Onsite Programs at Dynamic Earth

BOOKINGS TO DYNAMIC EARTH

2023–2024 AVAILABLE PROGRAMS

Each class visit to Dynamic Earth includes up to two (2) hands-on, engaging school programs. All programs are linked to the Ontario Science and Technology Curriculum and / or the Ontario Mathematics Curriculum. Programs are generally 50-minutes in length, with some exceptions, and can be booked on the hour, between 10am and 1pm. These programs are not offered on weekends, holidays, nor throughout the summer.

BOOK YOUR VISIT   BOOKING GUIDE


BOTS AND BUILDINGS SPECIALTY PROGRAMS

FOR CLASSES FROM GRADE 1 TO GRADE 3

BOOK YOUR CLASS NOW! SPACE IS LIMITED!

JANUARY 9 to JANUARY 31

Included with your booking:

SIMPLE MACHINES
  • Buildings and structures need to stand up to forces and loads we might not think about everyday. Students will learn about the different forces, types of natural forces, and will even get to design and build their own structure. We will also test these structures against different natural forces and see who has the best understanding of structures and loads upon them.
ULTIMATE STRUCTURES
  • Earthquakes! Tsunamis! Wind and rain! Natural forces are strong and our structures need to be stronger. Students will learn about different types of forces and natural forces. From here students will have the opportunity to design like real architects and engineers, and build a structure and have it tested against the elements.
SPHEROS
  • Learn about the simple machines that make a Sphero run, then try operating the robot yourself.

...AND a film in the Epiroc Theatre.

GET UP TO $100 BACK ON YOUR BUSSING COSTS WHILE FUNDING IS AVAILABLE! Once booked, email your bus receipt to education [at] sciencenorth.ca (education[at]sciencenorth[dot]ca).

this project is funded in part by the government of canada


ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PROGRAMS

Kindergarten

CRATER MAKER!
  • 1.85 billion years ago, a huge meteorite hit Earth and formed what we know as the Sudbury Impact Structure. Students get hands-on experience with real meteorites and learn how craters are formed. They will also get to explore what meteorites teach us about geology and outer space by creating their own impacts.

MEET THE OZOBOTS!
  • Automation and robotics are at the forefront of new mining techniques. Your students will be introduced to coding and robotics using Ozobots. They will help students trace shapes and designs, and inspire learning through hands-on activities!

FRESH AIR FABLES
  • Put your students imaginations to work! They will create their own mini-ecosystems using soil, miniature rocks and minerals, animals, plants and other resources. As their environment changes, they will craft a unique story about daily life in their habitats. Students consider how human impact and effects from climate change may alter their landscape, and ultimately discover how living things adapt.

Grades 1 to 3

GEO-SPHERO
  • Are your students ready for a coding challenge? Find out with sphero bolt, a codeable robot. Students will first understand what makes good coding while giving instructions to a "Human Computer". This is followed by an engaging experience, coding actual robots to complete tasks! Students will code a sphero bolt through obstacles and a maze of their own design. Students will learn to apply the scientific process, gain a better understanbding of coding and the practical use of coding in a mine.

THE SCIENCE OF SOIL
  • Soil is essential for plant life on Earth, which in turn feeds us, provides shelter for animals, and keeps our air clean. Your students will get their hands dirty while exploring the various colours of soil, its composition, and sorting soil by particle sizes. The end goal: understanding why soil is absolutely necessary for the planet.

ULTIMATE STRUCTURES: SIMPLE MACHINES
  • Buildings and structures need to stand up to forces and loads we might not think about everyday. Students will learn about the different forces, types of natural forces, and will even get to design and build their own structure. We will also test these structures against different natural forces and see who has the best understanding of structures and loads upon them.

ULTIMATE STRUCTURES: FORCES
  • Earthquakes! Tsunamis! Wind and rain! Natural forces are strong and our structures need to be stronger. Students will learn about different types of forces and natural forces. From here students will have the opportunity to design like real architects and engineers, and build a structure and have it tested against the elements.

WICKED WEATHER
  • We know that air and water are needed for all life to survive, but they are also key factors in creating the weather we experience every day. Why and how are they constantly flowing and changing? From windstorms to rain clouds, students will explore the natural cycles of water and air. Students will learn and how they work together to create weather.

Grades 4 to 6

MINERAL MADNESS
  • Solve the mysteries of mineral identification! Minerals are used in our everyday products, from electronics to table salt. Students will learn the characteristics that make these minerals so useful and how to identify our most common minerals.

THE POWER OF THE SUN
  • Prepare your students to harness the power of a ball of gas and plasma over 150 million kilometers away! In this activity students will learn how important the sun is for all life on our planet, how Canadians and the world have been using the sun in innovative ways, and discover the benefits of green energy like solar! This activity will teach students how solar energy is collected and the practical applications of this technology in our ever-changing world

ROCK ON!
  • Get ready to rock! This hands-on workshop lets students discover more about rocks, including putting a rock cycle together and learning how rocks are used in our everyday lives, from industry to art. Focusing on a common rock type, students will use their knowledge and creativity to produce their own piece of rock art.

RUGGED ROBOTS
  • Still think miners are swinging pickaxes and shovels? Not when we have Rugged Robots to do the heavy lifting now! In this activity, students will be coding and controlling mbots – robots on tracks with a multi-jointed arm and claw hand – to preform tasks like moving ore and constructing a miners dry. Students will go home with a new knowledge of coding and emerging technologies in the mining sector.

MINE STRUCTURES
  •  Modern day mining safety and structures are designed to support the 1000s of tonnes above our miners' heads. How? Students will learn about shapes in structures seen in nature and in our man made buildings, as well as the structures and forces used in keeping our mines safe. Students will also apply their new knowledge by building and testing mine structures of there own design! These structures will have to hold up to natural and man made forces.

SHAKING IT UP!
  • Tectonic plates: the puzzle pieces, that together, shape our world! These plates are constantly moving, grinding past one another, and with all this energy eventually comes an EARTHQUAKE! In this activity students will become amateur seismologists and learn all about the three types of plate boundaries, how the forces applied to plates can create an earthquake and how the waves move throughout our Earth.

Grades 7 TO 8

BEAT THE HEAT
  • Our planet is heating on surface by the sun, but under our feet is a ball of liquid iron and nickle that is over 4000 degrees celsius! Students will learn how heat travels throughout the earth, how miners deal with the heat the deeper we get and learn about the deepest mines in the world. Students will Learn how heat is transferred through the earth in the different states of matter and through the three ways of  transmitting energy, and how to reduce the transfer of heat in a hands on activity where the goal is to keep miners underground as cool as possible.

CAST FROM THE PAST
  • Learn all about fossil formation and why replicas are so important to scientific learning. Students will have fun choosing a fossil to mold and cast all on their own. Bringing home their models will be dino-riffic!

FANTASTIC FLUIDS
  • We live in a world of water. From our atmosphere, oceans and core, we breathe, drink and use fluids every day. Students will learn how water works within our environments and all about its amazing properties by completing some very cool experiments.

MINING ROBOTS
  • Still think miners are swinging pickaxes and shovels? Not when we have Rugged Robots to do the heavy lifting now! In this activity students will be using sensors equipped on mbots – robots on tracks with a multi-jointed arm and claw hand – to preform various mining tasks. Students will go home with a new knowledge of coding and emerging technologies in the mining sector.


SECONDARY SCHOOL PROGRAMS

GRADES 9 TO 12

A CAREER IN MINING

SNC1WSNC2P / SNC2D / SNC4M / SNC4ESVN3ESES4U

90 minutes

  • Is a mining career in the future for some of your students? The skills required to locate, develop and operate a mine are all very different from each other. That’s why the Mining Sector is associated with a multitude of career options. Each taking on a distinct role, students will work together to manage a mine site and turn it into a successful investment!

EXTREME MINING

SNC1W / SNC2P /SNC2D / SNC4M / SNC4E / SVN3E / SES4U

90 minutes

  • You’ve heard of mining, but did you know it could get extreme? In this exciting program, students will learn about some of the most extreme mining conditions on (and off) the Earth. From the deepest mines in the world, to mining the bottom of the ocean, and even mining in space, students will investigate different challenges and technologies of these extreme conditions. It will then fall to them to come up with an innovative engineering solution, using the tools on hand, to solve these complex problems.

SUDBURY'S GREEN STORY

SNC1W / SNC2P / SNC2D / SNC4M / SNC4E / SVN3E / SES4U

50 minutes

  • Celebrate 40 years of regreening Sudbury! In this program, students dive into our city’s story, including its unique geology and how we progressed into a beautiful city. Learn about the meteor impact, the eventual mining influence on the landscape, and the regreening efforts to restore our natural environment. Venture out on Dynamic Earth's property to take in unique sights and geological features (weather permitting).

TECH N' INNOVATION

SNC1W / SNC2P / SNC2D / SNC4M / SNC4E / SVN3E / SES4U / ICS2O / ICS3U / ICS3C / ISC4U / ICS4C

90 minutes

  • Modern mining is full of amazing and wonderful technology. From automation to artificial intelligence, and robotics to remote control, mining is full of fascinating innovation. Students will learn how these technologies make modern mining more successful, safe, and sustainable. They will then get to experience coding and robotics firsthand, programming their own robots to perform work “underground”.


EPIROC THEATRE

30–40 minutes

GOLD FEVER
  • Gold Fever tells the story of a wilderness prospecting journey, interweaving the drama of the historic Klondike Gold Rush with exotic side trips to Thailand, India, and Africa to document the cultural, economic, and historical significance of gold.

GROUND RULES: MINING RIGHT FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE
  • Ground Rules: Mining Right for a Sustainable Future follows the development of new and operating mines as geologists, engineers and mine managers tackle complex problems. The film draws on the experiences and achievements of other mine sites to illustrate creative and core concepts of sustainable development and social responsibility. 

PLANET EARTH: CAVES
  • Caves are earth's final frontier and this film takes you where few have been before. Caves harbour some of the most remarkable and bizarre animals on earth. From Lechuguilla Cave's astonishing six-metre long crystals to the extraordinary snottites of Villa Luz, this film provides unprecedented access to the hidden world of caves.


OBJECT THEATRE

15–30 minutes

  • NICKEL CITY STORIES — Welcome to the “Generations” barbershop, where Louis is not only the barber, he's also the curator of Sudbury's history. In this 25-minute experience, you will hear about Sudbury as a lumber town 125 years ago, how the railways came through the region at the end of the 19th century, how the region has evolved into a major mining centre, and so much more.


UNDERGROUND TOUR

60 minutes

Experience Dynamic Earth's iconic underground tour, featuring multimedia and special effects that bring Sudbury's mining heritage and innovation to life. Students will walk in the footsteps of thousands of miners, from the early days of mining until modern times! Students will:

  • View historic footage of Sudbury miners using manual labour and simple technology to extract ore.

  • Hear the ore cascading down to lower levels of the mine.

  • Experience the vibrations, sights, sounds, and smells of an underground blast

  • Take a break in a modern refuge station

  • Operate a remote-controlled rockbreaker

  • See examples of modern mining equipment

Stay in Touch

Sign up to receive our monthly electronic newsletter, and gain access to new lesson plans that are ready to use in your classroom. Be the first to know about upcoming school events, field trips and workshops.

Join Now!