OUR SCHOOL BOARD PARTNERS
Special thanks go to our school board partners who actively work with SiS to make our program a success. The Niagara Region works with the following school boards:
- District School Board of Niagara
- Niagara Catholic District School Board
... and many independent schools across our region
Interested in becoming a school board partner? Please click here.
WELCOME TO THE SOUTH CENTRAL ONTARIO REGION
Serving Niagara Region and the surrounding area
This school year (2011/12), Scientists in School Niagara is celebrating its fifth year of bringing exciting, hands-on science workshops to Niagara Region classrooms. Initiated in 2007, our program now reaches nearly 12,000 Niagara students annually. The Niagara team is a passionate group of qualified presenters who are experts in over 32 science, technology, engineering and math topics. We currently enjoy working with teachers and students in 80 local elementary schools and look forward to meeting many others. We are dedicated to providing you with an excellent classroom experience, professional and courteous communication, and award winning customer service. If you have a favourite scientist or two, please donŐt hesitate to request them. We love re-connecting!
Host a Science Day with Scientists in School
Niagara Region schools are discovering the benefits of Science Days - an entire day dedicated to learning science. These events are excellent ways to focus learning, involve parents and community members, and build school spirit. Most importantly, they can help connect learning with the real world and Scientists in School can help.
Glynn A. Green school in Fonthill held a very successful Science Day last year with all classrooms participating in Scientists in School workshops. The event was covered by the local media and brought attention to the student scientists and the school.
Father Hennepin school in Niagara Falls has hosted a Science Day each of the past three years. Again, Scientists in School worked with the school to provide workshops that allowed students to become scientists and to connect their learning to their own experiences. The local paper also covered this Science Day, helping to build school spirit.
Feedback from students, parents, and teachers let us know how popular these special days are and how much they are appreciated by the school and the community.
Looking for an excuse to hold a Science Day? This year the DSBN Education Week is April 11-15, and with the theme "Celebrating Community Partnerships," we couldn't think of a better reason to partner with Scientists in School. The NCDSB Education Week is May 6-11 which coincides this year with interesting celestial happenings, including the Eta Aquarids meteor shower and the largest full moon of the year on May 6.
But you don't really need an excuse - Science Days are good for your students and your school. Contact us today to help set up your next Science Day.
Presenter Profile: Teala Tyson
Teala Tyson holds a red-spotted newt, a native Ontario amphibian and the subject of regeneration research she conducted as a graduate student.
Teala Presents: Backyard Bugs, Classy Critters, and Animal Coverings and Adaptations.
Teala Tyson has always been fascinated by animals and nature and that fascination has taken Teala around the world and back again. Now, she is sharing her passion with the next generation of biologists, naturalists, and explorers she encounters in the classroom with Scientists in School.
Teala grew up in Fonthill, enjoying all that her natural surroundings offered her. Always interested in animals, she considers herself lucky to have gone to E.L. Crossley Secondary School where she studied biology with Mr. Gaspar, who helped get her excited about science. "He was such an awesome teacher," Teala explains, citing Mr. Gaspar's ability to make difficult, scientific concepts come alive through analogies.
Thinking at first that she was going to become a veterinarian, Teala attended the University of Guelph, and was soon fully engaged in the scientific study of animals. As a student, she studied pollution and habitat loss in China and enjoyed a summer in Costa Rica, working with sea turtles. As part of a team that kept poachers away from the turtles' vulnerable eggs, she worked mostly at night. During the days, she logged hours in the turtle nursery, doing whatever she could to help this endangered species survive.
With a degree in zoology, Teala spent time working in research laboratories in England and at the University of Florida, earning her Masters in Biology with a minor in science education. But her need to share her passion for science and nature with kids brought her back home to Ontario. Here, she helped create an after school science program for Niagara high school students called Young & Wild. The Young & Wild volunteers learned about native Niagara reptile species and shared their appreciation with others.
Teala joined the Niagara team of Scientists in School in 2010 and is enjoying the work that she does to inspire elementary scientists. "I love seeing how excited the kids are when they get to actually touch animal specimens. I bring specimens into the classroom that most may never otherwise see in their lifetime," Teala explains. "Whether it's the mud puppy (a giant salamander with gills), the dogfish shark pup (a baby), or the red-eared slider turtle, it's so great to see kids asking questions and learning."
Teala is back in Niagara region, recently engaged, living with her soon-to-be fifteen year-old dog, Bailey, enjoying life and the opportunities she has to connect with kids. "To see them so excited about learning, that's what gets you up in the morning," she admits.
Featured Workshops
4 for 4! Check out these fabulous Grade 4 workshops:
Adventures In The Bone Zone
Grades 4 To 7; Special Interest
Delve into the diet and digestion of an owl as you discover what an owl eats for breakfast! Join this ecological adventure and dissect an owl pellet, use magnifying glasses to sort and identify bones and assemble a rodent skeleton. Examine a variety of mammalian skulls to determine species and explore similarities and differences between herbivores and carnivores.
Kay Reil is the presenter for Adventures In The Bone Zone. Her background in animal science and love for all creatures shines in the classroom. Her passion is contagious and it isn't long before students are equally delighted as they explore the components of barn owl pellets.
Don't Take Rocks For Granite
Grade 4; Strand: Earth And Space Systems
Become a junior geologist and dig into the concepts of mineral formation, the rock cycle and fossilization. Examine igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks and identify a mystery mineral. Explore the best material to line a landfill, make your own fossil and explore volcanoes from the inside out!
Sheila Langstaff is the presenter for Don't Take Rocks For Granite. Her interest in science comes from a lifetime of enjoying nature, years of teaching science and outdoor education and a hope that students will become more involved in science. When not in the classroom, Sheila might be found practicing with her own Niagara-based band!
Gearing Up: Fun With Pulleys And Gears
Grade 4; Strand: Structures And Mechanisms
Step into the physics lab and learn how pulleys and gears change the force required to do work! Create a work of art using an internal gear system. Build a variety of pulley systems, design and construct a gear train and explore how pulleys and gears can change the direction of an applied force. Investigate the type of gear which makes a bey blade move and discover an easy way to move something much bigger than yourself!
Patti Buchanan is the presenter for Gearing Up: Fun With Pulleys And Gears. An accomplished teacher, Patti now shares her love for science as a classroom presenter. The mysteries of pulleys and gears are quickly unraveled as Grade 4 students discover how work can be made easier.
Sound Is Music To My Ears
Matter And Energy, Grade 4
Discover the science of sound as musical maestros! Explore sound waves and learn how sound makes your desk hum. Play the bucket bass to explore factors affecting pitch. Create a laughing chicken to investigate amplification. Discover how the human ear detects sounds; guess the decibel level of a jet engine; and learn how to protect your ears. Form your own classroom orchestra and serenade your school!
Sheila Langstaff is the presenter for Sound Is Music To My Ears. Her interest in science comes from a lifetime of enjoying nature, years of teaching science and outdoor education and a hope that students will become more involved in science. When not in the classroom, Sheila might be found practicing with her own Niagara-based band!
Introducing The Newest Member Of Our Team: Hazel The Hedgehog!
Hazel is one of the Niagara's favorite presenters! She loves to walk around the carpet and show off her quills and her pointy face. She is always hungry when she comes to the schools and enjoys crunching on a few mealworms to everyone's delight.
Hazel's assistant Kay makes sure to highlight some of the really neat things about Hazel to the classrooms they visit. For example, Kay shows the students how Hazel's body is covered in over 7,000 hollow un-barbed quills that Hazel uses for protection. Even though Hazel's quills do not come out (unlike her friend the porcupine), Hazel can make them all stand on end when she's scared. She also adds in a little 'huffing and puffing' for dramatic effect.
Hazel loves presenting to elementary students because that means she usually gets a lot of snacks! As an omnivore (meaning she eats plant and meat foods) a snack may consist of little crickets, mealworms, fruit or lettuce! Yummy!
About Kay Reil: Kay's background in Animal Science and love for all creatures shines in the classroom. Her passion is contagious and it isn't long before students are equally delighted as they explore the components of barn owl pellets or creatures like Hazel the Hedgehog!
The Power Of Partnership
The support of local community and corporate partners is vital to Scientists in School's program in Niagara Region. On a regular basis, we'll profile some of these partners who help make our program a success. Thank you!
Partner Spotlight
Since 2006, Ontario Power Generation (OPG) has been committed to growing Scientists in School's program in Niagara Region. As the founding sponsor of SiS in Niagara Region, OPG has been instrumental in bringing hands-on science workshops to close to 12,000 student scientists annually. Thank you OPG for your foresight and support.
Our sincerest thanks are also extended to our other regional supporters including:
- Toyota Canada
- TD Friends of the Environment Foundation - Niagara North and Niagara South chapters
We love connecting with you!
Scientists in School -
SCO Niagara
P.O. Box 660
Fonthill, Ontario L0S 1E0
T/F: 905-892-9146
E: niagara@scientistsinschool.ca
Your opinion is important to us!
Have you participated in a workshop lately? Do you have any comments about our program? SiS continually strives to improve our workshops and your feedback is invaluable!
Please share your thoughts in this short, online survey.
WE INSPIRE EXCITEMENT FOR SCIENCE
DID YOU KNOW ...
that over 1,000 birds per day have been counted at Beamer Memorial Conservation Area (Niagara Region) during the annual hawk migration?
Birds of prey depend upon "lift" from the air. The unique topography of the area lends itself perfectly to aid in raptor migration. This red tailed hawk is the result of an unfortunate collision between human and animal habitats in St. Catharines.
"Scientists in School is an amazing experience. Each student is actively engaged in hands-on, explorative learning. Every class at St. Philomena Catholic School gets to experience this excellent resource and teaching tool twice a year. Staff and students greatly look forward to the experience"
- J. Olesen, Teacher, St. Philomena School, Niagara Catholic District School Board
DID YOU KNOW ...
that Niagara Falls is much more than a tourist attraction?
With more than 6 million cubic feet of water falling every minute at high flow (4 million cubic feet on average), Niagara Falls is the most powerful waterfall in North America. Long recognized as a source of power, hydroelectricity is generated at the Sir Adam Beck 1 and 2 stations on the Canadian side of the falls and the Robert Moses Power Plant on the American side. Water usage by the power plants is limited during tourist season to preserve the attraction.
DID YOU KNOW ...
that Niagara is also home to a rich agricultural region as well as one of the world's natural wonders?
The moderate, lake effect climate and fertile soil combine to create a fruit growers paradise. The result - Niagara is home to some world renowned wineries.
DID YOU KNOW ...
that Niagara Region is a unique ecosystem with an abundance of water resources?
The Niagara watershed [the area of land over which water (rain and snow) drains into a common body] includes all of Niagara Region as well as portions of Hamilton City and Haldimand County. The watershed is divided into 3 main areas, draining into Lake Ontario, Lake Erie or the Niagara River.
DID YOU KNOW ...
that hedgehogs anoint themselves with their own saliva?
Agreeable odours (at least to hedgehogs) cause this animal to salivate. Hedgehogs use their tongues to spread saliva over their spines. This is called self anointing.
DID YOU KNOW ...
that hedgehog spines are really hairs?
Hedgehogs are easily recognizable by their spines - which are really modified hollow hairs, about 20 mm long and 2 mm thick. There are about 7000 spines on an adult hedgehog. Spines are not poisonous or barbed and cannot be easily removed from the hedgehog.
"Scientists in School does a terrific job in either bringing the new Science & Technology topics to the classroom or, for some, doing a summary or conclusion for the topics the teacher has already covered. Either way the students enjoy the hands-on. For some it's new; for others it gives them a deeper understanding of work they have covered. Students are able to apply what they have learned. I have used Scientists in School for several years now and will continue to do so."
- Ms. Betty, Teacher, Century Montessori Private School