NEW classes start in winter 2025 at several of the HVS Elementary Schools
Heritage Elementary - day TBD. Register BY ONE WEEK BEFORE CLASS BEGINS
Johnson Elementary - day TBD. Register BY ONE WEEK BEFORE CLASS BEGINS
Lakewood Elementary - day TBD. Register BY ONE WEEK BEFORE CLASS BEGINS
courses that do not meet the minimum numbers of enrolled students (8) may be cancelled
Heritage Elementary - day TBD. Register BY ONE WEEK BEFORE CLASS BEGINS
Johnson Elementary - day TBD. Register BY ONE WEEK BEFORE CLASS BEGINS
Lakewood Elementary - day TBD. Register BY ONE WEEK BEFORE CLASS BEGINS
courses that do not meet the minimum numbers of enrolled students (8) may be cancelled
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We need parent volunteers! please e-mail [email protected] to volunteer - volunteers receive a 50% rebate on tuition at the end of the program. We need 1 parent for each 12 students registered for grades 3-5 classes. We need 1 parent volunteer for each 8 students in grades K-2 classes. |
Please Note: most of our courses are for Grades 3-5
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session #7: coming winter 2025.
REGISTRATION CLOSES ONE WEEK BEFORE THE CLASS BEGINS. We need time to acquire materials before we start "Science Lessons for Aspiring Wizards" for grades 3-5 Probable experiments will include: The sorting hat, potions 101 (such as the "mini red cauldron" experiment) (may need 2 weeks for potions), intro to magic wands, geometric illusions (ex. passing quarter thru small hole) and estimation jars, witch's favorite slime recipes (and magnetic troll slime), golden snitch catapults and obstacle course. Planned activities may be adjusted for student interest/skill levels. Click HERE to Register |
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session #8: coming spring 2026.
REGISTRATION CLOSES ONE WEEK BEFORE THE CLASS BEGINS. We need time to acquire materials before we start "Science for A-spy-ring Spies" for grades 3-5 Students will learn to complete simple missions each week to earn a prize. Probable experiments will include: creating codes and ciphers for secret messages, invisible inks, chemical evidence analysis, maps and mazes, learning to work with fragments of data, and surveillance memory puzzles. Planned activities may be adjusted for student interest/skill levels. |
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session #9: coming spring or fall 2026.
REGISTRATION CLOSES ONE WEEK BEFORE THE CLASS BEGINS. We need time to order materials before we begin! "It IS Rocket Science" for grades 3-5 Introduction to aerodynamics and propulsion. Experiments with air pressure and expanding gasses (such as by mixing baking soda with vinegar) to launch small projectiles. Aerodynamics activities to test paper airplane designs, propeller shapes, and rocket shapes. |
possible session:
"Your Own Home Science Project" for grades 3-5 lessons in experimental design
Weeks 1 & 2. Experiments stem from observation followed by inquiry. We will do a variety of hands-on activities in order to find ones that spark student interest. Students can make requests during week 1 as to what we explore in week 2.
Weeks 3 & 4. Practice with hypotheses and introduction to the scientific method - independent and dependent variable, controls, data, graphing results. Week 3 will use my projects to get students started; for week 4 they will request their own, or may bring in ideas from home.
Week 5. Students can bring "rough drafts" of their home projects in for presentation and final touches (If there is a large group, this may be used for Science Fair part 1)
Week 6 mini Science Fair. Students will set up their projects for an invited panel of judges to review and provide feedback. A variety of certificates will be awarded to reward creativity, accuracy, presentation, ingenuity, and imagination!
"Your Own Home Science Project" for grades 3-5 lessons in experimental design
Weeks 1 & 2. Experiments stem from observation followed by inquiry. We will do a variety of hands-on activities in order to find ones that spark student interest. Students can make requests during week 1 as to what we explore in week 2.
Weeks 3 & 4. Practice with hypotheses and introduction to the scientific method - independent and dependent variable, controls, data, graphing results. Week 3 will use my projects to get students started; for week 4 they will request their own, or may bring in ideas from home.
Week 5. Students can bring "rough drafts" of their home projects in for presentation and final touches (If there is a large group, this may be used for Science Fair part 1)
Week 6 mini Science Fair. Students will set up their projects for an invited panel of judges to review and provide feedback. A variety of certificates will be awarded to reward creativity, accuracy, presentation, ingenuity, and imagination!
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session #1:
“Fact of the Matter” -- Students will spend 3 weeks investigating liquids, then 3 weeks on gasses Liquid activities will explore cohesions and surface tension, Brownian motion, density, miscibility, and colloids. Hands-on projects will include zip boats, magic milk, gak, density columns, and Cartesian divers. Gas activities will demonstrate that gas has matter, creates pressure, and can act on other objects, often in quite a dynamic fashion. Hands-on explorations will involve balloons, candles, Alka-Seltzer “rockets,” soda can crushing and restoration, plus a grande finale in week 6. The students will keep and take home many of their experiments. |
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session #2: returning 2026-2027
“Light and Power” -- a 6 week program of physics fun Students will explore sound waves, light waves, and electricity, each for 2 weeks. Sound activities will have students using vibrating balloons, slinkies, and rubber bands to understand the wave properties of sound, and follow that up with squonkies and a trampoline to “amplify” the fun (pun intended!). Finally students will use whistles and flashlights to compare sound and light in their use for communication. Light activities provide an opportunity to make rainbows, bend light beams, and try an obstacle course for light beams using mirrors! Students will take “charge” when learning about electricity, using magic wands as well as their own power to light lightbulbs and “spark” their curiosity! |
session #3: returning 2027
“It’s Alive” – a 6 week adventure through nature. for grades 2-5
Hands-on activities encourage students to engage in the daily tasks of being a plant, such as by making a bookmark using capillary action and by building a variety of “fruits” to carry seeds. Students will visit with some live insects, including Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches (and if parents permit, they may adopt a male to take home, or adopt a small family of isopods to take home) and then get a chance to build their own bug from crafty parts to model the adaptations of various real-life insects. Students can choose between animals communication activities, a plant vs insect battle royale, or evidence of microorganisms as the week 5 topic. It all wraps up with a fossil museum!
“It’s Alive” – a 6 week adventure through nature. for grades 2-5
Hands-on activities encourage students to engage in the daily tasks of being a plant, such as by making a bookmark using capillary action and by building a variety of “fruits” to carry seeds. Students will visit with some live insects, including Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches (and if parents permit, they may adopt a male to take home, or adopt a small family of isopods to take home) and then get a chance to build their own bug from crafty parts to model the adaptations of various real-life insects. Students can choose between animals communication activities, a plant vs insect battle royale, or evidence of microorganisms as the week 5 topic. It all wraps up with a fossil museum!
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session #4: returning 2028
“We’re Cheering for Engineering!” for grades 3-5 – an intro to simple and compound machines; plus building.
Starting with simple machines, we will explore motion, gravity, and friction using beanie babies and matchbox cars, ramps, wheels, wedges, screws, and levers. They will use their knowledge to construct a game launching wedges as well as a marble run along a ramp. They will also build their own lever to measure weight, and to use as a trebuchet, and then construct a catapult and some towers for a real-life angry birds style game. For our grand finale we will try our hands at a compound machine scavenger hunt and carnival games.
“We’re Cheering for Engineering!” for grades 3-5 – an intro to simple and compound machines; plus building.
Starting with simple machines, we will explore motion, gravity, and friction using beanie babies and matchbox cars, ramps, wheels, wedges, screws, and levers. They will use their knowledge to construct a game launching wedges as well as a marble run along a ramp. They will also build their own lever to measure weight, and to use as a trebuchet, and then construct a catapult and some towers for a real-life angry birds style game. For our grand finale we will try our hands at a compound machine scavenger hunt and carnival games.
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session #5: returning 2028
"World of Wonder" for grades K-2 - short introductions to a variety of science topics designed for beginner scientists!
2 weeks exploring our senses, which makes sense since scientists use our senses to explore the world! one of touch, taste, and smell. Then we'll be ready to tackle a session on weather and the water cycle, one about plants and trees, a week of water science (sink, float, solutions) and a week of either forces & motion or the life of bugs. These sessions will entail about 50 minutes of hands-on science that we do together, followed by a coloring activity to wrap up the last 10 minutes, since I will need time at the end to clean up our supplies in order to be ready to escort the students to parent pick-up. If any student needs extra time to complete activities, this coloring time gives us some flexibility to help students with differing skill levels.
"World of Wonder" for grades K-2 - short introductions to a variety of science topics designed for beginner scientists!
2 weeks exploring our senses, which makes sense since scientists use our senses to explore the world! one of touch, taste, and smell. Then we'll be ready to tackle a session on weather and the water cycle, one about plants and trees, a week of water science (sink, float, solutions) and a week of either forces & motion or the life of bugs. These sessions will entail about 50 minutes of hands-on science that we do together, followed by a coloring activity to wrap up the last 10 minutes, since I will need time at the end to clean up our supplies in order to be ready to escort the students to parent pick-up. If any student needs extra time to complete activities, this coloring time gives us some flexibility to help students with differing skill levels.
session #6:
“Kitchen Science” for grades 3-5. Six weeks of science exploration through food
Using everyday kitchen staples, students will explore measuring, make mixtures and solutions, observe the effects of hot and cold, and explore the chemical reactions of leavening agents and emulsifiers. We will investigate the solid components of dairy by making magic milk, butter, cottage cheese and ice cream, and use emulsifiers to examine the interaction of oil and water. Students will use starches to make a fun “gak” and to thicken rice pudding. Students will take home many of their creations: trail mix, a magic mug cake mix, butter, cottage cheese, salad dressing, gak, and rice pudding. Students will eat some of our creations, like ice cream, in class. Please CLICK HERE to fill out a food allergy questionnaire. This form must be complete 24 hours before the first class, to allow time to shop for appropriate items if changes need to be made.
“Kitchen Science” for grades 3-5. Six weeks of science exploration through food
Using everyday kitchen staples, students will explore measuring, make mixtures and solutions, observe the effects of hot and cold, and explore the chemical reactions of leavening agents and emulsifiers. We will investigate the solid components of dairy by making magic milk, butter, cottage cheese and ice cream, and use emulsifiers to examine the interaction of oil and water. Students will use starches to make a fun “gak” and to thicken rice pudding. Students will take home many of their creations: trail mix, a magic mug cake mix, butter, cottage cheese, salad dressing, gak, and rice pudding. Students will eat some of our creations, like ice cream, in class. Please CLICK HERE to fill out a food allergy questionnaire. This form must be complete 24 hours before the first class, to allow time to shop for appropriate items if changes need to be made.