CAGIS Virtual

CAGIS Virtual is a new program that brings STEM into your home with weekly, hands-on, live sessions led by real experts!

CAGIS Virtual events explore a new topic each week with fun virtual and hands-on activities led by real experts and a certified teacher.

Each session includes an introduction to the topic, a hands-on or virtual activity, and time for questions at the end.

Sessions occur on Saturdays at the following times:
Ages 7-12: 8 am Pacific •  9 am Mountain • 10 am Central • 11 am Eastern • 12 pm Atlantic
Ages 11-16: 10 am Pacific • 11 am Mountain • 12 pm Central • 1 pm Eastern • 2 pm Atlantic

To become a member, Join Now.
CAGIS Virtual sessions are open to non-members for $16 per session.  Registration will be open to members before the general public.

Schedule

Upcoming events will be posted at least one month in advance.  Members will have access to event sign up links before the general public.  We expect to always have enough space for all sign ups.  However, in the event of a very popular event, spaces will go on a first-come-first-served basis with others added to a waiting list.  The schedule is subject to change, pending changes in host availability.

Saturday April 10 – Foldable Flyers: Making the Ultimate Paper Airplane 

Did you know that paper airplanes were around for decades before the first motor-powered flight in 1903?  Early engineers actually tested their plane designs with paper prototypes.  In this hands-on, high-flying session, earn your wings with an aerospace engineer and pilot who will teach you how to use the four principles of aerodynamics to create a paper airplane that soars.  The world record for a paper airplane flight is 69.14 meters in distance — about the length of three school gymnasiums!  How far will your plane go?
 
Preparation: paper, paper clips, tape.
 
Expert: Erin Richardson, from the University of Toronto’s Engineering Program.
 

Ages 7-12: 11 am ET.  Members sign up here (free).  Non-members sign up here ($16).
Ages 11-16: 1 pm ET.  Members sign up here (free).  Non-members sign up here ($16)
To become a member, join here.

Saturday April 17 – Start Your Engines: Motive Power

If you haven’t heard of Bertha Benz, you may recognize the name of the car company she helped pioneer: Mercedes Benz.  Women have made incredible contributions to the automotive industry, such as helping develop improvements to braking systems and heating systems, and inventing windshield wipers and turn signals. Learn about opportunities in trades and develop your mechanical skills with a fun hands-on activity.  We’ll be building our own rubber band powered model car!
 
Preparation: Click here for a list of materials
 
Expert: Morgan from Conestoga College’s Motive Power Program.
 

Ages 7-12: 11 am ET.  Members sign up here (free).  Non-members sign up here ($16).
Ages 11-16: 1 pm ET.  Members sign up here (free).  Non-members sign up here ($16)
To become a member, join here.

Saturday April 24 – Liquid Rainbows and Non-Newtonian Fluids

Quick — what can change its shape to fit any container, squeeze into the narrowest places, and even defy gravity?  If you said a liquid, you are right!  In this session, we’re going to explore the amazing properties of fluids.  We will stack colourful liquids in a jar to make a rainbow.  Then, mix a gooey batch of oobleck to learn more about non-Newtonian fluids and why viscosity matters to research and development chemists when designing a new lotion or shampoo.   
 
Preparation: TBA
 
Expert: Lexie Griffith is a chemist whose work involves formulating cosmetics and personal care products. 
 

Ages 7-12: 11 am ET.  Members sign up here (free).  Non-members sign up here ($16).
Ages 11-16: 1 pm ET.  Members sign up here (free).  Non-members sign up here ($16)
To become a member, join here.

Saturday May 1 – Gardening from Table Scraps

Next time you’re about to toss vegetable scraps into the compost bin — stop!   Some of the pieces we throw away can be used to grow a whole new plant!  At this session, we’ll tackle a project that can help you save money, cut down on food waste, and develop a green thumb.  Learn techniques to identify which plants you can regrow, and how to help them thrive in your own kitchen garden.   
 
Preparation:  You will need container for growing your food, soil, and water, a clear plastic cup or pop bottle (optional), and one or more food scraps.  Choices include carrot tops, celery crown, green onion base, potatoes, pineapple
crown, garlic, ginger root, lettuce crown.
 
Expert: Sara Stricker is a plant scientist and PhD candidate at the Ontario Agricultural College at the University of Guelph.  She studies plant pathology – diseases that harm plants – and how to defend against them. 
 

Ages 7-12: 11 am ET.  Members sign up here (free).  Non-members sign up here ($16).
Ages 11-16: 1 pm ET.  Members sign up here (free).  Non-members sign up here ($16)
To become a member, join here.

Saturday May 8 – TBA

Saturday May 15 – Get Electrified!

Did you know that electricity travels at the speed of light?  That’s about 300,000 kilometers per second!  So how do electrical engineers, technicians and tradespeople harness it for our homes and devices?  When you understand electricity, you can begin to work with it safely.  Together, we’ll learn about voltage, current, circuits and more, and try
out our own electrical experiment.  
 
Preparation: Materials will be shared two weeks before the session.
 
Expert: Dee and Maya from Conestoga College’s Electrical Technician program.
 

Ages 7-12: 11 am ET.  Members sign up here (free).  Non-members sign up here ($16).
Ages 11-16: 1 pm ET.  Members sign up here (free).  Non-members sign up here ($16)
To become a member, join here.

Saturday May 22 – Enter the Space Lab

Astronauts may spend days, weeks, or even months in space.  How does this affect their bodies?  Scientists are still studying the health impacts.  Team TelOmG – a group of aerospace and bioengineering students – has been chosen to run experiments in microgravity to study how space travel might affect DNA.  In this session, they’ll lead us through our own experiment design challenge!  Join us and be part of a space science team for the day!
 
Preparation: Materials will be shared two weeks before the session.
 
Expert: Members of TelOmG, a team that was selected by the Canadian Reduced Gravity Experiment Design Challenge to run experiments on a parabolic flight in August 2021.
 

Ages 7-12: 11 am ET.  Members sign up here (free).  Non-members sign up here ($16).
Ages 11-16: 1 pm ET.  Members sign up here (free).  Non-members sign up here ($16)
To become a member, join here.

Saturday May 29 – Build a Solar Oven

Every hour, the earth receives enough energy from the sun to power 2880 TRILLION lightbulbs!  To put it another way, every day, the sun provides 35,000 times the total amount of energy humans currently consume. We can capture this solar energy by converting it to electricity or using the sunlight’s warmth for heating. With just a few household items, we will build our own solar oven, which can be used to make s’mores, nachos, and more!
 
Preparation: Materials will be shared two weeks before the session.
 
Expert: Engineers from the University of Toronto’s Blue Sky Solar Racing Club.  
 

Ages 7-12: 11 am ET.  Members sign up here (free).  Non-members sign up here ($16).
Ages 11-16: 1 pm ET.  Members sign up here (free).  Non-members sign up here ($16)
To become a member, join here.

Upcoming sessions

Sessions will be posted at least one month in advance. 

CAGIS Virtual sessions will run until end of May.  View past events here.

CAGIS Virtual sessions will resume in September and continue, even after the pandemic!

Join CAGIS Virtual