Curriculum Based Science Workshops
Our Curriculum based science workshops are created for every grade and strand in the Ontario science curriculum. Let our instructors inspire true motivation in science class with one of these unforgettable workshops.
Details:
- All ICW workshops are based on the Ontario Science and Technology Curriculum, 2007 revised edition.
- For a list of all the expectations incorporated with each workshop, please refer to the Teacher Packages or contact Elephant Thoughts.
- Please be sure to book all workshops 3 weeks in advance.
Have a look through the following workshops to see which ones might inspire your class this year!
Grade 1:
Life Systems: Needs & Characteristics of Living Things: Students take a walk through their 5 senses as the instructor performs various ‘magical’ tricks to challenge their perceptions. The needs of living things are discussed during a presentation of various live animals!
Matter & Energy: Energy in Our Lives: Students investigate the meaning of energy in all its capacities through various hands-on demonstrations. From glowing energy balls, to a giant recreation of the solar system, to making their own UV key chain, this workshop will help the little ones really make sense of this difficult, but exciting topic!
Structures & Mechanisms: Materials, Objects & Everyday Structures: Students describe several unique materials, including special snow and sand, before building structures that will withstand the ultimate test: an earthquake created by an earthquake table with a seismograph!
Earth & Space Systems: Daily & Seasonal Cycles: *Currently not available.
Grade 2:
Life Systems: Growth & Changes in Animals: Ancient animals are grown to keep as a class ‘pet’ while students investigate the physical characteristics and life cycles of animals. Live snakes and lizards also make an appearance for students to explore further and leads to a discussion of endangered species!
Matter & Energy: Properties of Liquids & Solids: The properties of solids and liquids are investigated in unique and exciting ways. Students investigate all things bizarre, from a rock that won’t sink, sand that floats and amazing density tubes. They even study the making of, and then eat their own ice cream!
Structures & Mechanisms: Movement: Students investigate the various types of mechanisms including catapults and Flywheel cars! They will even make their very own wacky shaped bouncy ball to take home.
Earth & Space Systems: Air & Water in the Environment: Students witness the power of air and water as they hang from powerful suction cups, watch a tornado form, manipulate a working model of the water cycle and take home a key chain to remember it all by!
Grade 3:
Life Systems: Growth & Changes in Plants: Elephant Thoughts instructors bring a greenhouse of exotic plants for the class to study! The structure/functions of plants as well as their uses for both humans and all animals are studied. Students also plant a ‘tickle-plant’ of their own to take home.
Matter & Energy: Forces Causing Movement: Students are introduced to the various kinds of force through hands-on activities including miniature hovercrafts and other toys. They then put these forces to work by racing devices they create, blasting off rockets and watching a simulated mini-tornado!
Structures & Mechanisms: Strong & Stable Structures: Students build several hi-tech structures using magnetic tiles and rod and ball kits in order to test their strength, stability, and ability to withstand forces. Their structures are then put to the ultimate test: an earthquake!
Earth & Space Systems: Soils in the Environment: Students interact with real live animals that use soil to survive while learning about all of the different components of soil on a giant true-to-life model. They will make their own edible soil concoction and challenged to eat edible insects (ewww)!
Grade 4:
Life Systems: Habitats & Communities: Real live plants and animals are brought to this workshop for a hands-on learning experience. Students will study the habitats and communities of many living things, from micro-organisms to insects to reptiles. A discussion about adaptations is based on investigation of animal furs and skulls, and leads into a discussion of endangered species.
Matter & Energy: Light & Sound Energy: The basic properties of light and sound are first introduced and then tested in amazing ways! From laser basketball to glow-in-the-dark potions, space phones to percussion crickets, this workshop has enough boom-zing to keep kids engaged for hours!
Structures & Mechanisms: Pulleys & Gears: After reviewing the basic principles of pulleys and gears with real-life examples, students are challenged to create their own wacky pulleys and gears systems to perform a task. Students always get hooked on improving their unique ‘pulleys & gears’ robots again and again!
Earth & Space Systems: Rocks & Minerals: Students play detective with various samples of rocks and minerals to determine their characteristics. They look at some very unique and sometimes even precious rocks to discover how they are created!
Grade 5:
Life Systems: Human Organ Systems: Major body systems and how to keep them healthy are the focus of this workshop. Students will be involved in manipulating life-sized human torso models, participating in lung-capacity testing and observing the effects of tobacco on preserved organs.
Matter & Energy: Properties of & Changes in Matter: Various intriguing chemical and physical reactions are used to highlight both the properties of matter and the chemical and physical changes they go through. Students discuss the controversy over irradiated salt, create rocket cars and even make their own gummi worms to take home!
Structures & Mechanisms: Forces Acting on Structures & Mechanisms: Students will become engrossed with learning about various forces and performing the high-intensity ‘impact test’ on sample materials. They will build geodesic domes and create structures to test against a simulated earthquake!
Earth & Space Systems: Conservation of Energy & Resources: Dancing robots and wires that reshape themselves introduce students the various types of energy and energy transformations. Students also investigate ways to conserve energy including building solar-hydrogen cars!
Grade 6:
Life Systems: Biodiversity: Students will study various animal tracks and discuss the diversity entailed with each before casting one of their own to take home! They will discuss the factors that affect biodiversity and study the most diverse group of animals (insects) in more detail.
Matter & Energy: Properties of Air & Principles of Flight: *Currently not available.
Structures & Mechanisms: Electricity & Electrical Devices: Students will discover both static and current electricity first hand as they work with generators, an Edison light bulb, energy balls and the hair raising Van der Graaf generator! Conservation of electricity is also discussed as students take home an energy saving challenge.
Earth & Space Systems: Space: Students take a ‘ride’ to outer space where they experience a classroom-sized solar system, a simulated rocket blast off and even get to eat astronaut food!
Grade 7:
Life Systems: Interactions With Ecosystems: Students investigate the food chain through various activities, including dissecting an organism’s feces (yuck)! They grow both plants and organisms of their own to keep as classroom ‘pets’ and are visited by a live turtle to spring board a discussion on endangered species.
Matter & Energy: Pure Substances & Mixtures: This workshop will dazzle students with all the mysteries of chemical reactions, physical reactions, distinguishing types of mixtures and separating mixtures. Students will witness incredible timed colour changes and even get to make their own toothpaste to take home!
Structures & Mechanisms: Form & Function: needs further development. *Currently not available.
Earth & Space Systems: Heat in the environment: Students will marvel at the properties of heat and its role in environmental phenomena such as convection currents and tornadoes! They will discover the many uses of heat energy as they harness it and use it to power various engines and reactions!
Grade 8:
Life Systems: Cells: Students study both one-celled and multi-cellular organism in this intensive workshop. They study the importance of cells in the body with a working human torso model, giant microbes, and even create a cell model key chain to take home with them!
Matter & Energy: Fluids: Student will investigate the viscosity and buoyancy of various rare objects and then apply their knowledge of fluids to powering several mechanisms, including hydraulic dinosaurs and miniature boats!
Structures & Mechanisms: Systems in Action: All calculations, including work and mechanical advantage are discussed using eye catching examples such as working a gyroscope, catapults and functioning human torso models. Students are able to apply their knowledge by building motorized roller coasters.
Earth & Space Systems: Water Systems: Students create miniature working models of the water cycle and water pathways through an ecosystem. They investigate the importance of water distribution around the world and its impact on both humans and other (live!) animals.
