How to choose a science workshop that moves your class forward

Start from your unit, not from the catalogue

Before browsing activities, write down the one question you want your students to explore. “We are studying electricity” names a topic. “Students should be able to explain why a bulb stays off” describes something they will do. The second version makes the choice much easier.

Then decide when the workshop happens. Early in a unit, a workshop works as a hook: students meet the phenomenon first and want to understand it. In the middle, it gives everyone a shared experience to refer back to. At the end, it lets students apply what they know to a new challenge.

Tell the facilitator which of these you have in mind. Profaqua workshops can be adapted to what your class has already covered, so the same topic can be pitched as a discovery or as a deeper investigation.

Match the grade level, then the format

Each activity in our catalogue is designed for a range of grades. Treat that range as a starting point rather than a limit: tell us your students’ level and we adjust the depth of the explanations and the challenges.

Next, choose the format. A 60-, 75- or 90-minute workshop focuses on one question with one class. A multi-visit project spreads over 2 to 4 visits, so students can build, test and improve a solution. A science show gathers several classes, or the whole school, for an hour of spectacular experiments.

• One class, one big question: a workshop.
• One class, a problem worth several sessions: a project.
• Several classes or a special event: a show.

Check what the room needs

Every activity has its own practical needs. Some workshops need a sink nearby, others need outlets, an interactive whiteboard or a clear space for demonstrations. Many are organized around six teams, so forming the teams before the facilitator arrives saves precious minutes.

If you book several classes on the same day, setting up all sessions in the same room is strongly recommended when there is little time between groups. It lets the facilitator spend the time with students rather than moving equipment.

Three classes, three good choices

The same method leads to different answers depending on the class. Three examples from the catalogue:

A grade 2 class studying living things

The Insects workshop, designed for kindergarten to grade 4, lets students observe and compare before the unit starts. If the class wants to follow a life cycle day by day, the Ducklings or Chicks project goes further: Profaqua delivers the fertile eggs, the incubators and everything needed, and the class watches the hatching.

A grade 5 class working on electricity

The Electric Circuits workshop, for grades 4 to 9, gives every team the chance to build a circuit and find out why a bulb stays off. A class that wants to design its own solution can choose the multi-visit Circuits project instead, and improve its invention from one visit to the next.

A whole school during Science Week

A science show brings everyone together in the gym, and workshops in the classrooms let each group get hands-on afterwards. Booking several classes on the same day also keeps the price per class at its lowest.

Questions to ask before you book

• Does the grade range of the activity match my students, and what should be adjusted?
• What length fits my schedule: 60, 75 or 90 minutes?
• How many classes can take part the same day? Prices are based on at least two classes per day.
• What does the room need: a sink, outlets, a whiteboard, a clear space?
• Is there a materials fee for this activity?
• Which funding might apply to my school?

Bring these questions to your request: we answer them in the quote, so there are no surprises on the day.

Plan the budget honestly

Classroom workshops start at $205 per class, based on a minimum of two classes per day. Travel is billed at $0.90 per kilometre round trip from our office, with a $25 minimum, and a few workshops that use perishable supplies carry a small materials fee. GST and PST are extra. Our pricing covers every format.

Before you assume the school pays the full amount, look at funding options. French Immersion and Core French schools may be eligible for Canadian Parents for French support; francophone schools can look at PassepART, Vice-Versa or their APÉ.

Keep the learning going afterwards

The workshop is a moment; the learning continues in class. After each workshop, teachers receive activity sheets to consolidate what students discovered. Plan ten minutes in the following days to revisit a prediction, compare an observation or let students explain the experiment to someone who was absent.

A simple trace is enough: a labelled drawing, a before-and-after comparison or a short oral explanation. It shows how students’ thinking moved, and it tells you what to explore next.