Activities for Exhibit Exploration
Grade 8
This worksheet will help guide you as you investigate our exhibits.
Name(s):
Time to Complete: 2 hours
A. WATER SYSTEMS
Where to go:
Forest Lane
LEVEL
1. Find the map of the Great Lakes and examine each lake closely. Which lake
do you think has the coldest water? Provide at least two reasons to support
your hypothesis.
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Great Lakes Map
2. Visit the Cohon Family Nature Escape and look around for evidence of
Where to go:
watershed management. List materials that you think help manage the water
Cohon Family
Nature Escape
(outside)
flow.
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3. The Science Centre is located in a river valley. What is the name of the river?
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4. Check out the map of the watershed this river is part of.
a. Where is the source for this river system located?
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b. Find the grate near the map. Why would this grate be installed here? Would
you consider this to have a positive or negative impact on the urban forest?
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School Programs Lead Sponsor
LEVEL
Activities for Exhibit Exploration
5. Find the exhibit called Treating Water Right.
a. Sample water fountains A, B and C.
Grade 8
Where to go:
The Living Earth LEVEL
Which do you prefer? _______________________________________________
b. Enter your choice in the computer. What type of water did you choose?
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c. What sample do most people prefer? ________________________________
Treating Water Right
6. Proceed through the Rainforest to the other side of the Living Earth. Find the
mural labelled Trashing Our Oceans. Examine the plastic trash in one of the
cases.
a. How many pieces of garbage can you identify? List up to ten items below.
Trashing Our Oceans
b. Where do you think the garbage came from?
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c. What can we do to prevent plastic pollution in our oceans?
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Activities for Exhibit Exploration
B. SYSTEMS IN ACTION
Grade 8
Where to go:
Science Arcade
LEVEL
7. Find the giant lever (the sign says Your Weight by the Law of Levers).
a. Get on the lever, and walk very slowly away from the fulcrum. Stop as soon
as the lever begins to pivot downward. Make a note of where you stopped on
the lever, and mark it on the picture to the right.
b. Ask a friend to repeat step a.
c. According to your experiments, who is heavier: You or your friend?
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How can you tell? Hint: Think about the distance to the fulcrum.
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8. Look on the other side of the giant lever to find the Fulcrum and Leverage
exhibit (see image below).
a. Which weight feels heaviest? ______________
b. Which weight feels lightest? ______________
c. Which lever moved your hand the most? _____________
d. Which lever moved the weight the most? _____________
A
B
C
For further exploration: Try out the pulleys at Strength is Not Always the
Answer.
Your Weight by the Law of Levers
Activities for Exhibit Exploration
C. FLUIDS
Grade 8
Where to go:
Science Arcade LEVEL
9. Find the Cartesian Diver exhibit.
a. What happens to the fish when you press and hold the button?
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b. After you pressed the button, was the fish more or less dense than the
water around it?
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c. Try the experiment again, and look closely at the bubble of air inside the
fish. Draw a quick sketch of the fish before and after you press the button:
Before
Cartesian Diver
After
d. Think about the air bubble inside the fish. After you pressed the button,
did the air molecules move closer together, or father apart?
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10. Find the exhibit called Blowing up a Balloon.
a. Press the red button to remove the air from underneath the bell jar. What
happened? ____________________________________________________________
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b. If you know that air did not enter or leave the balloon, can you explain
what happened? Hint: Did the air molecules inside the balloon move closer
together or farther apart?
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Blowing up a Balloon
Activities for Exhibit Exploration
D. CELLS
Grade 8
Where to go:
The AstraZeneca LEVEL
Human Edge
11. Find the exhibit called Living Liquid.
a. Sketch a red blood cell and a white blood cell in the boxes below. How
much of your blood is made of each cell type?
Living Liquid
____% of human blood
____% of human blood
Red Blood Cell
White Blood Cell
b. A cell’s nucleus contains DNA. Mature red blood cells do not have a
nucleus. Can you guess how this would be helpful to the function of the red
blood cell? The answer cannot be found in the exhibit, so if you are unsure,
ask a staff member (or Google).
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Human cell showing nucleus
12. Find the large mirror, labelled Have a Heart. Follow the instructions, and
observe an average heart. (If the exhibit is busy, you may watch someone else
trying it out.) Next, ask a friend to observe the athlete’s heart.
a. Can you spot the differences between the two? Hint: Look at the size and
the number of beats per minute.
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b. Try to explain why the athlete’s heart is different. Hint: How would regular
exercise change your heart?
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Have a Heart