Big Science for Little Hands

Professional Development Workshops

Big Science for Little Hands is Science World’s professional-development workshop series for Early Childhood Educators. We provide two-hour workshops where participants try out a variety of fun, hands-on science activities suitable for early learners.

There are six workshops to choose from.

Workshops

Super Sleuths

Explore how amazing the human body is with a variety of sensory activities and discover how doing science is just like being a detective! As scientists and detectives, we investigate our surroundings, practise and develop skills such as observing, making predictions and comparisons and sharing our findings. This workshop will help you to see the connections between hands-on sensory activities and science. You will go away with lots of activity ideas you can use the very next day!

Workshop Fees

Fees do not include GST

  • 2-hour workshop: $200
  • Travel within 100km: $50
  • Travel beyond 100km: $100
  • Ferry or flight: $175

Request a Workshop

For more information and to request a workshop, email [email protected].

Thematic Activities

These free activities are meant to serve as a starting point for early-childhood scientific exploration. There are currently eighteen themed resources available for download from our website:

The Air Up There: Activities to explore wind and air.
The Air Up There II*: Explore floating and flying through the air, and never forget it's there.
Amazing Me: Discover the amazing things your body can do, both inside and out.
Balance This*: Practice your own acrobatics and build mini acrobats.
Bubble & Fizz*: Explore how bubbles are formed (and popped!).  
Gadgets and Contraptions: Explore simple machines and how they work.
Mysterious Mixtures: Dissolving, separating, mixing and combining.
Reflections and ShadowsActivities to explore light, mirrors, reflection and shadows.
Rockin' Rocks*: Dig for fossils, or create your own.
Round The Circle: Circles and wheels, rolling and spinning.
Salt & Fresh Water*: Explore how salt affects water and observe the details of creatures that live in oceans.
Size Matters: Explore growing and shrinking.
Sticky StuffVelcro, glue and other sticky things.
Structures*: Explore what materials and designs are best for building.
Super SleuthsPractice science process skills such as observing, comparing and contrasting and using tools like magnifiers.
Super Slueths II*: Use your senses in unsual ways.
Trees & Plants*: Activities to explore what plants are.
Wet & Dry: Wet and dry bags, sponges and sand castles.

*Produced in collaboration with the Nanaimo Science and Sustainability Society

More Resources

Looking for more science ideas? Check out our favourite science websites.

Questions to ask while exploring science with preschoolers. Available in 8 languages: English, French, German, Spanish, Farsi, Korean, Chinese, Japanese, and Punjabi.

About the sticker

Survivors

Artist: Jeff Kulak

Jeff is a senior graphic designer at Science World. His illustration work has been published in the Walrus, The National Post, Reader’s Digest and Chickadee Magazine. He loves to make music, ride bikes, and spend time in the forest.

About the sticker

Egg BB

Artist: Jeff Kulak

Jeff is a senior graphic designer at Science World. His illustration work has been published in the Walrus, The National Post, Reader’s Digest and Chickadee Magazine. He loves to make music, ride bikes, and spend time in the forest.

About the sticker

Comet Crisp

Artist: Jeff Kulak

Jeff is a senior graphic designer at Science World. His illustration work has been published in the Walrus, The National Post, Reader’s Digest and Chickadee Magazine. He loves to make music, ride bikes, and spend time in the forest.

About the sticker

T-Rex and Baby

Artist: Michelle Yong

Michelle is a designer with a focus on creating joyful digital experiences! She enjoys exploring the potential forms that an idea can express itself in and helping then take shape.

About the sticker

Buddy the T-Rex

Artist: Michelle Yong

Michelle is a designer with a focus on creating joyful digital experiences! She enjoys exploring the potential forms that an idea can express itself in and helping then take shape.

About the sticker

Geodessy

Artist: Michelle Yong

Michelle is a designer with a focus on creating joyful digital experiences! She enjoys exploring the potential forms that an idea can express itself in and helping then take shape.

About the sticker

Science Buddies

Artist: Ty Dale

From Canada, Ty was born in Vancouver, British Columbia in 1993. From his chaotic workspace he draws in several different illustrative styles with thick outlines, bold colours and quirky-child like drawings. Ty distils the world around him into its basic geometry, prompting us to look at the mundane in a different way.

About the sticker

Western Dinosaur

Artist: Ty Dale

From Canada, Ty was born in Vancouver, British Columbia in 1993. From his chaotic workspace he draws in several different illustrative styles with thick outlines, bold colours and quirky-child like drawings. Ty distils the world around him into its basic geometry, prompting us to look at the mundane in a different way.

About the sticker

Time-Travel T-Rex

Artist: Ty Dale

From Canada, Ty was born in Vancouver, British Columbia in 1993. From his chaotic workspace he draws in several different illustrative styles with thick outlines, bold colours and quirky-child like drawings. Ty distils the world around him into its basic geometry, prompting us to look at the mundane in a different way.