After-school science classes offered weekly all school year

The aim of our program is to stimulate students to learn and enjoy science.

Each class students work on a different toy invention project. The invention projects are different each class throughout the school year. Because many students take our classes continually for several years, we also do not repeat activities in subsequent years. However, we may work with various forms of boats, car, parachutes, or other types of toys, because these are popular with the students.

Each hands-on toy project demonstrates a science concept. The toy helps the student relate the concept to the way the toy works. The students have fun while learning and they get to keep the toy at the end of the class to take home.

Through the projects, we learn such science concepts such as friction, air pressure, gravity, kinetic energy. Sometimes we review and important concept to help students remember them.

Some of the projects for this school year will be

Whish & Weigh Activities

• Viking Ship - The Vikings of northern Europe had a ship that took them to many places in the world. Build a ship from scratch to look like the ones they used.
• Flag Raiser - Create a way to raise a flag to the top of a pole. Would this be a good way to start a car race?
• Cube Game - Keep off the squares that ask you to throw the cube, or you will end up laughing a lot.
• Weigher - Use the weigher to compare the weights of different objects to see which is heaviest, which is lightest.
• Bellows - Make a bellows to push out air. Can you keep blowing something across the floor?
• Rickshaw - These were once the way to travel. Now we have taxis, trains, and planes. How do you make one?

Whacky Weather Activities

• Weather Vane - Which way is the wind blowing? Set your weather vane in the wind and see the direction it is going.
• Crayon Montage - Create designer crayons with many colors of your own choosing. How do the colors show when you write with them? This activity is related to the next one.
• Solar Oven - Build an oven that you can use for heating up snacks. Take this to the beach to roast hotdogs.
• Weather Game - This game is tied to the weather. Find out how weather works as you play.
• Windmill - Make a windmill that turns when the wind blows. How fast does it turn?
• Fly in the Lantern - Look at the fly caught in this lantern. Is it clearer to see when the lantern is in the sun?