Not sure where to start with all of the content available for online learning? Check out the list below for some science and STEM resources developed directly at the University of Waterloo.
If you can't find what you're looking for on our site, we've also created a list of other online resources to keep your learning and curiosity going!
UWaterloo Resources
- From the Faculty of Science:
- Storybook for kids, "Kolo's Unique Return to School" by Science undergrad Sara Ibrahim shows how kids stay safe and have fun through Covid guidelines.
- Open Science contains secondary school chemistry lessons and physics problems.
- For more challenging secondary school practice problems, see sample questions from our annual Sir Isaac Newton physics exam and Avogadro and Chem13News chemistry exams.
- Get a breath of fresh air and complete one of our Climate Challenge scavenger hunts in your neighbourhood!
- To learn about the elements, check out the Periodic Table Project which has an interactive periodic table available on our website or via an application for Apple, Android, and Blackberry devices.
- Next, visit the Timeline of Elements which goes through the discovery of each of the elements throughout history.
- Digital issues of the Chem13 News magazine include articles, experiments, and activities for secondary school chemistry. Not sure where to start? Try looking through the lessons, or testing your knowledge with chemistry puzzles.
- The Earth Sciences Museum has online resources to learn about earth sciences in Ontario and Canada, from rocks, to minerals, to mining and more.
- Bring the Earth Sciences Museum to you, by downloading our iPad app, Mastodon AR. Travel through time to see the life and fossilization of mastodons from 12,000 years ago to today.
- Tour the Museum of Vision Science and refresh your knowledge about light and our eyes.
- Looking to get outdoors? Take a walk and check out the amazing rock specimens in Uptown Waterloo, Downtown Kitchener, and Maryhill, with our Earth Sciences Museum self-guided walking tours.
- The Faculty of Science and St. Jerome's University partner each year to produce the Bridges Lecture Series which aims to bridge the gaps between Arts, Science, and Mathematics by having speakers from different backgrounds present on a single topic. Past recorded lectures can be viewed going back to 2012.
- The Centre for Education in Mathematics and Computing has many online resources including CEMC at Home where you can find daily math problems for all ages.
- Use the Faculty of Environment's Ecology Lab Online Collections database to figure what plants, birds, and more you might be able to find in your area, or even in your own backyard.
- From UWaterloo partner institutions:
- Looking for something new? Try Quantum Computing 101 from the Institute for Quantum Computing.
- Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics has compiled a list of their online resources for stay-at-home science including an interactive journey through the universe. They also have games and videos and teacher resources.
Non-UWaterloo Resources
The online resources included in the list below have been compiled to aid in any at home science! These sites are all free to use and do not require the creation of an account. These websites and their content are not maintained by the University of Waterloo, nor does inclusion on this list act as an endorsement from UWaterloo. If you have any comments or suggestions for inclusion, please email: scienceevents@uwaterloo.ca
- Educational YouTube channels
- General education: Crash Course
- General science: SciShow, Crash Course Kids
- For younger learners: SciShow Kids, Maddie Moate
- Physics: MinutePhysics, SciShow Space, Physics Girl
- Biology: Amoeba Sisters, The Brain Scoop
- Earth Sciences: MinuteEarth
- Psychology: SciShow Psych, BrainCraft
- Science Centre and Museum resources
- Compilation list from CASC, the Canadian Association of Science Centres.
- Compilation list from ASTC, the Association of Science and Technology Centers.
- Online science and STEM specific resources
- Let's Talk Science has STEM at Home resources for families and youth, teacher resources for online student engagement, and more.
- Actua has online STEM activities for all ages.
- Steve Spangler Science is a free library of at-home science experiments.
- Science Journal for Kids and Teens contains articles written for kids and approved by scientists.
- National Geographic has a site just for kids with games, videos, and animal facts. They also have classroom resources for teachers and educators, and live daily broadcasts called Explorer Classroom.
- NASA has lots of online resources including NASA at Home and NASA Climate Kids.
- To ease yourself into computer science and coding, check out Code.org, Scratch, and Scratch Jr.
- Learn about soils and soil science with the Thrive farm game.
- Online general education resources (including STEM content)
- The Waterloo Region District School Board has prepared WRDSB@Home for online learning.
- The Government of Ontario has developed LearnAtHome with resources for distance learning for students and parents.
- Scholastic Learn at Home has content from PreK-Grade 9 resources for students, parents, and teachers.
- Khan Academy has daily schedules and resources for all ages 2-18.
- PBS Learning Media has online content sorted by subject or by grade, with content from PreK-Grade 12.