Workshops

 

 

The following is a sampling of activities we offer. We can also develop custom activities for your group, so don’t hesitate to request an activity based on another topic not listed here.

 

Workshop

Description

Grade
Bounce and Roll Students explore energy, forces, friction, motion and the properties of materials. Includes songs/rhymes, a story book, and tie-ins to math and literacy. Early years (ages 3-6)
Why Live Here? Students explore the needs of living things (ie: food, shelter, safety). Includes songs/rhymes, a story book, and tie-ins to math and literacy. Early years (ages 3-6)
Dynamic Dinos Students explore the form and function of different dinosaur body parts using models and reconstructions. K to 1
Feast for the Senses Students participate in interactive, sensory activities that help them understand how animals use their senses to locate food. K to 1
Playful Machines  Students investigate simple machines by using levers, wheels and axles, and inclined planes to create a model playground. 1 to 2
Daily and Seasonal Changes  Students explore how the environment changes throughout the day and throughout the year as well as how these changes affect students' daily activities. 1 to 2
Magnet Madness Students experiment with magnets to discover their unique properties of attraction, repulsion and polarity. 1 to 3
Budding Biologists Students learn about the form and function of insects and birds (or marine life) through hands-on/minds-on activities. 1 to 3
Water at Work Students discover some of the properties of water through demonstrations and hands-on activities. 1 to 3
Matter Matters Students explore the properties and interactions of solid and liquid materials through demonstrations and hands-on/minds-on activities. 2
The Bone Zone  Students discover how our skeletal system provides protection, support and movement through challenges, demonstrations and role-playing activities. Students make a model hand and test it for strength and stability. 3 to 5
Super Science Challenges

 

 Students work together in teams to design, create and test a variety of items; everyday materials are used to solve challenging science and engineering problems. 3 to 6
Engineering Design Challenge Students are introduced to the topic of engineering with a specific focus on planning, designing, and constructing buildings and structures. In this inquiry-based kit, students are challenged to plan, design, and construct skyscrapers, cup holders, straw towers, and boats. 3 to 8
Bright Lights, Big Science Students investigate light and learn how light can be transmitted, reflected, refracted or absorbed by materials in our environment. 4
Ancient Machines Students gain an understanding of how simple machines make it easier to move heavy loads by building a pyramid. 4 to 5
The Wonders of Weather

 

 Students learn how the Sun, air and water create weather, and apply their knowledge of weather by constructing and testing a weather-measuring device. Includes marine activity extensions. 4 to 5
Fight or Flight: The Science of Stress Students learn how the body reacts to stressful situations by looking at the cardiovascular system, nervous system and endocrine system. 4 to 6
Tomatosphere Tomatosphere uses the excitement of space exploration as a way to teach
the skills and processes of scientific inquiry. In the Seed Investigation,
students examine the effects of the space environment on the germination
of tomato seeds.		 4 to 6
MaKey MaKey Mayhem Students will use MaKey MaKey kits to test conductivity and explore how electricity flows through circuits. 4 to 8

Rocks and Minerals

*coming soon

 Students will learn about the rock cycle and practise identifying different characterisitcs of rocks and minerals. 4 to 8
Driving Towards the Future Students will learn about the current topic of self-driving cars and use it as a platform to learn about the big ideas behind computational thinking – how to break down a problem into steps, and how to create a process that can be followed to reach a goal. This hands-on workshop does not require the use of a computer. 4 to 10
It's Electrifying Students gain a basic understanding of electricity by experimenting with electrical circuits, conductors, insulators and electromagnets. 5 to 6
Respiratory Relay Students learn about the respiratory system in a lesson that actively engages them in role playing the different structures and gives them a chance to develop their own lung models and test their lung capacity! Discussions and demos regarding smoking and air pollution also give them the chance to connect what they learn to the real world. 5 to 6
Rube Goldberg Challenge Students will be challenged to make a traditional Rube Goldberg inspired device—something that does a very simple task in a very complicated way. Students will learn about the concepts of force, motion, and different types of energy. 5 to 8
Living Space In this workshop, developed with the Canadian Space Agency, students will build computational thinking skills by engaging in microbit coding activities. They will use a block-based coding language (MakeCode) to program physical microbit devices. 5 to 9
Hydration Nation Students test and analyze the physical and chemical properties of various water samples and make recommendations on which water source could be used for drinking. 6 to 8
Tectonics Rock! Students examine how landforms are created through simulations and models and explore the results of plate movement. Includes marine activity extensions. 6 to 8
Crime Lab Students hone their investigative skills by working in teams, collecting data, identifying patterns and analyzing results to solve a mystery. Techniques include chromatography, fingerprinting and chemical analysis. 6 to 8
Cell City Students will explore the similarities and differences among plant and animal cells. Interactive activities include a dramatic skit surrounding organelle function, matching mania, and building a 3D cell model. 6 to 8
Entrepreneurial Science Students form a company and invent and evaluate a self-propelled object. Students use problem-solving, planning, designing, testing and budgeting. 6 to 8
Air Forces: The Sciences of Flight Students look at the history of flight, the basics of force, the four forces of flight and the application of Newton’s Laws of Motion to flight. The final hands-on activity is to create ‘the best paper aircraft ever’ based on the Paperang™ design. 6 and 9 to 12
Exploration Mars! Students learn about and experience the challenges of Space Exploration using un-manned space probes (Orbiters, Landers and Rovers) and use them to make discoveries about Mars and its ability to support life. 6 and 9
DNA Biotechnology 

 

 Students explore genetics! Activities include DNA 101, DNA extraction and gel electrophoresis. 6 to 12
Transportation and the Environment Students examine current and potential energy sources used for transportation. Students will test fuel cell cars, wind-powered cars and explore the various types of fuels used in transportation. Discussions will encourage critical thinking around this topic in connection to sustainability in everyday travel. 9 to 10

 

*We will be updating this list over the next couple of months as we receive and develop new kits and update some of our existing kits/activities. Many of our kits are flexible in the timing required; the above chart will also be updated to reflect this.