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Virtual Science Clubs
Science Clubs are 60min classes where kids explore a different cool STEM topic, like electricity, acid & base reactions, animals, forensics, or structures, each week.
Virtual Science Club $90
60min hands on classes once a week for 6 weeks
Live and interactive, facilitated through the Zoom platform
Programming supplies delivered to you
Additional digital extension activities for home use emailed each week
Best fit for students Grade1-6
Delivery discount is available for kids in the same household
After School and Evening Classes available (4:30pm and 6:30pm)
During our virtual programs, kids participate in the same hands-on way as in our in-person programs. We don't want our Science Club students to just be watching the screen while the Mad Scientist gets to do everything. We have expanded the number of individual experiments and activities that kids participate in, and deliver a supply pack containing the materials that will allow your child to follow along with the experiments alongside the Mad Scientist. Yes, there are demonstrations that kids will only be able to watch, but our goal is for kids to be doing as often as they are watching.
The primary goal is to get your child excited about science and introduce them to a variety of STEM topics. Science Clubs certainly involve learning, but they are not a tutoring service. The Science Club is not an additional hour of school. The kids will be having fun, being wowed by science, and laughing at the humour and antics that our instructors inject into the experience.
Kids participate as a group online. We encourage cameras to be on and microphones to be unmuted so that they can interact with our instructor just like in a traditional in-person after-school program.
How long are the classes?
Science Club classes run 60min in length. Noting that the social distance imposed by the pandemic is really hard on a lot of kids, our staff have been keeping the meetings open for 15min or so afterwards to allow kids to ask that extra question, show off their pet, and get some extra, sometimes unrelated to science, human interaction.
What if we are outside of the Niagara area?
Mad Science is a franchise operation with 170 locations all over the globe. If you are not located in an existing Mad Science territory we would be happy to have you participate with us. Please note that there may be additional shipping costs for more distant customers.
Do we need to have the camera on?
We understand that virtual programs intrude into the family home and that not all kids are comfortable being on camera. We do not require cameras to be on. Please be aware however that it is considerably more difficult to engage with your child and encourage their full participation, assist if they run into difficulties or monitor for safety without the 2 way communication afforded by microphones and cameras.
Are they the same topics the kids did in person at school?
We have 36 different Science Club topics, which we alternate in a 3 year cycle, so when kids do the Mad Science Club at school, they will need to attend four years in a row before they risk seeing a repeated topic. With virtual programs, you aren't limited to going to Mad Science just the one time your school signs up. As a result, almost all of our topics will be deployed at some point this year. For most topics, only about 50% of the content carries over from in-person to virtual, but we understand, if your little scientist did 'Glow Show' last year, you don't want to pay to do 'Glow Show' again if there is the choice to wait until the next session. If your child was in Mad Science before and you don't want them repeating, give us a call and we can cross reference what you did before with what you would be signing up for.
Will parents need to provide science supplies at home?
There are some basic craft or household supplies that you will need to find at home, things like scissors, tape, cups of water, bowls etc. Any weird science stuff we send to you in the supply pack.
How can it be hands-on if it's through a screen?
That took a lot of work! Mad Science in-person programs have a lot of hands-on content, but a lot of it involves working in groups with shared equipment. It was a challenge developing individual activities that were just as fun and engaging but with supplies that are safe enough to send to your home, and that don't increase the cost of the program to the point where it is out of reach of the average family.
What is STEM?
Science Technology Engineering & Mathematics
I wish I could afford this for my kids. Is there any help available?
We know that the kids that most benefit from our programs are often the kids that can least afford the price of the programs. Check out our Subsidies page for ways we are working to make sure that no child misses out. We are sorry we are not able to do more, but the impact of the pandemic has seriously limited resources we usually have at our disposal.
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