Onsite Programs at Science North

BOOKINGS TO SCIENCE NORTH

2023–2024 AVAILABLE PROGRAMS

Each class visit to Science North 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.

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ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PROGRAMS

KINDERGARTEN

ANIMALS AND THEIR SENSES

• Can you smell like a snake? Or hear like a bat? In this program students will interact with live animals, and learn about how other animals' five senses are different than our own.

MEET YOUR FAMILY: GIKENIM GINIIGI'IGOOG

• In this interactive program, students will meet live animals, move their bodies and learn about Mother Earth, Grandmother Moon and other members of our natural family. This program includes an interpretive reading of the poems in Meet Your Family: Gikenim Giniigi'igoog, written by David Bourchard, illustrated by Kristy Cameron.

SOUNDS OF THE HUMAN BODY

• Hiccups, burbs and farts…oh my! Students will discover the reasons why the human body make certain sounds by exploring the organs that make these sounds. They will make observations by listening using a specialized medical instrument, by manipulating preserved organs and by measuring features of organs (i.e. length, width, number of heart beats).

SHAPE UP!

• Shapes are the building blocks of the world around us. This program offers students the chance to investigate and compare two-dimensional shapes using hands-on tools and technology. They will experiment with these shapes, while identifying and creating colourful patterns.

Grades 1 to 3

BEEBOTS

• Students will learn how honey bees communicate with the waggle dance while programming a robotic honey bee. Students will also learn about the honey bee life cycle and how they change over their life span.

IT'S A BUG'S WORLD

• What are bugs? What roles do bugs play in our lives? How can we learn more about bugs in our own backyards? This workshop will include live-insect demonstrations and a bug scavenger hunt on the 2^nd floor.

MATH IS IN OUR NATURE

• Discover how forms are made up of basic units of shapes and how these are found throughout the natural world, including our own bodies.

MIX IT UP!

• In a series of hands-on activities, students will use scientific tools and methods to investigate the properties and interactions of various solids and liquids.

SEASONS: WILL IT RAIN or WILL IT SNOW?

• Energy and the properties of liquids and solids are explored through the changing seasons. Students will learn how the Earth’s tilt creates different seasons and explore the seasons through repeating patterns and numbers.

WINTER WILDLIFE

• We have warm clthing and furnaces to keep us warm all winter long, but how do animals survive the harsh winter? Whether migrating or hibernating, students will learn about the different strategies and adaptations animals use to weather the winter.

Grades 2 to 4

PUSHING and PULLING

• Find out how pulleys can give you superhuman strength. Using tools and technology, students will build and investigate different types of pulley systems and evaluate how pulleys affect the amount of force required to lift a load.

Grades 4 to 6

BALANCE and MOTION

• Using the key concepts of force, balance, symmetry and motion, students will build a frame structure that includes a pulley in order to complete a challenge.

COLOURS OF LIGHT

• Students will complete a series of activities to learn about the different wavelengths of visible light and their corresponding properties.

HABITAT and COMMUNITIES

• Students will investigate how the living things found in an ecosystem interact and are interconnected with the non-living things in an ecosystem. They will learn about food chains, carrying capacity and how both human and natural disturbances affect this delicate balance.

HUMAN ORGAN SYSTEMS: THE IMMUNE SYSTEM

• The immune system is a complex and fascinating system that defends our bodies against pathogens. Students will learn and examine some of the organs of the immune system and discover how it works together with vaccines to protect us against germs.

INCREDIBLE INSECTS

• Are you looking to explore biodiversity? Look no further than the incredible insects! About 75% of all the known animal species in the world are insects! From so-camouflaged, they are almost invisible praying-mantises, to kaleidoscopic butterflies, from almost-microscopic wasps to huge Hercules beetles, from predator to prey! They may be cold-blooded, but they are sure a hot topic! Let’s explore several key ecosystems around the world together to learn how insects adapt to their environments. This workshop will include live-insect demonstrations and a “build-a-bug" activity.

MICRO:BIT MAKERS

• Tinker with code and find out how electronic gadgets work! Students will learn the basics of block-based programming with Micro:bit, including the use of variables, conditions, randomization and loops.

LIFE IN A COMPUTER

• Using a PyBadge and block-based coding, students will have the opportunity to build a curious and complicated system with parts that create patterns, move, and replicate. Students will be able to explore and interact with the code they’ve edited to create unexpected new patterns and compare them with what we see in nature.

PREDATOR or PREY?

• Can you tell the difference between a predator or prey by looking at a skull? In this hands-on program students will learn about the adaptations that predators and prey have, and how they are interconnected.

Grades 5 to 6

LET'S GET ELECTRIC!

• In order to explore concepts of electrical energy and energy conservation, students will construct circuits using a variety of tools.

OUR PLACE IN SPACE

• From the Sun to Neptune, immersive activities will let your students discover how Earth fits into the solar system and cosmos. They will experiment with tools and techniques scientists use to learn about all the planets (and dwarf planets) in our solar system.

Grades 7 to 8

A.I. IN SPACE

• Prepare your students for a future driven by artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning. Through learning about Canada's role as a leader in autonomous space robotics, students will be introduced to real-world applications of AI. They will use AI to complete challenges, learn its capabilities and limitations and discuss the ethical implications of AI in space and on Earth.

MICROSCOPE MYSTERIES

• This program will allow students to explore interesting phenomena on a microscopic scale. Using a variety of tools, they will have the opportunity to magnify and observe many every day items. Students will learn about different forms of microscopy and get to create their own micro-drawings.

WATER IN THE ENVIRONMENT

• In this program, students will use scientific tools (chlorine meter, pH strips and titrets) and their own curiosity to solve the question of "which water is which?, all while learning about the unique properties of water and why it's important to living things.

WEATHER and CLIMATE

• Weather and climate are complex systems. Students will learn how the effects of heat and water systems influence Earth’s climates and weather patterns.

WHAT IS A CONCUSSION?

• What happens to a human brain when it is concussed? Students will manipulate a preserved brain to learn the effects of concussions. They will also try out concussion-simulation goggles and test helmet materials using an egg drop experiment.

SCIENCE FAIR DAY (Full Day Program)

Available October 1 to December 22, 2023

• Science Fair Day is a full-day program designed to get your students thinking about what they need to do to create a successful science fair project. Students will participate in a 90-minute school program that includes hands-on activities and they will learn about the main steps of performing a scientific experiment. They will also have a 50-minute live science show in the Discovery Theatre and a short Q&A session to answer their most pressing questions about Science Fair.

Space is limited and will be booked on a first come, first served basis.

SECONDARY SCHOOL PROGRAMS

Grades 9 to 12

CHEMICAL REACTIONS

SNC1W / SNC2D / SNC2P / SCH3U / SCH4U / SCH4C
90 minutes

• If your students love chemistry, this is the program for them! Students will have a hands-on opportunity to follow lab procedures while refining their skills. They will be able to take measurements while exploring exothermic, endothermic reactions, acids, bases and more!

CLIMATE EXPERIMENTS

SNC2D / SNC2P / SVN3E / SVN3M
50 minutes

• What determines our climate and how it changes? Students investigate natural and human factors that influence our climate and climate change, including the greenhouse effect and heat transfer through air and water. 

IT'S ELECTRIFYING! 

SNC1W
90 minutes

• Let’s get electric as your students explore the different aspects of electricity: properties of static and current electricity, sources of electricity, and the practical use of electricity in our daily lives. Hands-on activities will give your students a better understanding of static electricity and electrical circuits.

MIRROR, MIRROR...

SNC2D / SNC2P / SPH4U
50 minutes

• Time to reflect on mirrors and how they work. Students have the opportunity to investigate properties of light and geometric optics. In this program, students explore their powers of critical thinking through a series of inquiry-based challenges.

NEUROSCIENCE

SBI4U
50 minutes

• Are we getting on your nerves? Students will explore the nervous system by examining a preserved brain and evaluating their own nervous systems through a series of tests, including two-point discrimination, reaction time and reflexes. Students will also be able to see an experiment where the action potential of one individual will be used to control another person’s arm!

NORTHERN ECOSYSTEMS

SNC1W / SNC2D / SNC2P / SBI3U / SVN3E / SNV3M
90 minutes

• Play the role of a conservation scientist and evaluate the health of a Northern Canadian ecosystem. In a hands on activity, students will explore how climate change impacts the dynamic equilibrium of an ecosystem, and explore different sustainable methods of maintaining ecosystem health, including Indigenous Ways of Knowing.

REPTILES AT RISK

SNC1W / SBI3U / SVN3E / SNV3M
50 minutes

• Turtles, lizards, and snakes, oh my! This exciting program offers students the chance to meet a variety of Ontario’s at-risk reptiles and learn about factors that threaten them and their habitats, along with ways to help protect them. 

SOLAR SYSTEM AND BEYOND

SNC1W / SES4U
90 minutes — Delivered in the Planetarium

• What lies in outer space beyond our own backyard? Explore space as we travel through our solar system and beyond! We will view our place in space, and discover the history of the universe from the Big Bang to the present day.

SPACED OUT

SNC1W
50 minutes

• Through engaging hands-on activities, students will explore the Big Bang theory and its implications on the structure and evolution of the universe, along with the characteristics and properties of the celestial objects visible in the night sky. 

VIDEO GAME DISSECTION

SNC1W
90 minutes

• Give your students the chance to experience video games like never before! Students will take a functional video game and break it down to its components and examine variables and parameters. They will use this exploration to modify and iterate upon the game’s source code and create a new project. Students will work with Arduino and sensors to build a controller and playtest their creations.

DISCOVERY THEATRE SHOWS

30–40 minutes

GRADES 1 to 2 – SCIENCE WONDERS

30 minutes

• Through exciting and surprising demonstrations, this show will capture your young students interest and have them wonder what in the world isn’t science!

GRADES 1 to 6 – SCIENCE EVERYWHERE

30 minutes

• Exciting demonstrations will have your students amazed by the world around them. This program allows students to keep an eye out and be inspired by science in unexpected places.

GRADES 2 to 5 – MACHINES and MOVEMENT

50 minutes

• Explore! Investigate! Move! Your students will gain a better understanding of forces and movement through a series of dynamic demonstrations.

GRADES 5 to 6 – FLIGHT

50 minutes

• How does that 400,000 kg aircraft fly in the air!? Through awe-inspiring demonstrations, your students will learn all about the physics of air and flight.

GRADES 7 to 8 – FLOW OF SCIENCE

50 minutes

• What is a fluid? What are fluids made of? With the help our scientists' explosive demonstrations, students investigate the different properties of fluids.

OBJECT THEATRES

15–30 minutes

• CLIMATE ACTION SHOW — Join Sheepy and his niece, Felicity, where you’ll enjoy a 19 minute, interactive, fast-paced science journey that prepares you with the knowledge and inspiration to join an active network of change agents.

• READY, SET, MOVE! — Take your class on a journey into the world of healthy living, where movement-sensing technology allows their own activity to contribute to the story.

• BETWEEN THE STARS — Journey deep into space and deep underground as we investigate the universe’s greatest mystery: dark matter!

IMAX^®

50 minutes

ANIMAL KINGDOM

• Animal Kingdom is a stunning exploration into what makes our natural world so spectacular.

BACK FROM THE BRINK

• Experience on the giant screen the remarkable true story of three animal species rescued from the brink of extinction. Narrated by Claire Danes.

FLYING MONSTERS

• For thousands of years, humans have believed that there were once flying monsters. Such creatures became mythologized, with stories about them shared around the world. But could they have really existed?

JANE GOODALL – REASONS FOR HOPE

• Drawing on decades of work by the world’s most famous living ethologist and environmentalist, Jane Goodall – Reasons for Hope, is an uplifting journey around the globe to highlight good news stories that will inspire people to make a difference in the world around them.

EDUCATION GUIDE

PLANETARIUM

50 minutes

SEASONS

• Travel to space to observe how the movement the Earth around the Sun creates daily and seasonal changes. Includes the film Earth, Moon & Sun, which explores the relationships between our planet and our most familiar celestial neighbours with the help of Coyote, an amusing character who has a few misconceptions!

UNDER THE SAME STARS – MINWAADIZIWIN

• The First People were scientists and innovators, carefully tracking and moving with the seasons and creating inventions that allowed them to survive in the northern forests of our country. With this close connection to the natural world, the Indigenous People of Canada developed a strong culture, rooted in respect for the environment. This special presentation helps students learn about the Indigenous worldview and sit at the fire with two people who are connected to the traditional ways.

EXPLORE SPACE

• Students will explore the solar system in this fully immersive experience, followed by the film, Explore. They will learn about the history and future of space exploration, along with the mathematics and technology that make it all possible.