Grades 4-6 School Programs
GRADE 4-6

School Programs

Ready to spark some science? Book online for each program using the school Booking Form. Booking Form

GRADES 4-6 PROGRAMS

  • GRADE 5
  • SCIENTIFIC METHODS

Variable Detectives

5SM: Plan and conduct a controlled experiment.

Dive deep into the scientific method by investigating common household chemicals and everybody’s favourite non-Newtonian fluid, slime! Students will become chemistry detectives by controlling and manipulating variables as they test and create. Discover some fundamentals of chemistry in this action-packed program!

$285 | 60 Minutes | Lab

  • GRADE 4
  • ENERGY

Magnetic Marvels

4E: Analyze interactions between the magnetic poles of magnets

Through a series of investigation stations, students explore and marvel at the push and pull of magnetism (from poles to attraction) and how this non-contact force interacts with many different materials.

$285 | 60 Minutes | Workshop

  • GRADE 4-6
  • EARTH SYSTEMS

Greatest Inventions for Earth

4ES: Caring for water and water sources is a shared responsibility.
5ES: Explain how climate can affect human and other animal activity.

6ES: Identify personal actions that may affect global climate change

How can we use design-thinking to tackle the world's toughest environmental problems? Inspired by the UN's Sustainable Development Goals, students will use littleBits, a medley of materials, and collaboration to work towards creating their own prototype to strengthen our local community response to environmental dilemmas. Thank you to CASC's GenAction Program for their generous support for this program!

$295 | 90 Minutes | Workshop

  • GRADES 4-6
  • COMPUTER SCIENCE

The Locked Spark

4CS: Design processes include understanding the problem, forming ideas, planning, creating, analyzing, testing, troubleshooting.
5CS: Relate a block of code to an outcome or behaviour.

6CS: Use a visual block based language to design code that includes relevant design structures.

Students will embark on a computer science themed locked room challenge. In just 60 minutes, they'll need to test their collaborative design skills to create a one of kind artifact while moving through a sequence of stations that challenge their computational thinking abilities. Their cumulative work will help them with a final AI challenge to escape the Locked Spark!

$285 | 60 Minutes | Workshop

  • GRADES 4-6
  • SPACE & SCIENTIFIC METHODS

Pluto: A Science Story

4S: Observing objects in space helps us connect Earth to its place in the universe.

5SM: Discuss technologies that provide scientists with evidence that cannot be directly observed using the human senses.

6S: Knowledge of the solar system continues to develop with further space exploration.

The story of Pluto is the story of science. Explore the discovery of the planets through the immersive nature of the planetarium, visiting Pluto and finding out how science really works. Is it a planet or not? We'll find out, and find out why. Available Monday to Thursday at 9:45 AM and 1:00 PM. (Multiple schools may be booked in the same timeslot.)

$285 | 50 minutes | Live Dome Show

Coming in January 2025

  • GRADES 4-6
  • SPACE

Are We Alone?

4S: Objects in space include: the Moon, the Sun (a star), stars and their planets, planets and their moons.

6S: Scientific exploration of space has revealed that Earth is an interconnected part of a group of planets that orbit the Sun.

Join a fearless adventurer as they explore the Milky Way galaxy for life, aided by their very skeptical AI sidekick! It’s solar system curriculum teleported into a high-definition dome theatre show. Available Monday to Thursday at 9:45 AM and 1:00 PM until December. (Multiple schools may be booked in the same timeslot.)

$285 | 50 Minutes | Live Dome Show

  • GRADE 4
  • LIVING SYSTEMS & SCIENTIFIC METHODS

Botanical Investigators

4LS: Relate the external structures of plants to their functions.
4SM: Relevant data addresses the question that is being investigated.

Using microscopy, dissections, soil pH testing kits, and other scientific tools, students will learn about the scientific method and the use of evidence to advance their understanding of plants and the wonders of the botanical world!

$285 | 60 Minutes | Lab

  • GRADE 5
  • LIVING SYSTEMS

Body Builders

5LS: Examine the function of the human digestive, respiratory, circulatory, and musculoskeletal systems.

In this creative design challenge, students explore the digestive, respiratory, circulatory and musculoskeletal systems and employ engineering principles to build a model of the human body with functioning organs.

$285 | 60 Minutes | Lab

  • GRADE 6
  • ENERGY & MATH

Tension, Trusses & Triangles

6E: Identify forces that act on an object during an interaction.

6Math: Solve problems involving the areas of parallelograms and triangles.

Triangles make up the strongest shape in engineering, but how can we prove it? Students explore the engineering of bridges and how the internal forces of tension and compression create some of the best engineering designs around us!

$285 | 60 minutes | Workshop

  • GRADE 6
  • MATTER & SCIENTIFIC METHOD

Particle Party

6M: Explain phase changes of matter when heated or cooled using the particle model of matter.

6SM: Conduct a controlled experiment to prove the mass of a substance is the same after a phase change.

Dive into the fascinating world of the particle model of matter through hands-on lab-based experiments. Explore phase changes using different materials from dry ice to gallium, observing how particles behave as substances transition between solid, liquid, and gas states.

$285 | 60 minutes | Lab

  • GRADE 6
  • ENERGY

Action Reaction Contraption

6E: Demonstrate and represent an action force and its reaction force in various interactions.

Remember Mousetrap? This popular board game is an example of a Rube Goldberg machine – a complex mechanism that performs a simple task. In this workshop, students create their own contraptions by repurposing unusual objects to design and build a device for a task of their choosing!

$295 | 90 Minutes | Workshop

  • GRADE 6
  • LIVING SYSTEMS

Biologist for a Day

6LS: Locate and responsibly examine a local ecosystem in nature using appropriate materials and tools.

Students become field biologists and take to Spark's backyard to investigate the surprising biodiversity and complex ecosystems found in the centre of a large urban environment. This is an outdoor program; be sure to dress for the weather. Available: May-June.

$295 | 90 Minutes | Outdoor Workshop

Book online for each program with the school Booking Form or call us at 403-817-6800 if you have any questions.

Want to plan a self-explore visit to Spark?

Book Self-Explore Trip

Hey Teachers!

Join Spark’s education email list to receive innovative teaching and learning ideas, school program updates, and information on professional development opportunities and workshops produced by the Calgary science centre.

Subscribe Now