Learning with Hands-On Activities
For years educators have stressed that students learn better “by doing” – especially in the sciences. Students of all ages learn more science-content and skills when they engage in investigation and discovery using everyday materials and the basic equipment of science. Our carefully designed inquiry-based lessons involve children with hands-on activities, capturing children’s natural curiosity, stimulating their interest in science, and teaching them important science topics along with critical thinking skills. Our clubs also support the current initiative of STEM education.
Club SciKidz Where Science and Technology Connect!
Our unique Science Club program is designed to meet the needs of children in grades K-6. Club SciKidz lessons help engage students in observation, measurement, identification of properties, and experimentation involving life, earth, and physical science concepts. The units are rigorously researched by science educators with the help of teachers and children. The results are lessons that students can enjoy and genuinely learn from. Science was never this much fun!
Each science enrichment SEMESTER lasts for 14 classes Classes meet once a week for approximately 60 minutes. Cost: $265
Fall 2019 After School Programs
Club SciKidz will be offering the following themes during our Fall session. Each theme will last 4 to 5 weeks, and all lessons have a make and take project.
Save Our Oceans
How many times have you been asked to “throw something away?” Lots of times, right? Have you ever stopped to think about just exactly where is this, “away”? Unfortunately, a lot of what is thrown “away” ends up in our oceans.
The Save Our Oceans unit studies the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, includes activities in biodegradable products by making Bioplastic,and performing a packing peanut test. Cool demonstrations with Boyle’s Law, and building an ocean zone model.
Climate Change
For most of Earth’s history, the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, like carbon dioxide, have been balanced. This means that the processes releasing these gases into the atmosphere have equaled the processes using these gases from the atmosphere. Humans started changing this balance 200 years ago with the Industrial Revolution. Our activities, like cutting down forests to create cities and burning fossil fuels to create electricity, release extra greenhouse gases, and these greenhouse gases act like a blanket that slowly warms the Earth.
The Climate Change unit explore The Greenhouse Effect, Ocean acidification, how tree rings relate to climate, and students build a magnificent Solar Night Light.
Microscopy
It is believed that the first microscope was invented in late 16th century.
Dutch spectacle makers Zaccharias Janssen and Hans Lipperhey are noted as the first men to develop the concept of the compound microscope.
By placing different types and sizes of lenses in opposite ends of tubes, they discovered that small objects were enlarged.
Later in the 16th century, Anton van Leeuwenhoek began polishing and grinding lenses when he discovered that certain shaped lenses increased an image’s size.Leeuwenhoek is considered the founder of the study of microscopy and an played a vital role in the development of cell theory.
During this session students will construct and keep their own Origami microscope called the Foldscope. Foldscope an ultra-affordable, paper microscope. Designed to be extremely portable, durable, and to give optical quality similar to conventional research microscopes (magnification of 140X and 2 micron resolution), Foldscope brings hands-on microscopy to new places!
Students will explore the microscope and learn a variety of techniques for exploring the microscopic world!
Spring 2020 After School Programs
Weather on The Wild Side.
Spring is the time when the weather is often downright wild! What better time to learn all about weather? Start by learning about the water cycle and what causes precipitation and evaporation and the part they play in our weather. Next we’ll explore tornadoes and snow storms through hands on experiments. We’ll also explore and create our own weather tools to measure and predict the weather!
Students will discover the Water Cycle Wheel, Build a Tornado, Create a Cloud Observation window, and build their own weather station.
Save the Bees!
Bees are in trouble! Since 2006 entire hives have been dying from what scientists call “Colony Collapse Disorder.” Worker honeybees are disappearing. Without the worker bees, the hive, or colony, can’t survive. Scientists don’t yet know the exact cause of CCD. Diseases, parasites, loss of habitat, and poor nutrition are all thought to contribute to CCD. However, research is pointing to pesticides as the main cause of CCD.
Students will perform experiments in pollination, build a bee house, plant their own Bee friendly garden, create a beeswax kitchen wrap, and make a honeycomb candle. Can you help save the bees?
The Science of Toys
Science is everywhere, in your home, your school, your car…even your toys! Something as simple as a rubber ball demonstrates a scientific principle. In this unit, you will become a toymaker as well as an expert in the science behind the toy. You are going to experiment with gravity and energy, bubbles and buoyancy, magic sand and amazing instant snow. We’ve added a couple cool science surprises too!
Projects include: Making our own bouncing balls, Diving submarine, magic sand, and instant snow!