Vancouver Program

The Vancouver School Program gets elementary school students involved in all aspects of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) through fun food experiments. Student volunteers from UBC visit classrooms across the Greater Vancouver Area to teach FREE STEAM lessons using food.

Our team offers 1-hour workshops, which can be delivered as either:

Two 30-minute lessons, or
One 60-minute lesson

To request a workshop, complete the Vancouver inquiry form on our Contact page.

Lesson Plans

30 Minute Lesson Plans

Milk & Soap Art Swirls

Guides students through the concepts of surface tension, hydrophobicity, and hydrophilicity. Students will explore the chemical properties of milk, soap, and food colouring, and use these concepts to create their own colourful milk artwork.

Natural pH Indicators

Students are introduced to the concepts of pH, acids, bases, and indicators. Students will predict the pH of various household objects, and then test their predictions by using a natural pH indicator. They will also learn about neutralization reactions through a demonstration that combines acids and bases.

Spaghetti Structures

Teaches students about various properties of structures, and explores what makes a strong structure. Students will learn about shapes, forces (tension and compression), balance, and stability. Students will apply these concepts through a hands-on activity, which involves working in teams to build structures using spaghetti and marshmallows.

Skittle Statistics

Teaches students about statistics, probability, and the concepts of population and samples. Students will apply their knowledge of statistics through a hands-on activity where they will analyze bags of Skittles to find the proportion of each colour. They will then investigate whether the proportions of colours in their bag match the proportions of colours that Skittles produce.

Thermodynamics of Ice Cream

Students learn about phases of matter, phase changes, heat transfer, and equilibrium. Students will apply their knowledge to a hands-on activity where they will make ice cream, which involves using heat transfer to freeze a liquid mixture. They will also get to enjoy the delicious treat they make!

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Edible Water Bottles

Students will learn about plastic pollution, sustainability, and the science behind spherification and polymerization. Students will apply their knowledge to a hands-on activity, where they will use sodium alginate and calcium chloride to create edible water bottles and explore how this process can serve as a sustainable alternative to plastic.

Jell-O Eyes

Students will learn how light works and how we are able to see. Students will explore light as waves and colours using ropes, flashlights, and prisms to learn how light enters the eye and is focused to create images. By the end of the workshop, students will understand the basic parts of the eye, how lenses help us see near and far, and experiment with a fun Jell-O lens to see how light bends.

1 Hour Lesson Plans

Bees & Honey

Students will learn about the different types of bees, bee anatomy, pollination, and how bees produce and store honey. Students will then get to observe parts of the bee up close under a microscope, exploring features that make them such unique insects. They will also get to sample local honey and discover the incredible journey it takes to get nectar from a flower all the way to honey!

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Don't Choke

Students will learn what choking is, why it happens, and how to prevent it. Through hands-on activities, students will explore how food travels through the body, discover why some foods are more likely to cause choking, and learn safe eating habits that can help keep themselves and others safe.

Building Better Bones

Students will learn how bones grow, stay strong, and support our bodies. Through hands-on activities and by building their own edible bone, students will explore the different layers and structures that make up a bone. By the end of the workshop, students will discover how healthy habits during childhood help build strong bones for life.