The Oil Sands Discovery Centre offers a full range of curriculum-based field trip experiences for Kindergarten through Grade 7. These programs are led by the Centre's knowledgeable staff and feature cool science experiments and engaging hands-on activities.
- Programs are available Tuesday to Thursday at the Oil Sands Discovery Centre. Mondays and Fridays are available for booking after May 15.
- Programs may be scheduled from 9:30 a.m. onwards.
- All programs have a maximum of 30 students. This is to ensure the best quality educational experience.
- Adult to student ratios for each program must be met in order for the program to run.
- Programs must be booked at least 2 weeks in advance. All bookings are subject to availability.
- Bookings for multiple classes may be available. These must be booked at least 1 month in advance and are subject to space and staff availability.
Cost: All onsite programs cost $3 per student with a minimum charge for 10 students.
For more information, or to make a booking, please call or email the Discovery Centre.
We are currently looking for classes to pilot new programs that complement the updated Science curriculum. Pilot programs are free of charge and we ask teachers to provide a comprehensive review of the program so we can continue to improve them. Please let us know if your class would like to participate in a pilot program!
Kindergarten - Grade 3
Bug World (Kindergarten)
What is it like to be an insect? Students will explore what it's like to be an insect by doing a bug hunt, looking at insect homes, and lots more "buggy" fun! This program has an outdoor component, so please ensure students are dressed appropriately.
- Total time: 75 minutes
- Dates available: May and June
- Adult to student ratio: 1 adult to 5 students, minimum of 3 adults required
Curriculum Connections
- Kindergarten Science
- Energy
- Earth Systems
Five Senses (Kindergarten) - PILOT PROGRAM
How do we explore our world? Using our senses, of course! Discovery how we use our senses to see, hear, taste, smell, and feel the things around us as students rotate through a series of science-based stations.
PLEASE NOTE: This program uses scents and students are also given popcorn at the end of the program. Please let us know when booking if any students have allergies or sensitivities so we can modify the program.
- Total time: 60 minutes
- Dates available: All year
- Adult to student ratio: 1 adult to 5 students, minimum of 3 adults required
Curriculum Connections
- Kindergarten Science
- Matter
Perfect Pollinators (Kindergarten) - PILOT PROGRAM
Explore the role of pollinators in maintaining a healthy balance in our ecosystems! Students will learn about the hard work bees do and gain an appreciation for these life-sustaining creatures.
- Total Time: 60 minutes
- Dates Available: All year
- Adult to student ratio: 1 adult to 5 students, minimum of 3 adults required
Curriculum Connections
- Kindergarten Science
- Earth Systems
Science Explorers (Kindergarten)
Students will discover what scientists do and use their sense to explore the Exhibit Hall using our Discovery Hunt! Students will also make a craft to take home.
- Total Time: 60 minutes
- Dates Available: All year
- Adult to student ratio: 1 adult to 5 students, minimum of 3 adults required
Curriculum Connections
- Kindergarten Science
- Matter
Frenetic Kinetics (Grade 1)
Push, pull, fast, slow! How do objects move? Students will investigate how different items move. They will also build a "vehicle of the future" using simple instructions and their own creativity.
- Total Time: 75 minutes
- Dates Available: All year
- Adult to student ratio: 1 adult to 5 students, minimum of 3 adults required
Curriculum Connections
- Grade 1 Science
- Energy
- Scientific Method
Journey of the Ice Bear (Grade 1)
Travel to the Canadian Tundra and take an exciting journey through the four seasons as a polar bear - the Ursus maritimus. Students will explore the Arctic ecosystem, polar bear adaptations, sea ice habitat, and climate change through movement and a series of science-based activities.
- Total Time: 90 minutes
- Dates Available: All year
- Adult to student ratio: 1 adult to 5 students, minimum of 3 adults required
Curriculum Connections
- Grade 1 Science
- Earth Systems
- Living Systems
Lighten Up (Grade 2)
Take an in-depth look at the fascinating properties of light by exploring its sources, how it travels, and how it behaves. Students will use a variety of materials including mirrors, prisms, and water to examine reflection, refraction, and the transmission of light.
- Total Time: 90 minutes
- Dates Available: All year
- Adult to student ratio: 1 adult to 5 students, minimum of 3 adults required
Curriculum Connections
- Grade 2 Science
- Energy
- Scientific Method
Matter Mysteries (Grade 2)
How do we use different materials? Students will learn about natural and processed materials as they sort objects, investigate which materials work best for certain jobs, and construct circuits with playdough.
PLEASE NOTE: This program uses materials that contain gluten. If any students have a gluten sensitivity, please let us know when booking so we can make an accommodation.
- Total Time: 90 minutes
- Dates Available: All year
- Adult to student ratio: 1 adult to 5 students, minimum of 3 adults required
Curriculum Connections
- Grade 2 Science
- Matter
- Scientific Method
Junior Geologists of Alberta (Grade 3) – PILOT
How has the geology of Alberta changed over time, from the Mesozoic Era to now? Students will learn about the rock cycle, glaciation, and fossils as they investigate the Alberta of 73 million years ago compared to the Alberta of today.
- Total Time: 90 minutes
- Dates Available: All year
- Adult to student ratio: 1 adult to 5 students, minimum of 3 adults required
Curriculum Connections
- Grade 3 Science
- Earth Systems
Mighty Machines (Grade 3)
Through hands-on activities and building with K'Nex, students will discover how important simple machines are in their lives.
- Total Time: 90 minutes
- Dates Available: All year
- Adult to student ratio: 1 adult to 5 students, minimum of 3 adults required
Curriculum Connections
- Grade 3 Science
- Energy
- Computer Science
- Scientific Method
Grades 4-7
Water, Water Everywhere (Grade 4) - PILOT PROGRAM
Where does our drinking water come from and how are we connected to it? Students will learn about the importance of water as a valuable and finite resource. We will explore the water cycle, watersheds, natural resources, and sustainability.
- Total time: 90 minutes
- Dates available: All year
- Adult to student ratio: 1 adult to 5 students, minimum of 3 adults required
Curriculum Connections
- Grade 4 Science
- Earth Systems
Laws of Attraction (Grade 4) - PILOT PROGRAM
Students will explore the forces of magnetism and gravity through a variety of hands-on activities. They will examine magnetic fields and even use magnets to move objects.
- Total time: 90 minutes
- Dates available: All year
- Adult to student ratio: 1 adult to 5 students, minimum of 3 adults required
Curriculum Connections
- Grade 4 Science
- Energy
- Computer Science
- Scientific Method
Seashells to Sneakers (Grade 4)
Students experience the story of the Athabasca oil sands through discussions, games, and hands-on experiments.
- Total time: 90 minutes
- Dates available: All year
- Adult to student ratio: 1 adult to 5 students, minimum of 3 adults required
Curriculum Connections
- Grade 4 Social Studies
- Topic 4.1: Alberta: A Sense of the Land
Up, Up, and Away! (Grade 5)
Students will explore the concepts of air and aerodynamics through hands-on activities and discussions. Activities include building parachutes, straw gliders, and helicopter wings.
- Total time: 90 minutes
- Dates available: All year
- Adult to student ratio: 1 adult to 5 students, minimum of 3 adults required
Curriculum Connections
- Grade 5 Science
- Energy
- Computer Science
- Scientific Method
What's the Matter? (Grade 5) - PILOT PROGRAM
Matter is all around us and changes all the time! Students will conduct fun experiments to learn about the states of matter including the concepts of density, mass, and volume while also discovering more about the particle theory of matter.
- Total time: 90 minutes
- Dates available: All year
- Adult to student ratio: 1 adult to 5 students, minimum of 3 adults required
Curriculum Connections
- Grade 5 Science
- Matter
Fun with Forces (Grade 6) - PILOT PROGRAM
Forces can act on everything around us. Students will discovery how tension, compression, shear, torsion, and plasticity work on different materials.
- Total time: 90 minutes
- Dates available: All year
- Adult to student ratio: 1 adult to 10 students, minimum of 2 adults required
Curriculum Connections
- Grade 6 Science
- Energy
Oil Sands Adventurers (Grade 6) - PILOT PROGRAM
Where does our energy come from? Students will explore the processes used in the oil sands and how oil contributes to our energy needs. They will also reflect on the impact of resource extraction in the environment.
- Total time: 90 minutes
- Dates available: All year
- Adult to student ratio: 1 adult to 10 students, minimum of 2 adults required
Curriculum Connections
- Grade 6 Science
- Energy Resources
- Scientific Method
Planet Earth (Grade 7)
This program introduces students to the natural forces that shape the land and the different rocks and minerals that make up the planet. Through discussion, real samples of fossils and minerals, and hands-on science experiments about rock weathering and soil sampling, students will develop a better understanding of the Earth and its changes.
- Total time: 90 minutes
- Dates available: All year
- Adult to student ratio: 1 adult to 10 students, minimum of 2 adults required
Curriculum Connections
- Grade 7 Science
- Topic E: Planet Earth
Videoconference Programs
Can't make it to the Discovery Centre? Sign up for one of our videoconference programs!
All programs are led by one of our knowledgeable interpreters. Classes require a screen, camera/microphone, and internet connection to participate.
Videoconference programs cost $100 per class.
Digging Deep in the Oil Sands (Grades 4-5)
Students experience the story of the Athabasca Oil Sands through discussion, games, and hands-on activities.
- Total time: 60 minutes
Curriculum Connections
- Grade 4 Social Studies
- Topic 4.1: Alberta: A Sense of the Land
- Grade 5 Social Studies
- Topic 5.1: Physical Geography of Canada
Oil Sand and the Boreal Forest (Grades 6-8)
How are the oil sands and the boreal forest connected? Through discussions and activities, students will learn why the boreal forest is important, how it is impacted by oil sands development, and about the process of land reclamation. Students will also see how oil sand is processed.
- Total time: 60 minutes
Curriculum Connections
- Grade 6 Science
- Topic E: Trees and Forests
- Grade 7 Science
- Topic A: Interactions and Ecosystems
- Grade 8 Science
- Topic A: Mix and Flow of Matter
Oil Sand Sample Kits
Order a sample kit to use in your own classroom!
Shipping quotes are available upon request. There is a $5 handling fee for Canadian orders, and $10 for American orders. We are only able to ship to Canada and the United States.
For more information, or to order a kit, please call the Centre at 780-743-7167, or email us at osdc.education@gov.ab.ca.
Please note that these kits are designed as educational resources. We cannot guarantee their suitability for commercial or industrial use.
Oil Sand Sample Kit
This kit contains one ounce samples each of oil sand, bitumen, petroleum coke, and tailings sand.
Cost: $15 plus shipping and handling.
Small Oil Sand Resource Kit
The Small Oil Sand Resource Kit contains 6 ounce samples each of oil sand, bitumen, petroleum coke, and tailings sand. It also includes a flash drive with various oil sand resources, including instructions for an extraction demonstration and 2 short videos about the Alberta Oil Sands. The small resource kit includes enough oil sand for 1 extraction demonstration.
Cost: $30 plus shipping and handling.
Large Oil Sand Resource Kit
The Large Oil Sand Resource Kit contains 16 ounce samples each of oil sand, bitumen, petroleum coke, and tailings sand. It also includes a flash drive with various oil sand resources, including instructions for an extraction demonstration and 2 short videos about the Alberta Oil Sands. The large resource kit includes enough oil sand for 2 extraction demonstrations.
Cost: $40 plus shipping and handling.