8 science activities that get Core French students talking
In a Core French class, most students know a few hundred words of French. The right science activity turns those words into real communication, because what happens in front of them carries the meaning. Here are eight activities that work, and how to get the most out of them.
Why science works so well in Core French
A long explanation in French can lose half the room. A hands-on experiment does the opposite: students see a reaction happen, hold the material and recognize the key words because they are tied to something concrete. The French follows the science, not the other way around.
The best Core French activities share three features: they are highly visual, they repeat a small set of useful words, and they give every student a role. All eight activities below tick those boxes, and all are delivered entirely in French by Profaqua’s facilitators.
Eight activities that need very few words
1. Dry Ice
A mysterious substance at −78 °C, smoking potions, geysers and bubbling cauldrons: students understand what is happening before anyone explains it. The Dry Ice workshop, offered from kindergarten to grade 10, is ideal for words like froid, fumée, solide and gaz.
2. Magic or Science?
Objects that vanish, rings that link together, a touch of telepathy, and a young apprentice on stage. Magic or Science? is a show for kindergarten to grade 6, and students learn five tricks they can practise at home, which means more French after the visit.
3. The Five Senses
Spectroscopes, mirrors, a giant ear, a homemade telephone, flavours and scents: The Five Senses, for kindergarten to grade 4, gives the youngest learners five quick experiments built around words they already need, such as voir, entendre, goûter, sentir and toucher.
4. Magnetism
Magnetic or not? Attracted or repelled? With the magnetic arm, the dart game and the magnetic maze, Magnetism (kindergarten to grade 4) works almost like a sorting game, and yes-or-no questions are perfect for beginners.
5. Egg Drop Parachute
Save the omelette! Teams build a parachute so their egg survives the fall. Egg Drop Parachute, for grades 1 to 6, is a challenge students want to win, so they listen closely to the instructions and negotiate their design in French.
6. Mini Space Shuttle
A countdown everyone knows, a little role play about space exploration and a hydrogen rocket launch: Mini Space Shuttle (grades 1 to 7) makes numbers and action verbs unforgettable.
7. LEGO® WeDo 2.0 Robotics
Building and programming a robot is understood in any language. With WeDo 2.0 (kindergarten to grade 6), students build a model, program it on a tablet and test it, using the vocabulary of directions and movement.
8. The States of Water
Where did the water on the towel go? The States of Water, for grades 4 to 8, takes a question students can picture and explores solid, liquid and gas through short activities and a surprising experiment.
How to choose among them
Start with your students’ grade, then with how comfortable they are in French. For kindergarten to grade 2, The Five Senses, Magnetism and Dry Ice are safe bets. From grade 3, Egg Drop Parachute and Mini Space Shuttle add a challenge students can win as a team. For older Core French students, The States of Water and robotics give more room to explain.
If several Core French classes want to take part, a science show such as Magic or Science? brings them together for an hour. Tell us your classes, grades and dates, and we suggest the right combination.
Five tips for the day of the visit
- Introduce five or six key words the week before, with pictures or real objects.
- Practise one sentence starter for predictions: “Je pense que…”.
- Form the teams before the facilitator arrives, so every minute goes to the activity.
- Encourage every attempt in French; mistakes are part of science too.
- Afterwards, use the follow-up activity sheets to have students retell the experiment.
Bring the words home
The French that sticks is the French students use again. After the visit, ask each student to explain the experiment to someone at home in one or two sentences, with a drawing to help. The next day, collect the best sentences on a poster in class. It takes ten minutes, and students see that the words they learned with the facilitator are words they can actually use.
Funding for Core French schools
Public schools offering Core French can receive support from Canadian Parents for French BC & Yukon: up to $1,000 per visit for an activity entirely in French, plus up to $200 toward travel for schools in remote areas. Core French schools can receive one visit over a two-year period. How CPF funding works.
Your PAC can also help, for example by paying for a science show for the whole school.
Can students with very little French really follow?
Yes. These activities rely on demonstrations, gestures, repetition and simple vocabulary tied to objects. Tell us your students’ level and we adjust the pace.
How long is a workshop?
Most of these workshops last 60 minutes, which suits Core French classes well. Some can also be booked for 75 minutes.
Is the activity entirely in French?
Yes, which is what makes it valuable for your students, and it is also a requirement for CPF funding.
No question matches. Try another word or write to us!
Éric Tremblay · Founder of Profaqua
Éric founded Profaqua in 2000. Over 25 years, he has designed more than 55 science workshops in biology, chemistry, physics, Earth and space science, the environment and robotics. Based in British Columbia since 2021, he travels the province every year to bring hands-on science in French to students in francophone and French Immersion schools.
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