Activities/Demos
For the 2024-2025 academic year, we are offering the option of in-person or online programming. As such, there are 2 versions of the PowerPoint slides for each demo. Please be sure that you are accessing the correct version for your presentation format.
Check back soon for new demos!
Note: We are not currently offering one-time demos.
Volunteers, please note there are two icons that have been added to most demo docs. The atom is a suggested interactive
component and the microscope is more science background, for your own knowledge, but feel free to use it in your presentation as you see fit.
Acids and Bases
Curriculum Ties:
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Kindergarten
MATTER
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Objects have identifiable properties.
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Objects may be similar in one or more properties and different in another property.
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Grade 1
MATTER
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Objects have measurable properties.
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Grade 2
MATTER
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Materials have unique properties
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In this demonstration students will be taught what makes an acid and a base and how these two can be differentiated using an indicator. Students will then identify common acids and bases found in their homes. Students will also be shown how the reaction between an acid and base leads to the erosion of an egg shell and the classic baking soda volcano experiment. NOTE: Volunteers must read the egg preparation instructions for a part of this demonstration. The egg must be prepared at least one week in advance..
Aerodynamics
Curriculum Ties:
Grade 1
ENERGY
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Movement consists of direction, a pathway, and speed.
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Movement consists of direction, a pathway, and speed.
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The movement of objects can be influenced in a variety of ways.
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Grade 2
MATTER
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The purpose of an object influences the choice of materials used to produce it.
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Some materials are more suitable than others for making a product for a specific purpose.
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Grade 5
ENERGY
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Flight of living things and objects is influenced by opposing forces.
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In this demonstration students will be taught that air is a compressible fluid that takes up space and exerts pressure. Students will explore how lift is created and how the speed of moving air affects air pressure. Students will have the opportunity to race balloon rockets to explore factors that affect the speed of rockets. Students will also be introduced to the structures of planes that allow them to fly and maneuver through the air.
Bacteria and Viruses
Curriculum Ties:
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Grade 1
LIVING SYSTEMS
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Plants and animals require environments that allow them to meet their needs.
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Humans, other animals, and plants depend on each other to meet their needs.
Grade 4
LIVING SYSTEMS
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A variety of organisms live on Earth and have external structures that support various functions.
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Organisms sense and respond to their environments to support growth and survival.
In this demonstration students will not only learn what bacteria and viruses are, but the importance of hand washing, the dangers of antibiotic resistance, and the ease with which a cold virus can spread between students. They will play a game to mimic how bacteria gain antibiotic resistance, use Glo Germ cream to learn the importance of thorough hand washing, and simulate how the cold virus can be transmitted between students when personal objects such as cups are shared.
Kindergarten Friendly
Buoyancy and Surface Tension
Curriculum ties
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Grade 2
MATTER
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The purpose of an object influences the choice of materials used to produce it.
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Some materials are more suitable than others for making a product for a specific purpose.
Grade 4
ENERGY
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Non-contact forces are invisible forces that can affect objects, materials, and substances.
Grade 5
ENERGY
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The relationship between buoyant force and gravity can be used to explain the behaviour of an object in water.
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In this demonstration students will better understand buoyancy, Archimedes principle, density, and surface tension. Students will be shown how density can be changed by increasing the mass of a given volume of liquid, how an object’s buoyancy can be altered by varying the density of liquid it is immersed in, and how density creates the beautiful affects of lava lamps. They will then be given a chance to put their knowledge of Archimedes’ Principle to the test in a group based competition.
Kindergarten Friendly
Coding
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Curriculum Ties:
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Kindergarten
COMPUTER SCIENCE
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The order in which instructions are followed can affect the outcome.
Grade 1
COMPUTER SCIENCE
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The form in which instructions are given may not affect the outcome.
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Instructions are ordered in a way that will produce a desired outcome.
Grade 2
COMPUTER SCIENCE
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Instructions are designed using creativity and problem solving, which can be enhanced through collaboration.
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Instructions can be created to be precise, reliable, and efficient to achieve the desired outcome.
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Instructions may be simplified by repeating steps.
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In this demonstration, students will explore the fundamentals of coding.. The presentation will cover concepts like loops and conditional statements.. The activities will help students think like a programmer and will provide a solid introduction into the world of programming.
CSI
Curriculum Ties:
All grades
Scientific Methods learning objectives covered
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In this demonstration students will conduct multiple reviews of common crime scene investigation techniques and learn how they apply to real world crimes. Students will become familiar with interpreting handwriting samples and learn how to use chromatography skills to identify ink samples. Students will also have the opportunity to examine their own fingerprints up close and see how each fingerprint is unique. At the end, the students get the opportunity to solve their own mystery.
CSI (K-Friendly)
Curriculum Ties:
All grades
Scientific Methods learning objectives covered
In this demonstration, students will learn about different types of evidence that can be collected at a crime scene. Students will learn about fingerprints, footprints, and handwriting analyses. Students will also have the opportunity to examine and compare their own fingerprints and footprints. At the end, students will have the opportunity to work as detectives and solve their own mystery using their newfound knowledge.
Kindergarten Friendly
Electricity
Curriculum Ties:
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Grade 5
MATTER
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The particle model of matter explains the behavior of particles in matter.
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The movement and arrangement of particles affect the physical properties of matter.
Organizing Idea: ENERGY
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Humans rely on energy resources to fulfil energy needs.
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Grade 6
ENERGY
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Energy resources can be managed for use in daily living.
In this demonstration students will learn about the various aspects of electricity including static electricity, current electricity, and electromagnetism. Students will learn about the triboelectric effect, charge separation, and induced charge separation. They will also learn about current electricity, voltage, and resistance by creating a light bulb using only batteries, wires, and a pencil lead. Students will then learn how magnetism and electricity are connected and will be shown using a homopolar roller that electricity creates magnetism.
Geology and Dinosaurs
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Curriculum Ties:
Grade 3
EARTH SYSTEMS
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Earth’s surface changes over time.
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Water and wind can shape Earth’s surface.
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Plant, human, and other animal activities can cause changes to Earth’s surface.
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The history of Earth’s surface can be explained by examining its layers.
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Soil is a continually changing upper layer of Earth’s surface.
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Grade 5
ENERGY
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Humans rely on energy resources to fulfil energy needs.
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Grade 6
ENERGY
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The advantages and disadvantages of several factors influence selection of energy resources.
In this demonstration, students will learn about the geological processes that shaped Earth’s history and formed the rocks beneath their feet. Students will take on the role of a geologist in classifying physical samples of rocks and minerals. Formations of crystals will be explored and demonstrated. Students will learn about the geological time scale and how it relates to fossils they will excavate and examine. Finally, they will investigate dinosaurs from various time periods.
Hearing and Sound
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Curriculum Ties:
Grade 1
ENERGY -> Grade 1
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Movement consists of direction, a pathway, and speed.
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EARTH SYSTEMS -> Grade 1
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Environments are observed and understood using the senses.
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Grade 2
ENERGY
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Behaviours of sound affect its characteristics.
Test your ability to identify mystery sounds without the benefit of seeing what made the sound. Examine the challenges between memories of familiar sounds versus unknown sounds. Create vibration waves using pop bottle resonance to understand the difference between high and low frequency sounds. Use tuning forks to further examine resonance patterns of pure sounds. Test your ability to locate where certain sounds are coming from. Finally, explore problems that loud sounds can cause on our auditory system.
Hearing and Sound (K-Friendly)
From pitch to volume to using your hearing to locate objects, students will learn about how we can use our hearing to explore the world around us. Students will also have a brief and simple introduction to how our ears work to allow us to hear things. The presentation will wrap up with strategies to protect our hearing.
Kindergarten Friendly
Heat and Temperature
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Curriculum Ties:
Grade 3
MATTER
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Matter can change state if heated or cooled.
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Solids, liquids, and gases have distinct properties.
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Substances change state based on melting/freezing and boiling points.
In this demonstration, students will explore heat, insulators and conductors and temperature. The presentation will teach about the ways heat and temperature applies to our lives.
Light
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Curriculum Ties:
Grade 2
ENERGY
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Behaviors of light affect its path.
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In this demonstration, students will learn about the various aspects of light, including the basic characteristics of light, the splitting of white light, and Ultraviolet (UV) light. Students will be briefly lectured on the characteristics of light, then shown some examples of the splitting of white light, shown how UV light can reveal hidden messages.
Magnetism
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Curriculum Ties:
Grade 2
MATTER
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Materials have unique properties.
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Grade 4
ENERGY
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Non-contact forces are invisible forces that can affect objects, materials, and substances.
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Magnets interact with each other and magnetic material.
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In this demonstration, students will learn about the various aspects of magnetism including how magnetism is created, magnetic lines of force, functional uses of magnetism in the real world such as the MagLev train, and electromagnetism. Students will be shown the properties of magnetism by creating their own magnet, work with ferrofluid to understand magnetic lines of force, discover how magnetic repulsion is the cornerstone of the MagLev train, and the concept of electromagnetism by creating current to light a light bulb via rotating magnets.
Psychology
Curriculum Ties:
Grade 1
EARTH SYSTEMS
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Environments are observed and understood using the senses.
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In this demonstration, students will be provided a PowerPoint presentation to examine many types of visual illusions. Different videos and pictures will show students the limits of their perception in certain cases. Students will also play games that require memory matching, as well as conduct a psychological taste test.
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Simple Chemical Reactions
Curriculum Ties:
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Kindergarten
MATTER
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Objects have identifiable properties.
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Objects may be similar in one or more properties and different in another property.
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Grade 2
MATTER
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Materials can be combined in a variety of ways to make objects.
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Grade 3
MATTER
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Changes to materials or substances can be permanent or reversible, depending on the properties of the given materials or substances.
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In this demonstration, Students will be able to learn about simple chemical reactions that occur in our daily lives, including how we use chemical reactions to cook and digest food, and acid-base reactions. NOTE: Volunteers must read the egg preparation instructions for a part of this demonstration. The egg must be prepared at least one week in advance.
Kindergarten Friendly
Strawberry DNA
Curriculum Ties:
Grade 5
LIVING SYSTEMS -> Grade 5
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Humans are complex organisms with biological systems that carry out vital biological processes.
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Plants are complex organisms with transport systems that carry out specific functions for survival.
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In this demonstration students will learn about DNA and how it is the fundamental coding system for all life. This is a highly interactive demo will allow students to work in pairs to extract and see the DNA contained within the strawberry. Students will also learn how their DNA makes them a unique individual with different traits than other people via multiple activities.
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Weather
Curriculum Ties:
Grade 3
MATTER
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The water on Earth moves continuously in a cycle.
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Grade 5
LIVING SYSTEMS
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Weather conditions can be measured accurately using a variety of tools and methods.
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Grade 6
MATTER
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Identify how particle motion affects temperature and pressure
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In this demonstration, students will explore the various aspects of weather systems including how clouds are created and shown how they can be created in class. Students will have the chance to play with artificial snow, learn how tornadoes develop, and gain an understanding of weather instruments. If the classroom has a supply of water bottles, students will also be able to make their own thermometers.
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COMING SOON:
Wetlands and Reclamation
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COMING SOON:
Engineering
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