Our Curriculum
Biology is diverse, complex and all around us. From microscopic organisms that co-inhabit this world with us to prehistoric behemoths that walked this planet (and everything else in between!), it’s the underlying biology which unites everything. We think biology is inherently fascinating, and our goal is for our curriculum to reflect this diversity through an array of exciting topics ranging from microbiology to paleontology.
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Concepts stick better when they are learned hands-on- this is the foundation of our curriculum. We use the scientific method where each day, a research question is posed, and the little scientists are tasked with solving this using hands-on experiments, critical and creative thinking, problem solving and decision making skills.
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We believe there is a biotrooper in all of us. Our goal is to provide a program where kids have a space to discover this amazing world of biology. See below for our curriculum details.
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Summer Camp '24 Curriculum
Journey into the Cell
July 2-5 & July 22-26 - Burlington ON
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June 10 - 14 & June 17-21 - Austin TX
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Ecosystems of the World
July 8 - 12 - Burlington ON
Cells are the basic building blocks of every living form. Go microscopic to explore the inner workings of the cell. Find out answers to questions such as how does the cell get energy to do all the things it does? How does it know what role it needs to play? What makes DNA an amazing storage device? Step into the shoes of cell biologists and geneticists this week!
We are deeply linked to the world around and each of us have a role to play in the conservation of Earth's natural resources. To appreciate this better, we will explore our terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, the living forms in them and how everything is inter-connected. Kids will spend the week exploring questions ecologists ask everyday!
Fossil Stories
July 15 - 19 - Burlington ON
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June 10 - 14 & June 17-21 - Austin TX
Life in Outer Space
July 29 - Aug 2 - Burlington ON
Unearth the mysteries of Earth's past through the study of fossils and the stories they tell. Deep dive into exciting eras of the past when the first life form first originated. Explore the Mesozoic era and find out what made dinosaurs rule earth. How do we know what climate was millions of years ago? Why are corals so important when studying the past? Put on your paleontologist's hat and join us to explore this exciting world of prehistoric life and prehistoric climate using hands-on experiments, art, music, simulations and theater.
Are we alone? The search for life in outer space is only getting started, but it has already become a very exciting field as thousands of exoplants have been discovered. Explore how astrobiologists - scientists who study life in outer space - search for biological signatures. Learn about elements required for life as we know it and if a planet can be terraformed to support life. Join us to explore this exciting field of astrobiology using hands-on experiments, simulations, model building, art, music and theater!
After-school and Workshop Curriculum
The Incredible Human Body
Discover the intricate mechanisms which make the human body tick! We will use fun and interactive experiments and model building to learn about the heart, lungs, digestive system, immune system, senses and more.
What's in Your Genes
Join us in this fun workshop to learn about what makes us, us! We will go microscopic and deep dive into the world of chromosomes and DNA, and how this is related to evolution, animal behaviours and more! Kids will get to be molecular biologists with some hands-on cell and DNA related experiments using lab equipment and tools.
Biology Matters
In this hands-on workshop, we will explore subjects where biology meets other fields such as astrobiology, paleontology, bioengineering and more! We will conduct experiments to understand life in outer space, learn about fossils and make our own, explore how engineering is applied in the field of biology through prosthetics and more!
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Evolution: From Dinosaurs to Birds
Explore the story of evolution - from the first single celled bacteria to jellies, and pre-historic dinosaurs to birds of today. Are mosasaurs distant relatives of snakes of today? How do we know birds are dinosaurs? Find answers to these questions and more using hands-on experiments, model building and art!
Microscopic World of Microbes
Microbes sound scary - but they do us so much good. We are made up of 10X more microbial cells than our own. So for this workshop, we will be putting down our hand sanitizers and getting to know the world of microbes we are surrounded by! We will be stepping into the shoes of microbiologists with some hands-on microbiology experiments.
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Life in Extremes: Bacteria, Tubeworms and Tardis!
Ecosystems of the World
We are deeply linked to the world around and each of us have a role to play in the conservation of Earth's natural resources. To appreciate this better, we learn about ecosystems and how some of the smallest organisms in the soil run the world! Our little ecologists will be getting their hands dirty (don't worry- they'll have gloves on!) by digging up soil critters and learning how everything is connected.
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Freeze and Thrive: Ice Age Adaptations
Mysterious World of Forensic Biology
The game is afoot! A crime has been committed and the BioTroopers will be using their deductive, observation and reasoning skills together with a dose of forensic biology techniques to solve a mystery!
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Kitchen Science: How Cooking Works
Fossil Stories
​Did you know that you can tell a fossil from regular rock by licking it? If its a fossil, your tongue will ever so slightly stick, due to its mineral composition and its porous nature. In this workshop, however, we will be using other hands-on techniques to study fossils. Kids will be donning their paleontologist hats to learn about the pre-historic world including dinosaurs!
Extremophiles are organisms that live in places which humans would consider extreme. Dive into the weird and wacky world of extremophiles and explore how they live using experiments, lab tools such as microscopes, art and model building.
What does it take to survive an ice age? Take a trip back to the Pleistocene era to the land where woolly mammoths and saber tooth cats roamed. How was their environment different from today? What adaptations helped them survive? Using experiments, simulations and art, explore this lost world.
Calling all chefs! Have you wondered why liquid eggs turn solid when heated? How do bacteria help in making yogurt? What haapens to Vitamic C when cooked? Conduct hands-on experiments using real food and explore the underlying science of cooking.