Science is Happening @LKDSB

 

Science Kits, Taylor Talks, Digital Video Library, and Additional Learning Opportunities are just a few ways that teachers can bring Hands-On learning experiences to LKDSB students.

Science Kits

UPDATE:  November 5, 2021 

Great news!  ALL science kits, with the exception of four titles, are now available for booking!  

Note that items requiring safety management beyond hand hygiene have been removed from all kits.

Out of an abundance of caution, the following four titles are NOT available for booking:  Kinder Bacteria, Kinder Bubble, Kinder Crystal, and Gr. 8 Microscopy​

Email the Science Centre to book.  sciencecentre@lkdsb.net ​  

We will need to know

1.  the kit title, 
2. when you want to start the unit, and 
3. where you teach. 

Orders will be confirmed with ship/due dates via email.  ​

 

Taylor Talks

Taylor Maris is the Energy & Environmental Coordinator for CKLASS, (Chatham-Kent Lambton Administrative School Services,) and our newest Science Discovery Squad Volunteer.   She is an Environmental Engineer and is excited to bring her passion for environmental awareness to our students through a series of monthly sessions organized by the SEP called “Taylor Talks”. Watch your email for an invitation!

 

​Coding Division

A virtual coding experience is available with a Science Discovery Squad Volunteer.

This is an activity offered to junior grades that helps students to “Develop the skills, strategies, and habits of mind required for scientific inquiry and technological problem-solving." (pg. 6 S&T document.).  It is also a way to introduce Coding in math learning.

This is an introductory activity recommended for students in Grades 4-6 with little or no prior exposure to coding.  

Truss Building (Grade 5)

Students will have the real-world engineering challenge of building the strongest truss they can with the least amount of material.

A construction equipment package will be provided by the SEP Science Centre. Classes can use the instructional videos to work through the activity at their own pace.

Each individual teacher is asked to register his/her own class independently and students can participate in the activity anytime between October and May.  This replaces the Bridge Building challenge.

Sign up at https://forms.gle/Q3EMzVk5FkBvSREU9

Digital Library

On-demand access to Science Discovery Squad inquiries and presentations. Click Here to access the Library.

Links and/or information cataloged in the library include:

• Agriculture
• Coding
• Science Demonstration videos
• Amazing Air Pressure – Gr. 6 Air and Flight
• Floating Egg Experiment – 3 versions with connections to Gr. 2, 5, and 7/8 Matter and Energy
• Pulleys – Gr. 4 Structures and Mechanisms
• The Plasma Ball – Gr. 5 Matter
• The Van de Graaff Generator – Gr. 6 Electricity and Electrical Devices
• ​Taylor Talks Environmental Science sessions

Explore all that the  Science Education Partnership has to offer and reach out to Wendy sciencecentre@lkdsb.net to make plans to have the resources accessible in your class.

Introducing the Science Discovery Squad

The Science Education Partnership has provided students with Science hands-on learning experiences through the Science Kits and the Adopt a Scientist program for over 20 years.



The creativity and innovation of the volunteer Scientists have broadened the scope of the Adopt a Scientist from classroom visits to include bridge building, agricultural science and coding. With so many learning opportunities available, it was time for a refresh.

The creation of the “Science Discovery Squad ” allows the reorganization all of the SEP volunteer elements into one volunteer program with the cohesive purpose of connecting community with classrooms!

Teachers can invite the Science Discovery Squad into their classroom where students can participate in hands-on science experiences and experiments. There are four divisions.

The SCIENCE Division:

Sixteen different hands-on, curriculum-linked demonstrations. From Gr. 2 Simple Machines to Gr. 8 Fluids and many more topics in-between. Sessions are ongoing throughout the school year. (Those familiar with the Adopt A Scientist program will be glad to see these very popular classroom visits continue!)

The BRIDGE BUILDING Division:

To celebrate National Engineering Month and learn about structures, Grade 5 students build bridges using wood craft sticks and hot glue to a given set of specifications. The strongest bridges from each class face off in a final competition held annually in the early spring of each year.

The AGRICULTURE Division:

Who better to talk to students about where their food comes from than the people that produce it? Some volunteers make visits throughout the year and others concentrate their volunteer efforts to help celebrate Canada Agriculture Day in February each year.

The CODING Division:

This is a brand new learning opportunity in the pilot stages. Volunteers provide an introductory computer programming experience with and without the computer.

These are unique learning experiences. Our science volunteers lead students through hands-on activities that teachers would not likely tackle on their own, often using equipment and demonstration materials the volunteers have created themselves. Not too many schools have a life-sized trebuchet or hovercraft that will lift a student in their science storage cupboard!

Activities are curriculum-linked, but slightly outside the box in the sense that they go above and beyond the textbook. The emphasis woven into all volunteer demonstrations is always“hands-on, minds-on”, where students learn science by doing science!

If you are interested in booking a Science Kit or arranging for a visit from a Science Discovery Squad volunteer, please contact Wendy at the Science Education Partnership.

Wendy Hooghiem, Science Centre Technician

(E) Wendy.Hooghiem@lkdsb.net
(F) 519-336-1500 ext. 31580
Web: www.lkdsb.net

(Click on “Elementary” and then choose “Science Education Partnership” from the left side menu.)

Twitter: @SEPSciCen