After-School Programs

Host a Mad Science science club and spark imaginative learning when school is out during lunch or for the day! (Also great for community centre programming and home-schooled groups). 

These programs  are typically made up of 8 classes, scheduled over a 10 week period, each of which are one hour in length, hands-on and themed around a particular area of science with such topics as rocketry, magnets, polymers, weather, chemistry, space, detective science, the science of toys and much much more. Children engage in exciting hands-on activities, watch spectacular demonstrations, participate in inquiry-based discussions and take home things that they have made themselves like model rockets, catapults, anaglyph sea puzzles, hand-powered flashlights, cartoon creators, drag racers, yo-yos, sonic horns, technicolor blenders, secret code breakers, spynoculars, periscopes, Mad Science putty, atomic coins, cameras, robotic arms and so much more.

Mad Science lunch hour/after-school programs offer children a chance to see just how cool science can be!    See more below for program descriptions and  how to host a Mad Science program for your location.

Mad Science Lunch Hour/After-School Programs…

are typically made up of 8 classes, each with a different theme/topic include Mad Science branded take-home products are hands-on and inquiry-based meet provincial science curriculum standards are led by trained, qualified and dynamic instructors follow professional lesson plans use unique equipment and original materials are age-appropriate and loved by children offer schools, community centers and home-schooled groups great value are easy to plan and hassle-free to run

TOTALLY NEW AND READY TO LAUNCH FALL 2011:

THE MAD SCIENCE DISCOVERY LAB

All About Animals: Children explore the animal kingdom and learn about the habitats, adaptations and life cycles of their favorite creatures. Students experiment with animal calls and camouflage, and create their own Animal Tracks* to take home.

Life In The Sea:  Children learn about the diverse life forms in the ocean from plankton to whales! Students discover underwater habitats, and learn how humans can help protect ocean life. The Anaglyph Sea Puzzle* lets children dive in and take the ocean home.

Energy Burst!: Children explore the energy of motion. Pop, jump and flip with hopping, swimming and swinging toys. Students check out the kinetic energy in rubber band-wound gadgets and reach their potential with the Catapult* Take-Home.

Get Connected:   Children chat over cables, link to a network and work with radio signals. Students wind through a cell tower relay and track cell phone users. Each student will get their very own Wired World*, an optical fibre telecommunications model to take home.

Mix It Up: It’s time to shake up solutions and explore mixture chemistry. Children sort out mixtures and see how useful a suspension can be. The Super Sorter * gives students the tools to sort out mixtures at home too.

Moving Motion: Children catapult into Newton's three laws of motion! Students will yank a cloth from under dishes, send crash test dummies flying and launch mini-rockets across the room. The twirling Newton Spinner* will reinforce action-reaction forces at home.

Radical Robots: Children become wrapped up in the world of robotics while exploring robots, remote control devices and automatons. Students will control an automaton through sound and make a soccer robot score a goal! Each student will also build their own Robot Hand* - a human-like end effector.

Super Power Sources:   Children explore renewable and non-renewable resources for power generation. Students will use mechanical forces to turn on fans, and find out what makes a battery work. The Crank’n Shine * gives children a chance to generate light!

The Mad Science Discovery Lab will be available to schools/community centres three different semesters: Fall (beginning October), Winter (beginning January) and Spring (beginning April).    

*Denotes Mad Science branded take-home.

To ensure a spot for your school, please call Mad Science at (403) 263-4140 or email us at madscsab@telusplanet.net. 

BRAND NEW FOR 2010/2011!!!  

MAD SCIENCE ADVENTURERS

Movie Effects:  Sit in the director's chair and discover why science is the real star of the silver screen!  Students explore amazing sound and weather effects, investigate 3-D technology and use their own *Mad Science Cartoon Creator to make mini movie flip books they can take home! 

Bugs!:  Get en"grossed" in Bugs! as students inspect authentic specimens and examine creepy crawlers up close!  Students learn how insects pollinate, adapt to their environment and defend themselves.  See things from an insects point of view with the *Mad Science Insect-A-Vision to take home and get bug-eyed!

Kitchen Chemistry:  Get clued in on the chemical reactions that take place in the kitchen.  Test food samples in search for nutrients, starch and protein and learn how certain foods help us grow, develop and function.  Discover what happens after we eat with your own *Mad Science Digestor Inspector!

Mad Machines:  Discover how machines make our lives easier by allowing us to work less. Exploration into levers, pulleys, wheels and axels will be put into application as students build and keep their own *Mad  Science Drag Racer.  On your Mark, Get Set, Go!

Earthworks:  Dig into science with Earthworks.  Junior Geologists examine different types of rock and discover how mountains are formed, why earthquakes occur and volcanoes erupt.  The concept of sedimentary rock formation is reinforced with a take home sedimentator in the *Mad Science Experi-tube.

Science of Toys:  Toys are more that just fun, they're science!  Students test, play and ponder over what makes a variety of toys work.  Learn about motors, potential and kinetic energy, and the center of gravity through toy-themed activity centres.  The class winds down with a *Mad Science Yo-Yo to take home.

Detective Science:  Look out CSI - young Mad Science Detectives are on the scene ready to crack the case using science.  Students are introduced to the science techniques used to investigate and analyze crime scene evidence.  Case closed - this is one fun class!   Young Detectives take home their own *Mad Science Personal Profile Kit to record their own vital information.

Walloping Weather:  Get weather-wise in this climate controlled class.  Try out tools that meteorologists use to measure weather and create a three-day forecast for cities around the world.  Stage a statically charged indoor storm and take home a *Mad Science Sun Bead Kit to detect ultraviolet rays from the sun.

*denotes Mad Science branded product. 

OTHER POPULAR PROGRAMS (subject to availability)

THE ACADEMY OF MAD SCIENCE EXPLORERS

Watts Up:  The sparks will fly as we explore the world of static electricity.  Students will create static fields and witness a sparking light demonstration with our electrostatic machine, the Van de Graff Generator.  Children take home their own Mad Science *Static Stick Kit for shocking fun at home.

Sonic Sounds:  This class has got some real good vibes!  Engaging sound experiments and lively demonstrations illustrate the properties of groovy sound waves.  We manipulate the frequencies of student voices to make them sound not anything like themselves!  Children complete the class with their own Mad Science *Sonic Horn to make some wacky vibes at home with.

Optical Illusions:  Things are not quite what they seem in this topsy-turvy class that challenges students to see the physics of optical illusions.  Engaging demonstrations and activities teach students to the science of optics.  Students build and keep their very own Mad Science *Periscope.

Tantalizing Taste:  The nose knows!  Develop a taste for science in this flavorful class.  Hands-on experiments and tasty demonstrations will give students an excellent introduction and/or better understanding of the sense of taste and smell.  Children will take home their own Mad Science *Scratch 'n Match Kit.

Magnetic Magic:  Explore the two sides of magnetism!  Magnetic mysteries are solved as we explore the basic principles governing magnets.  Hands-on experiments create magnetic fields and forces and cool demonstrations illustrate the magnet's gravity-defying abilities.  The magnetic fun never ends when children take home their own Mad Science *Magnet Lab Kit.

Mission Nutrition:  Take a bite of nutritional pie!  Students perform experiments to learn how our bodies fuel up on food.  This class increase knowledge, stimulates motivation, and encourages healthy attitudes toward personal health, nutrition and fitness.  This class will have everyone stepping out with their own Mad Science *Step-O-Meter.

Harnessing Heat:  This class is hot and cool!  Learn all about heat and heat transfer as we explore the physical facts of heat.  Cool hands-on experiments heat up the learning with thermometer building and temperature tests.  Students learning experience is extended with the temperature-sensitive Mad Science *Heat Sheet.

Lights, Color Action!:  See the light in this fun-filled class that explores the world of light and color.  Activities involving spectrscopes, ultraviolet light and chromatography provide entertaining lessons on the science of light.  Children build and keep their own Mad Science *Technicolor Blender to play with Newton's color wheel at home.

*denotes Mad Science branded product.

Discover Detection:  Step into the shoes of a detective and uncover the science involved in evidence gathering and anlaysis.  Students will create, collect, and analyze evidence and discover what skills are necessary as a crime scene lab techinician.  Whodunit?  Students will find out using their *Fingerprint Finder to place and identify UV prints.

Junior Detectives:  Are detectives really scientists in disguise?  Students will discover what it takes to be a detective in this hands-on look at detective science.  Using powers of observation and the *Inspectikit, young scientists will have all they need to get started on their detective adventure.

Spy Academy:  Look out 007 - the Mad Science Spy Academy is in session!  From edible messages and decoding clues, students will have the opportunity to check out the skills that spies have in this journey into the world of espionage.  Students will make and take home their own *Secret Code Breaker to communicate stealthily at home, like real spies.

Agent Undercover:  Students will learn what it takes to be successful in the spy world.  With the *Undercover Observer, that students make and take home, they will step into the shoes of a spy in action.  The viewer allows them to observe visually; a key skill for agents undercover.

Sleuths on the Scene: Suspects, schematics and sleuths...oh my!  Connect the dots using science to help solve a crime in this hands-on investigation on the science of sleuthing.  Students can reconstruct the scene of a crime at home using their own *Scene Solver.

Whodunit?:  Want to know who did it?  Students will test their skills and learn how the pros do it using careful techniques in handling evidence properly.  Using their own *Whodunit Kit, students can practice the skills of recall and observation and are provided with character descriptions to reconstruct the face of a suspect.

Funky Forensics:  Figure out the science of forensics in this hands-on look at crime scenes.  Evidence collection and puzzle making will lead students to understand why forensic scientists like to understand the complete picture before making conclusions.  Students will use their *Case Stamper to probe the science of tracking.

Crime Lab:  Got clues?  Analyze clues and get hot on the trail of a culprit with the Crime Labe program.  With the *Spynoculars take home, students safely observe clues from afar.  The build-your-own binoculars are used to test the limits of magnified observation and are a diverting way to use observational skills.

*denotes Mad Science branded product.

Mad Science would be happy to come to your next parent council meeting to discuss any of our programs and any questions you may have about Mad Science.

MORE 8-WEEK PROGRAMS:

NASA ACADEMY OF FUTURE SPACE EXPLORERS:  Space Travel, Atmosphere & Beyond, Sun & Stars, Rocket Science, Planets & Moons, Space Phenomena, Living in Space & Space Technology.