Our Science in the Centre program provides curriculum-connected workshops in a hands-on, minds-on learning environment that gives students the confidence to take part in class discussions and feel accomplished and inspired to further their own learning.
Workshops
Take part in our award winning, hands-on workshops, led by our Science Educators. Workshops are designed for a maximum of 30 participants.
Grades PP-2
Once Upon a Worm
Once Upon a Worm covers topics on the senses and living/non-living things. Appropriate for pre-primary, primary, grade 1 or 2 this workshop is tiered to student learning objectives and abilities. Guided by our Science Educators, students in small groups observe and, if comfortable, handle our live Red Wiggler worms.
45-minutes
Science Primary- Explore Living Things
Science 1- Life Science: Needs and Characteristics of Living Things
Science 2 - Life Science: Animal Growth and Changes
Grades 2-3
We’re Wheely Moving
Explore the natural forces of motion teamed with a simple machine essential for rolling. We’re Wheely Moving challenges students to work as a group to complete two engineering tasks. This workshop about relative motion encourages students to think about design and purpose.
45-minutes
Science 2 - Physical Science: Motion
Science 3 - Physical Science: Materials and Structures and Invisible Forces
Grade 3
Bridging the Gap
Students explore the art and science of architecture by learning about four types of bridges. The students work in teams to construct an arch bridge, determine what factors can result in structure failure, and complete an engineering challenge to see which team’s bridge can support the most weight.
45-minutes
Science 3 - Physical Science: Materials and Structures
Grade 3
Float the Boat
Raise your sails to explore water displacement and shipbuilding. Grade 3 Bluenosers’ will race to complete engineering and design challenges in this workshop. Is your boat built for speed or built to haul and more importantly built to float?
45-minutes
Science 3 - Physical Science: Materials and Structures
Grade 4
Sounds of Science
Make some noise exploring the science of sound. Using everything from Slinkys to tuning forks to resonating bowls, students will learn how sounds travel as waves and are affected by different materials. Through hands-on, ears-on activities, students will learn to identify the transmitter, medium, and receiver needed to make a sound.
45-minutes
Science 4 - Sound
Grades 4 & 7
Cast the Past
Prepare to travel through time by revealing the hidden secrets of the past with the discovery of fossils. Learn the process of fossilization and the role weathering and erosion plays in mineralization. Students will make their own casts of real fossils to take home.
1-hour -Specialty Workshop
Science 4 - Earth and Space Science: Rocks, Minerals, and Erosion
Grade 7 - Earth and Space Science: Earth’s Crust
Grade 5
Green Machines
Solve a gardening challenge using simple machines! After our Science Educator introduces the many types of simple machines we use every day, students will put them to work, building a gardening plot and planting a crop.
45-minutes
Science 5 - Physical Science: Forces and Simple Machines
Grade 5
Capture the Wind
Put weather to work by capturing the wind in this building and designing workshop. Learn about the inner workings of wind turbines and use your knowledge of forces to engineer and test blades that will drive a real electric generator. Groups will then explore how wind power is used in transportation, creating and racing sail cars built with recycled materials.
1-hour
Science 5 - Physical Science: Forces and Simple Machines Earth and Space Science: Weather
Grade 5
Fast and Furious Forces
Discover the difference between direct and indirect forces with our new hands-on, wheels-on workshop! Through a series of challenges, students will work as a team to explore how forces affect the motion of simple machines. Design a sail car and get ready to test it against gravity, wind, and friction!
1-hour
Science 5: Forces, Simple Machines, and Friction
Grade 5
Slimy Science
Be prepared to get slimed as we explore the properties of matter. Students get messy as they conduct experiments on physical and chemical changes to matter. This 1-hour workshop has a fun take home for students.
1-hour
Science 5: Chemical and Physical Properties
Grades 5 & 8
Digestive Drama
Join one of our educators for a visceral guided tour of the digestive tract and your breakfast’s journey through it. This 45-minute interactive show gets everyone participating in following food from the beginning to the very end of the digestive system.
45-minutes
Science 5 - Healthy Body
Grade 8- Life Science: Cells, Tissues, Organs, and Systems
Grade 6
Electric Odyssey
Explore current static electricity in this jam-packed 1-hour workshop. Groups of students are challenged to hook up simple, series and parallel circuits on our circuit boards. Students get an up-close look at how positive static electricity can be with the Van de Graaff.
1-hour
Science 6 - Physical Science: Electricity
Grade 6
Why Fly
Why can planes go up, up, and away? Achieving human flight was a trial and error process—and we will walk through it all. Individually, students follow the scientific method, drawing conclusions about craft design based on the forces of flight.
45-minutes
Science 6 - Flight
Grades 6-12
*This program is currently not available*
Lunar Bots
Take your tech education to the moon with Sphero! This workshop exposes students to simple computer coding and engineering concepts behind space exploration, programming and calibrating Sphero to explore our simulated Martian base camp and its surroundings. Groups will be challenged to think like an astronaut and a computer programmer to complete a series of challenges in a conceptual mission to mine and colonize Mars. Group challenges include securing the perimeter of your Martian basecamp, stopping an alien attack, rescuing a trapped miner.
1-hour; specialty workshop.
Science 6 - Space
Grade 7-9 - Appreciation of Science: Technology
Grade 10-12 - Science, Technology, Society, and the Environment (STSE)
Grade 7
The Heat of the Moment
Things heat up in this workshop, which covers the three ways heat is transferred. Student groups are on a mission to battle heat loss and construct the most efficient home. Houses are tested with an infrared camera and design efforts are compared.
1-hour
Grade 7 - Physical Science: Heat
Grade 8
All Cell that Ends Cell
Students will go microscopic as they learn about the differences between a plant cell and an animal cell. The workshop also teaches students how to prepare slides of plant cell specimens to view under the microscope, how to best observe small animal cells from prepared slides, and to identify different cell structures. Onions are used in this workshop.
1-hour; specialty workshop.
Grade 8 - Life Science: Cells, Tissues, Organs and Systems
Grades 8, 11 & 12
Eye Lights
Shine up your lens and get ready to dissect a real pig eye. In this hands-on workshop, you will learn about the structures that make vision possible, why we have a natural blind-spot, and how a pig’s eyes compare to our own. Tiered for grade 8 or biology students. Thank you to Getaway Farms, without whom this workshop would not be possible.
1-hour; specialty workshop: must book 3-weeks in advance
Grade 8 - Physical Science: Optics
Grade 11 - Biology: Biodiversity
Grade 12 - Biology: Evolution, change and diversity
Grade 8
All Cell that Ends Cell
Students will go microscopic as they learn about the differences between a plant cell and an animal cell. The workshop also teaches students how to prepare slides of plant cell specimens to view under the microscope, how to best observe small animal cells from prepared slides, and to identify different cell structures. Onions are used in this workshop.
1-hour; specialty workshop.
Grade 8 - Life Science: Cells, Tissues, Organs and Systems
Immersive Dome Theatre Experience
Explore the vastness of space, take a trip through the stars or experience the best seats to a meteor shower in our fully immersive Dome Theatre. Maximum 65 people including chaperones.
Live Star Shows
Led by a presenter, you will be able to observe the cosmos, ask questions and learn about the latest discoveries in astronomy!
Pre-Primary
Look Up
Join us as we look up at the Halifax sky and discover what’s out in space and why the night is so dark. Prepare for take-off as we go on a 20-minute adventure to explore twinkling stars and our favourite neighbour, the Moon!
20-minutes
Pre-Primary- Patterns and Shapes
Grades P-3
To Every Season
Explore the changes happening all around you, as the sun goes down and the stars come out! Join us as we find patterns in the sky, learn about what creates a day and the seasons, and how these cycles affect other living things and our environment.
30-minutes
Science 1 & 2 - Patterns & Relations, Sequencing, Weather
Grades 5-8
Space Case
Settle in as we investigate how the Earth’s position and motion in space drives our daily, seasonal and lunar cycles. We’ll also consider humanity’s deep historical and cultural connections with the stars, the planets and the Moon.
30-minutes
Science 6 - Dayparts, Seasons, Cultural Connections
Grades 9-12
Beyond the Solar System
Have you ever wondered how our Solar System formed? Or why stars are so hot? What lies beyond the Earth and our cosmic neighbourhood? Join us as we boldly go through space in search of the answers to these cosmic questions!
45-minutes
Science 8-12 - Theories of formation, Aspects of the Universe, Time and Space & Technology
Full Dome Films
Go beyond the confines of traditional cinema with our immersive fulldome films, as images fly overhead and behind you.
One World, One Sky
PP-PR
Follow characters from Sesame Street as they take an imaginary trip to the Moon, where they discover how different it is from Earth.
30-minutes
Secret Lives of Stars
Grades 3-12
Witness the outstanding variety of stars and peer into their secret lives.
30-minutes
Experience the Aurora
Grades 3-12
Unearth the science behind the auroras, and learn about mankind’s quest to find and understand this incredible phenomenon.
30-minutes
Cosmic Adventure
Grades 4-6
Take a roller coaster ride from the moon through our solar system, our galaxy, and beyond.
30-minutes
Ice Worlds
Grades 4-12
Discover how ice shapes the landscape and systems on other planets and moons in our Solar System.
25-minutes
The Sun, Our Living Star
Grades 6-12
Discover the secrets of our star, the sun, and experience never-before-seen images of the Sun’s violent surface.
30-minutes
Edge of Darkness
Grades 6-12
Immerse yourself in ground-breaking discoveries from the past 5 years of space exploration.
30-minutes
Magnetism
Grades 9-12
Magnetism is all around, and you’ll discover how this powerful, misunderstood force shields oceans from solar winds and how scientists trying to understand the connection between the Earth and the Sun.
30-minutes
School trips and Education program rates policy:
- Teachers and chaperones attending a school trip are admission free, includes attending any programs and shows.
- Payment is due the date of your visit and can be made via cash, credit, debit or check made payable to the Discovery Centre. We can not invoice schools for payment after a visit.
- For cancellations, a $50 administrative fee for visits cancelled less than 72 hours notice, with no potential for re-booking. The full cost of your visit as shown on your confirmation will be charged upon arrival unless you notify us by e-mail or telephone of any changes, increases or decreases in numbers, by 4 p.m. one week prior to your visit.
- Memberships are not valid for school programs and field trips.
PRIOR TO YOUR VISIT
- Confirm your booking by reviewing the Booking Confirmation form sent to you by the School Bookings coordinator.
- Confirm all chaperones or parents and provide them with a schedule for the day.
- Remind students to leave valuable items at home.
DURING YOUR VISIT
- Discuss rules of conduct with your students and make sure parent volunteers are aware of their role.
- Check in at the front desk by updating the number of students and parents.
- Have students place their belongings in the coat room.