Bored at home during the pandemic? Look below for fun and interesting science ideas!
If you want, send me a screenshot of what you’ve found or send me a message telling me what you learned 🙂
If you have ideas for this page, let me know!
Under construction – check back soon for more ideas 🙂
YouTube channels & Video Collections:
BBC Earth: https://www.youtube.com/user/BBCEarth
One of my absolute favs! Amazing footage of animals from around the globe.
Mark Rober: https://www.youtube.com/user/onemeeeliondollars/featured
A student favourite! Answers lots of cool science questions.
Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell: https://www.youtube.com/user/Kurzgesagt
Informative videos explaining things from across different science disciplines
Amoeba sisters: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCb2GCoLSBXjmI_Qj1vk-44g
Great biology explanations with helpful and cute illustrations
Monterey Bay Aquarium: https://www.youtube.com/user/MontereyBayAquarium
Live cams of some of their animals as well as videos about cool sea creatures
BrainPop: https://www.brainpop.com/science/
Easy to understand videos on many science topics.
Crash Course: https://www.youtube.com/user/crashcourse
Longer and more in-depth explanations – not just for science, although the science ones are great.
Institute of Urban Ecology: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPilTFX5CSP7yDNy99K0_aQ/featured
My friend Naomi runs this YouTube channel for a local non-profit based out of Douglas College. Their goal is to raise awareness about the local wildlife living in Metro Vancouver.
Ted-Ed: https://www.youtube.com/user/TEDEducation
Again, not just for science but videos cover tons of interesting science topics.
Podcasts
You can subscribe or download podcasts using an app on your phone (on iPhone it’s just called “podcasts”. Here are a few science ones you could try:
RadioLab: https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/radiolab
An award wining podcast investigating how the world works.
Sawbones: https://maximumfun.org/podcasts/sawbones/
A fun podcast by a doctor and her husband about medical history. The last few are especially relevant to the COVID-19 pandemic.
If you want, do your own research on the topic and write me a review of how accurate the science in the podcast is.
Live Streams:
Mark Rober: https://www.youtube.com/user/onemeeeliondollars/featuredÂ
Does live science classes on a variety of topics every Wednesday at 1pm.
UBC Gearing Up: https://geeringuponline.apsc.ubc.ca/families/daily-activities/
Every morning at 11 am a team from UBC will do an experiment or activity
OceanWise: https://ocean.org/learnonline/#livestreams
Check the schedule for local ocean-related topics.
Vancouver Aquarium Webcams: https://ocean.org/learnonline/#webcams
See the otters (my fav), jellies, or penguins at the Vancouver Aquarium
Monterey Bay Aquarium: https://www.youtube.com/user/MontereyBayAquarium
Watch some of the residents of the Monterey Bay Aquarium live!
Make something:
Scratch: https://scratch.mit.edu
Learn to program and create stories, games, and animations.
Instructables: https://www.instructables.com
Arts, crafts, recipes, science experiments – instructions on how to make cool things at home.
OceanWise: https://ocean.org/learnonline/#tutorials
Fun and eco-friendly crafts.
Make a bee house! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjKcvPuVsbs&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR3GPxti5L7paL4PJqRpAeOTgNVvWTPTqUK4H1wzE2SKFLoQj8zuadb717c
You may have heard that bees are at risk of becoming extinct – this is a big problem because many species (including humans) rely on bees to pollinate plants that we eat! You can make a safe place for bees to live and reproduce using things from around your house.
Do experiments:
pHET simulations: https://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulations
You’ve probably done one of these in science class before – play around with all kinds of scientific concepts.
Online Courses:
National Geographic: https://www.nationalgeographic.org/topics/middlehigh-school-resources-remote-learning/?q=&page=1&per_page=25
Find a topic you’re interested in and National Geographic will link you to learning resources for that topic.
Code.org: https://code.org
Learn the basics of coding by playing and creating games
Khan Academy: https://www.khanacademy.org/
Learn something new at your own pace with courses from all subject areas
Elements of AI: https://www.elementsofai.com
Learn how AI works
Apps:
Professor Astro Cat’s Solar System: https://www.minilabstudios.com/apps/professor-astro-cats-solar-system/
Learn about our solar system!
WWF Together
Learn about amazing endangered animals
Other ideas:
- How scientifically accurate is a TV show or movie you’ve watched? Do a little research and send me a summary of what you found out.
- Pick a science topic that is important to you and make some public awareness materials (a video, poster, infographic, blog or social media post) that you could share with your friends and family