Science Expeditions

Hands-on investigations, big questions, and joyful discovery.

At The Curiosity Club, science is an adventure. Students don’t just read about how the world works — they test it, question it, build models to explain it, and uncover the mysteries hidden in everyday phenomena. Our science program blends real experimentation, creative storytelling, and NGSS-aligned thinking into experiences that feel like exploration rather than lessons.

We travel through many scientific worlds during the year—some real, some imagined—always guided by curiosity.

​

Science Philosophy

My goal is simple:
Teach real science in a way that feels thrilling, meaningful, and accessible to young learners.

​

Science at The Curiosity Club is:

• Hands-on and minds-on. Students learn by investigating, building, testing, and observing.

• NGSS-aligned. We emphasize scientific practices: predicting, modeling, collecting data, pattern-finding, and constructing explanations.

• Story-rich. Mystery, narrative, and exploration provide the spark.

• Developmentally matched. Activities are designed for ages 9–13 with room for extension.

• Reliable and real. Every activity is something I’ve refined over 37 years of classroom teaching and summer science programming.

• Joyful. We keep the wonder in science alive.

Whether we’re collapsing metal cans with air pressure or mapping an imaginary island, the goal is the same:
Students feel like scientists.

​

Where Our Science Journeys Take Us

We explore many aress of science in a given year. Some units are grounded in the real world; others take place in the imaginative story-worlds we build together.  All support deep thinking, real scientific habits., and include age appropriate design-elements throughout.

Here are some of the major units we rotate. Studies last 4 to 6 weeks, and my plan is to cycle around and return to topics for second or third levels over time:

• The Scientific Method - Science & The Scientist​​

• What's The Matter? - studies in matter​

• Weather & The Wisconsin Mystery - weather & climate science​

• Geology & Earth Systems featuring a journey to Tektonica:  A Perilous Land​​

• Forces

• Energy Systems

• Vertebrates & Invertebrates

• Ecosystems including general botany/plants​

• Astronomy  - the solar system and beyond!

​

What a Science Session Looks Like

Every 90-minute science session follows a predictable but exciting rhythm:

1. A puzzling hook
   A quick mystery, surprising demo, or “discrepant event” (something that shouldn’t happen — but does).

2. Hands-on investigation
   Students work in pairs or small groups to gather data, test materials, observe patterns, or build models.

3. Field journal entry
   Students record observations, draw diagrams, or explain what they think is happening.
   (These journals grow across the year.)

4. Group discussion
   We compare ideas, revise models, explain differences, and build understanding together.

5. Story connection (sometimes)
   On Tektonica days, the storyline advances — a new clue, a new mystery, a surprising geological twist.

6. Wrap-up & wonder
   Students leave thinking about “what if?” and ready for the next step.

Why It Works

Hands-on science builds:

• confidence

• curiosity

• resilience

• reasoning

• communication skills

• a love of experimentation

Students don’t just memorize — they understand.
And they have fun doing it.

​

Explore More

• Visit the Home Page

• Visit the Philosophy and Parent FAQ

• Visit the Reading & Writing Page