Jr. Science Academy

During this exciting day of fun, hands-on and interactive programming, our professionally trained Mad Scientists will take your kindergarten camper on a thrilling journey of amazing scientific discoveries. Through amazing, hands-on experiments and demonstrations the fascinating world of dinosaurs, chemical reactions & bubbling potions, erupting volcanoes, ooey gooey slime, space and much, much more will be explored. Each day children will make cool take-home activities which they will be excited to bring home to show off.

MY SENSES

Wake up your senses with our whirlwind adventure through the science of your body!  Campers go big with our giant eyeball model and go small with magnifying glasses to see tiny details in everyday objects.  We'll investigate sound with a Wave Motion model and use our Guitar Boxes to experiment with vibrations.  Test your sense of smell and see how animals use theirs, and then learn how your tongue identifies a variety of tastes.  Challenge your class with our Mystery Sock activity and discover why seeing isn't always believing.

This hands-on look at the sense of touch will help children understand that touching is one way of finding out more about the world around them.  The class will identify mystery objects, discuss different words we can use to describe how objects feel and learn how nerves connect our brain and fingers.  The children will investigate right- and left-handedness, and discover the uniqueness of the human thumb.  Thermal paper demonstrates how hands can feel hot and cold temperatures.  The children will make a Feeling Handy card to continue their experiments at home.

OUR WORLD

Take a trip around the Sun with our hands-on workshop on the science of seasons!  Children will discover why we have different seasons and the role that weather plays in our lives.  Models will demonstrate how the movement of the Sun and Earth gives rise to days and years and students will see first-hand how different parts of the world experience the cycle of seasons.  They will learn how humans, plants and people prepare for seasonal changes in very different ways and see water disappear before their eyes!

This hands-on look at the weather of our planet will help children identify different types of weather and begin to explore the causes of some of them. The class will play Weather Bingo, see and learn ways scientists measure different weather types, and sing weather-related songs.  The children will take part in an interactive story about the water cycle, and discover the spectacular movement of lightning. Children will be amazed to see a rainbow created in their "lab".  The children will make a Rain Gauge to continue their investigations at home.

BUGS

Meet the creatures that represent almost 90% of animal life on Earth!  Junior entomologists discover the amazing anatomy of insects - how they breathe, see, move and eat - in a series of interactive experiments with microscopes, giant bug models and insect eyes. We'll learn about predators and check out some crazy defensive moves, including smelling the spray from a Stink Bug!  Insect life cycles and metamorphosis, and the importance of insects to our daily lives, are all covered too.  You'll never look at a bug the same way again!

This hands-on look at butterflies provides your child with an opportunity to find out how caterpillars change into butterflies, how butterflies eat and to even get their own insect vision model to take home.

ENGINEERS

Campers will learn all about different shapes and structures in this hands-on introduction to engineering science. Children will discover what 2D and 3D shapes are, they will get to search for hidden shapes in structures from around the world and try out the Puzzle Box challenge!  They will explore the concept of structures using Magnatiles® and even make their own Sailing Boat to take home using a variety of materials and shapes.

CHEMISTRY

This fun-filled workshop is an interactive introduction to the science of colour.  Your child will learn about light and colour, and practice identifying various colours in a variety of games.  The concept of colour mixing will be explored in hands-on chromatography activities, and invisible colours will be revealed using special science equipment.  An amazing demonstration opens up the world of colour-changing chemicals, and the class concludes with each child creating their very own Rainbow Mixer to take home.

Campers become lab scientists-in-training in this whirlwind program on laboratory techniques.  Beginning with lab safety various danger signs and safety practices will be introduced and discussed.  Each child will learn to manipulate an assortment of lab equipment in a series of hands-on activities.  They will learn how to accurately weigh powders, measure liquid volumes and combine materials to create a solution using both simple and complex equipment.  Separating chemicals is another important lab skill, and students will practice filtration and watch an evaporation demonstration.  Campers will receive an Activity Cup and Pipette kit to continue their experiments at home.