC, look around, and start thinking about their next steps?” she mused at the time. However, the busy classroom forced the project to the back burner. After all, there are lessons to plan, units to teach, and Vancouver is an entire ferry ride away: “I didn’t really think I’d be able to pull it off,” admits Foreman. However, after weeks of learning more and more information about the challenge, the seed started to grow. “This style of field trip speaks to a whole handful of kids that are your STEM people, your ‘science nerds,’ the kids who don’t typically get an academic field trip that aligns with their interests,” she explains. “It just kind of grew on me in the sense that this was something I had to do.”
Though she had her doubts, specifically about the early start time and long journey, she resolved to let her students decide: “I just thought I’ll send it out into the universe, I’ll draft the permission form, I’ll put it into the hands of these young minds, and they can decide what they want to do,” says Foreman. “Wouldn't you know? They all showed up. They all decided that they wanted to do it.” When the day finally came, all the students were bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, waiting for the ferry. Organized in groups, each team came up with their own unique names, such as Big Bessies, The Bomb.com, and Let’s Get Pickled. While no team quite managed to win the academic challenge, one team, Shades for Dayz, took home the Lorna Collins Spirit Award, a prize given to the most enthusiastic team at the challenge. “Having Shades 4 Dayz win the award was delightful,” Foreman says. “The kids were so stoked!”
The students also had the chance to explore the UBC campus, taking in everything from the dozens of different buildings to the bookstore to the massive auditoriums where the Challenge took place. It was an educational and inspiring experience and got many students thinking about their futures. “I had lots of kids come and have these moments like: ‘Hey, you know I'm thinking about going to BCIT for carpentry,' and then another kid would say: ‘I walked by this nutrition science building - like there's such a thing as nutrition science?’" recalls Foreman. “It was just these amazing moments of awareness and little transformations.” Being on the UBC campus for the day helped the students begin to envision their future while also offering them a taste of adult life and autonomy. “It's not just about Let's Talk Science or the academics: it's the location, and it's getting those kids thinking about their future selves,” says Foremen. “It's so amazing to think that some students could choose to go on and further their academic goals based on one field trip in grade 6 or 7.”
Despite all the worry and stress that led up to the Challenge, Foreman considers the day to have been a huge success. “You’re travelling so far; you're taking on so much in terms of the day, the early start, and the late finish,” she says. “Everything can go sideways at a moment's notice, but they were just such a great group.” While Foreman is unsure about her class assignment for the upcoming school year, she is dedicated to returning to the Challenge, even if that means just helping the new grade 6/7 teacher. She believes all educators can benefit from checking out Let’s Talk Science resources and the Let’s Talk Science Challenge, no matter where they’re from. “This is a small district. Roberts Creek is such a small little school, but there was just such great engagement and fun,” says Forman. “My students showed up, and they showed up the best versions of themselves, and that’s what’s amazing about Let’s Talk Science!”
Are your students up for the Challenge? Put their STEM knowledge to the test by taking part in theory, hands-on and team activities in this national STEM competition. Register now!
