Mad Science
Unit 4 - 12111 86th V3W 3H8 Surrey, BC, Canada

Happy thanksgiving to all our American friends! If you’ve ever heard that eating turkey makes you sleepy, apparently it’s a myth. Scientists have debunked this claim! The compound that was purported to cause everyone to fall into a food comma, L-tryptophan, is no more common in turkey as it is in other types of poultry, like chicken. In fact, it’s actually less so. It seems it’s eating an overabundance of food that’s lulling everyone to sleep.

MAD SCIENCE WINTER ONLINE SCIENCE PROGRAMS WINTER BREAK CAMPS Program Name: Red Hot Robots... Description: Children will learn about the uses of robots in our world, as well as discover the science of circuits and how robots use sensors to explore things around them. They will build their very own working robot. Recommended for ages 7-12yrs. Program Dates/Times: December 21st24th @ 10:00am-12:00pm & 1:00pm-3:00pm Cost: $130 plus tax per student *Note: Robots will be delivered to home. We will contact you to make arrangements. Program Name: Eureka! The Inventor’s Camp Description: Inventing means curiosity, practicality, necessity, cooperation, and dreaming! Children will be put on a deserted island in which they must work to invent a means for collecting food and water, build shelters, bridges, and learn to think ‘out of the box’ to survive. Recommended for ages 6-12yrs. Program Dates/Times: December 28th-31st @ 10:00am-12:00pm & 1:00pm-3:00pm Cost: $100 plus tax per student WINTER OUT OF SCHOOL PROGRAM Program Name: Claws, Codes, & Constellations Description: Come prepared to do some decoding, as there is an entire unit on secret messages where you will learn how to communicate using special codes. Children will gain an increased appreciation for the earth and discover what role science can play in preserving our planet. Learn about the Science of Sport and what football players, ballet dancers, and scientists have in common. Explore the world of nature and the next day embark on a space mission and learn how astronauts live in Space. Recommended for Ages 6-12yrs. Program Start Dates: Week of January 4th-9th (8 classes in total) Start Times: 3:30pm & 4:30pm (Monday-Friday); 10:00am & 11:00am (Saturday) Cost: $100 plus tax per student WINTER WORKSHOPS Starting the second week of December, Mad Science will be holding weekly workshops with each week covering a different topic. Please look on our website for dates, times, and topics for each week! Cost is $12 plus tax per student! TO REGISTER, GO TO OUR ONLINE REGISTRATION AT: https://vancouver.madscience.org/parents-register-a.aspx

Scientists have fairly recently discovered evidence that suggests that our lungs are not just used for breathing! It seems that they may actually produce platelets and other factors responsible for blood clotting, which stops bleeding!

Starfish are amazing creatures! They don’t have brains or blood, they are able to regrow lost limbs, and they can digest food outside their bodies. Say what!

A moment in remembrance and thanks for those who sacrificed so much.

Not only are bats the only mammals that can fly, but some species can reach speeds of up to 100mph (160km/h), which also makes them the fastest mammals on the planet.

For #STEMDay we want to hear about a scientist in your life, famous or not so famous, that has inspired you or your child! Get creative with your hashtags.

New Zealand is actually the above-sea-level portion of a mostly submerged microcontinent called Zealandia. Roughly 6% is above water and the entire thing is about half the size of Australia!

Water can be a gas, a liquid, and a solid all at the same time! A triple point may sound like something that happens at a sporting event, but it’s actually a scientific phenomenon. It’s the point at which a substance, like water, occurs in all its phases. It only happens under very specific conditions. Do you think it can occur in nature or only in the lab? Let us know in the comments!

Never be afraid to ask questions!

Did you know that pumpkins are one of those culinary vegetables that are actually scientifically a fruit? They are classified as a fruit because they contain seeds.

Kids learn all about the center of gravity and balance in our Balancing Act experiment!

Did you know that Mars has the largest volcano of any planet in the entire solar system? It’s true! The mountain is called Olympus Mons and it stands 25km tall and is over 600km in diameter.

The Earth is not a perfect sphere! It’s actually more of a squashed sphere, called an oblate spheroid. This is because several forces, including gravity, cause the planet to bulge at the equator. #EarthScienceWeek

True! Dinosaur fossils have been found on every continent, including Antarctica.

Happy Thanksgiving to all the Canadians!

When you blush, your stomach lining blushes too! When you’re embarrassed, your body releases adrenaline as part of the fight or flight response. This causes your blood vessels to dilate, which causes your cheeks to redden, and your stomach lining too.

A great week for women in science! Congratulations to Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer A. Doudna, who were awarded the Noble Prize in Chemistry 2020 on Wednesday for their work on CRISPR-Cas9, a high precision method for editing DNA.

Studies have shown that the human body restores cells at such a rate that 98% of the atoms are replaced annually!

Our cool Water Arrow experiment teaches kids about refraction! Try this one at home this week!

Thank you to all the teachers out there who continue to teach our kids during this most difficult and different time. Keep doing what you do, in-person, virtually or however you’re doing it this fall! #WorldTeacher Day

Did you know that there are more than two types of twins?! Most people have heard of identical and fraternal twins but there are also mirror image, half-identical, mixed chromosome, superfecundation, and superfetation twins. Look them up to see what they all mean!