How scientists discovered cells and developed the cell theory of life.
How the organ systems in your body work together.
Stentors: gigantic single-celled organisms.
What is the cell cycle?
See how the growth of living things relies on cell division with this time-lapse video showing the growth of a salamander from single cell to hatching.
Activities
Explore how nutrients and waste pass through cell membranes with this gummy bear osmosis experiment.
Have you ever wondered what DNA looks like? Learn about cell biology as you extract the DNA from banana cells with this activity.
Get moving with this immune system game and learn about antigens and antibodies with this epic game of immunity tag.
Have you ever wondered how medications work, or why some medications are pills and others aren’t? Investigate why insulin is injected rather than ingested with this medication experiment.
Optics and vision
Videos
How do telescopes work?
How the eyes and brain make sense of the world.
Additive and subtractive colour theory.
Explore the electromagnetic spectrum.
Activities
Investigate why shadows usually appear to be black with this colourful activity.
Learn how telescopes work with this activity that explores reflection, refraction, and focal point.
Experience how light and shadow can fool the brain by making this cool 3D light and shadow illusion.
A cool (or hot!) infrared experiment. The temperature differences are small, and the apparatus needs a clear, sunny day to work most effectively. It's a good reminder that science needs precise conditions to get accurate data.
Forces, fluids, and density
Videos
Why do some things float while others sink?
Density and the mystery of floating ice.
Learn about buoyancy.
Why is ketchup so hard to pour?
Activities
Build your own hydrometer to measure the density of liquids with this activity.
Can you build a submarine? Kids learn about buoyancy and density with this submarine building challenge.
Explore how fluids move and see how different factors affect the flow of liquids with this experiment. Add to the learning value by testing liquids of varying viscosities in addition to water.
Use the power of compressed air to make a simple lifting crane with this pneumatics activity. For an extra challenge, see if your students can covert the pneumatic crane to a hydraulic crane.
Water systems
Videos
How do glaciers move?
Have you ever wondered why rivers are almost always full of curves?
This short film follows a group of young students who decided to study what pollution does to the oceans.
Interviews with Elders from Yellow Quill First Nation share their knowledge about the water near their community.
Activities
Explore how human action can affect groundwater with this contamination clean-up activity.
Create your own stream table and observe how topography affects how rivers flow and shape the land.
Explore how different forces, such as glaciers and rivers, shape the landscape with this erosion stations activity.
Observe how algae growth is changed by the presence of different pollutants and chemicals with this long-term experiment. You will need at least 2 weeks to see the best results.
