Available to students in grades 3-8, our online March Break Workshops explore topics in STEM through engaging and interactive experiments, with a hands-on approach to learning.
Each workshop will be live, guided and will allow participants to be involved in hands-on activities with a specially made STEM Activity Bag that includes FREE domestic shipping. When possible, workshops are separated into Junior (grades 3/4/5) and Senior (grades 6/7/8) sections.
Get discounts when registering for multiple workshops!
- Register for 1 workshop and pay $45.00
- Register for 3 workshops and pay $40.00 each and save 11%!
- Register for 5+ workshops and pay $30.00 each and save 33%!
Please note that some workshops have been featured in our Fall/Winter Workshops, and has been indicated below.
Workshop Descriptions
Monday, March 14 Workshops
| Morning (10:00am to 11:30am) |
Build a Rollercoaster
Learn the ups and downs of kinetic and potential energy as you investigate the relationship between the design and function of structures, and play with the forces that act upon them. |
| Early Afternoon (12:30pm to 2:00pm) |
Shimmering Magnets
Investigate magnetic attraction and repulsion as you build a tower and magically move your creature without touching it! |
| Late Afternoon (3:00pm to 4:30pm) |
Fibre Optic Constellations
Combine your love of circuits with your passion for astronomy to create an illuminated constellation board using fibre optic cables! |
Tuesday, March 15 Workshops
| Morning (10:00am to 11:30am) |
First Aid Treatments: X-Rays and Casts
Become a radiologic technologist in a veterinary clinic to help diagnose foreign bodies in various animals! Learn how x-rays work as a diagnostic technique, and then choose a friend to practice your cast-making skills on. |
| Early Afternoon (12:30pm to 2:00pm) |
Messy Science: Invisible Ink & Non-Newtonian Fluid
Is it a solid? Is it a liquid? Defy Newton’s Law of Viscosity by mixing your own non-Newtonian fluid! Then turn the tables as you become a secret agent and concoct new chemical formulas to use in your inked secret messages. |
| Late Afternoon (3:00pm to 4:30pm) |
DNA Extraction
Turn your desk into a science lab as you chemically extract deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) from various substances. Learn about the function of DNA, its structure, and the difference between polar and non-polar compounds. |
| Late Afternoon (3:00pm to 4:30pm) |
Electromagnetic Motor
From the teeniest toys to the most towering cranes, motors are prolifically used in our world. Explore the useful intersection of electricity and magnetism by assembling your own electromagnetic motor and understand how these important machines work. |
Wednesday, March 16 Workshops
| Morning (10:00am to 11:30am) |
Magnetic Levitation
It looks like magic, but it’s actually the power of magnets! Learn how magnetic suspension is used in high speed trains, and then apply those concepts to create a levitating device of your own. |
| Early Afternoon (12:30pm to 2:00pm) |
Sea Turtle Navigation
How are magnets and sea turtles connected? In this workshop, explore how sea turtles and other migratory animals use the Earth’s magnetic fields to navigate back to the place they were born. |
| Late Afternoon (3:00pm to 4:30pm) |
Conductive LED Card
Let your inner artist shine as you design and create your own light-up LED greeting card! Learn about electricity and circuits, and discover how prevalent they are in our lives. |
| Late Afternoon (3:00pm to 4:30pm) |
Scratch Machine Learning
Learn about supervised algorithms in artificial intelligence. Using Scratch coding software, create your own chatbot and train your AI to respond to positive and negative sentiments. |
Thursday, March 17 Workshops
| Morning (10:00am to 11:30am) |
Gyroscopic Yo-Yo
In aircraft, gyroscopic principles are used to inform pilots where the aircraft is relative to Earth. Let’s examine these principles to build another type of device that manipulates gravity into doing cool tricks: Our very own yo-yo! |
| Early Afternoon (12:30pm to 2:00pm) |
DNA Extraction
Turn your desk into a science lab as you chemically extract deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) from various substances. Learn about the function of DNA, its structure, and the difference between polar and non-polar compounds. |
| Late Afternoon (3:00pm to 4:30pm) |
Balloon Hovercraft
In this aerodynamics and hydrodynamics science workshop, you will build your own mini hovercraft. Through various testing conditions, you will determine how to make your device stay afloat the longest. |
| Late Afternoon (3:00pm to 4:30pm) |
Lava Lamp
Join us in this mesmerizing workshop to create your own heat-less chemical lava lamps, while learning how the scientific principles of density and polarity make these machines so enchanting. |
Friday, March 18 Workshops
| Morning (10:00am to 11:30am) |
Conductive LED Card
Let your inner artist shine as you design and create your own light-up LED greeting card! Learn about electricity and circuits, and discover how prevalent they are in our lives. |
| Early Afternoon (12:30pm to 2:00pm) |
My Robotic Friend
Get ready to laugh as you learn how computers think! Teach your Robotic Friend how to make a sandwich and examine how computational thinking goes into everyday life. More advanced students will write instructions in coding syntax. |
| Late Afternoon (3:00pm to 4:30pm) |
Crazy Candy Corals
Investigate the importance of coral reefs to ocean environments, and explore the relationship between corals and zooxanthellae. Then use delicious candy to build the different structures of your very own coral reef! |
| Late Afternoon (3:00pm to 4:30pm) |
Python Mad Libs
Delve into the world of coding syntax to program your own Mad Libs game using Python coding language. Suitable for beginners, with additional challenges for more advanced coders. |
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost and how do I register?
Get discounts when registering for multiple workshops:
- Register for 1 workshop and pay $45.00
- Register for 3 workshops and pay $40.00 each and save 11%!
- Register for 5+ workshops and pay $30.00 each and save 33%!
All registration is to be completed online through the Active Software system. Your spot will be reserved upon receipt of payment. You will receive a Confirmation Email after registration with more information including the Zoom link(s), Zoom Setup, Self-Supplied Materials (if applicable) and more!
We are doing everything we can to keep our program fees low and accessible. This fee will help us cover our Instructor salaries and enables us to offer more Online Programs.
What is your cancellation policy?
We are doing everything we can to keep our costs low. When there is a cancellation, we lose $15 per participant per session in non-refundable registration and credit card fees. To that end:
- Cancellations made more than fourteen days before the program starts and before the STEM Kit has been shipped are eligible for a full refund, minus the $15 administration fee per participant per session.
- No refunds will be made once the STEM Kit has been shipped.
- No refunds will be made less than fourteen days before the program starts.
Refunds will be given upon written notice of cancellation. No refunds will be given for days when a participant is absent and missed days cannot be made up.
Do you offer discounts?
We are currently offering a Refer-A-Friend promotion.
Share our Online March Break Workshops 2022 with your friends, and if they register, you will both earn a $10.00 credit off your next registration in our 2022 programs! Just ask them to name you as their referrer when they register.
- Referred registrants must be new to Science Engagement Programs.
- You cannot nominate your own children.
- Coupon Codes will be emailed to successful recipients by March 31, 2022.
Did you know that 94% of our students would recommend our programs to their friends?
Do you offer financial assistance?
We offer Financial Assistance for Science Engagement Programs, when funding is available. Applications will be assessed on a first come, first serve basis, depending on funding availability. For more information, please click on the appropriate links or email explore@yorku.ca.
To engage in free STEM activities, sign up for our Science Engagement Newsletter, or follow us on Instagram and Facebook!
