Community Classes

STEM Quest is a series of Science Exploration and Innovation class that will be held throughout the school year for grades 9 to 12.  The goal is to encourage science and engineering exploration as well as to build up a science community at TLA, and perhaps enter a Science competition in the future.

In this STEM challenge, students will work in teams to design, build, test, and optimize a freestanding bridge. The goal is to create a structure that spans a set distance, holds the maximum weight possible, and demonstrates efficient use of materials.

Students will apply engineering principles such as tension, compression, and truss design while practicing teamwork, problem-solving, and design documentation. After an initial test, they will have the opportunity to redesign and improve their bridge based on observations and performance, learning how engineers refine designs in the real world.

Sign-up deadline: Friday, October 17, 2025 

Contact Person/Information: Joyce Froese,  jfroese@schoolathome.ca, 1-800-745-1320 ext 365

STEM Explore is a series of Science Exploration and Innovation class that will be held throughout the school year for grades 5 to 9.  The goal is to encourage science and engineering exploration as well as to build up a science community at TLA, and perhaps enter a Science competition in the future.

Think you can design a bridge that’s both light and strong? In this challenge, you’ll work to build a model bridge using simple materials—then put it to the test! Your goal is to create a structure that can hold as much weight as possible without collapsing. Along the way, you’ll need to think like an engineer: how do forces like tension and compression act on your bridge? What design will give it the most strength and stability? At the end, we’ll load up the bridges and see which one carries the heaviest load before breaking.

Sign-up deadline: Friday, October 17, 2025 

Contact Person/Information: Joyce Froese,  jfroese@schoolathome.ca, 1-800-745-1320 ext 365

Taught in person by Pamela Smid.

Facilitated (in person) by Pamela Smid.

Let’s strengthen our village by offering our older tween/teens an opportunity to attend to and assist our younger learning-from-home friends!

The Buddy Program will offer 12 gatherings at Carlin Hall throughout the upcoming school year.

During our time together, older kiddos can expect to support our younger friends while we explore games, books, crafts, and other activities. 

*Participants are invited to bring any favourite books and/or games to share with their buddy!

*Tentative dates/times for the Buddy Program are as follows: 

Thursdays from 10:00am-12:00pm on: October 30, November 6, November 20, December 4, January 29, February 12, February 26, March 12, March 26, April 9, and April 23.

*While attendance for all 12 gatherings is not mandatory, the heart and intention of this offering relies on the consistent opportunity for our older participants to connect with our younger participants. If registering for this program, please make every effort to attend as many of the offerings as possible. Ideally, each Younger Buddy will be consistently paired with the same Older Buddy each gathering. As a token of appreciation for their time and care, older participants will be provided a Certificate of Leadership Experience at the end of the Buddy Program to showcase their accrued hours of child mentorship. 

Students are asked to bring the following: a water bottle, small snack, & weather-appropriate outdoor clothing (in case we venture outdoors). 

STEM Explore is a series of Science Exploration and Innovation class that will be held throughout the school year for grades 5 to 9.  The goal is to encourage science and engineering exploration as well as to build up a science community at TLA, and perhaps enter a Science competition in the future.

Can you harness the power of the wind to make your vehicle move? In this challenge, you’ll design and build a small vehicle that is powered only by wind energy. Using simple materials, you’ll need to figure out how to capture and use the air from a fan or your own breath to push your creation forward. Will big sails work best, or small ones? Should your vehicle be tall, wide, or sleek? After building, we’ll test them head-to-head to see whose design travels the farthest—or the fastest—when the wind blows!

Sign-up deadline: Friday, October 31, 2025 

Contact Person/Information: Joyce Froese,  jfroese@schoolathome.ca, 1-800-745-1320 ext 365

STEM Explore is a series of Science Exploration and Innovation class that will be held throughout the school year for grades 5 to 9.  The goal is to encourage science and engineering exploration as well as to build up a science community at TLA, and perhaps enter a Science competition in the future.

In this hands-on activity, students work in teams to design, build, test, and improve their own mini assembly lines. The goal is to manufacture a colored brick as quickly and efficiently as possible, while making sure each brick meets quality standards.

Students will experience real-world engineering and manufacturing concepts, including workflow design, task assignment, quality control, and process improvement. They’ll test their first design, identify problems, and redesign their assembly line to optimize speed, accuracy, and teamwork.

This project encourages critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, and problem-solving, giving students a practical, fun, and engaging way to apply science and engineering principles.

Sign-up deadline: Friday, November 7, 2025 

Contact Person/Information: Joyce Froese,  jfroese@schoolathome.ca, 1-800-745-1320 ext 365

Taught online by Lauren Citton

Taught online by Lauren Citton

Taught online by Lauren Citton.

Taught online by Lauren Citton