Kids Science

Welcome to Kids Science – a place to learn and explore your scientific curiosity!

Located at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), Kids Science is designed to educate and inspire children and youth with interactive science experiences including internships, mentorship programs, on-site lab visits, talks, school visits and demonstrations.

Kids Science has reached more than 29,000 students to date from across Ontario and continues to welcome new students into our growing community. We create avenues for students to ask questions and learn more about Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Medicine (STEMM) through fun, informative and interactive experiences with researchers and scientific leaders.

In our collaboration with the SickKids Research Institute and the Research Training Centre (RTC), we support students across SickKids with the skills development and mentorship opportunities they need to achieve their career goals. Students also get a chance to interact with innovative research teams as well as visit world-class labs and research facilities!

Together, we are working to provide opportunities for all youth to experience interactive science.

We are committed to providing accessible formats as part of our commitment to Accessibility. Captions are available on this video through YouTube.

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Check out more videos from our Kids Science playlist on YouTube!

Workshops and events

We’ll come to you! Kids Science visits elementary, middle and high schools, as well as community groups in priority neighbourhoods across Toronto and the GTA to talk about and demonstrate science through hands-on, curriculum-based science workshops on a variety of topics, from energy and animation to bugs and states of matter.

Science workshops run throughout the year (including the summer months) and can vary in length from one to two hours, depending on the topic and the needs of the students. Whether you are a school, community group or camp, our workshops are tailored for kids from kindergarten to Grade 12.

Book a workshop Learn more about our workshops (PDF)

Are you a teacher or student interested in touring a SickKids lab? We run events once a month where students from schools in Toronto and the GTA can attend presentations by SickKids scientists, visit world-renowned research labs, and learn lab skills and procedures.

Every May, we host a Science Extravaganza for over 100 Grade 9 and 10 students from across Toronto and the GTA. The day is filled with group activities and challenges, talks from SickKids scientists and a chance to go behind-the-scenes of SickKids labs.

If you’re interested in participating, please get in touch with us to add your school to our contact list.

Every week we host a live, 30-minute science program that is broadcast throughout SickKids on our closed-circuit television system in collaboration with the Department of Child Life and SickKids’ therapeutic clowns. We also partner with other hospital programs to promote science to SickKids patients through regular demonstrations and lessons for SickKids classrooms, one-on-one patient visits, Science Fairs and special event days.

Summer programs

Our internship and mentorship programs provide students with the opportunity to interact with world-renowned researchers and medical professionals in the SickKids Research Institute, enhance their interest in STEMM-related fields, learn lab-based skills and interact with like-minded individuals.

Each of our programs help prepare students for a future in science by sparking curiosity and providing students with new research techniques and resources.

The StAR program is a six-week paid summer research internship that provides Indigenous, Black, and Filipino high school students with the opportunity to work in a world-class research lab. Students are paired with a SickKids lab and get to work on-site with research staff to complete their own project and present their findings in a research symposium.

As part of this program, students will also have access to other science career and research experiences through the Kids Science program.

Program eligibility

Applicants must be:

At least 16 years old by start date and in high school Grade 11 or 12
Must have previously taken Grade 10 Science (Grade 11/12 Biology and Chemistry would be an asset, but not required)
Black, Filipino, or Indigenous
Canadian Citizen or Permanent Resident (must have a valid Social Insurance Number card)

The application period for the 2024 StAR Program has ended.

Each summer, a select group of high school students will be invited to SickKids for our Summer Mentorship Program. These students will visit the hospital three times a week during the month of August to hear from guest speakers from different departments, who have been carefully selected and tailored to their interests.

Prior to the program, students will fill out a survey describing their interests in bio-medical research. Previous speakers have included researchers from oncology, psychology, pain management, paediatric cardiology, global health and more. The program also gives students the opportunity to visit research labs, learn laboratory-based skills and participate in workshops and talks.

Applications are now closed for the 2024 program.

Every year we partner with the SickKids Summer Research (SSuRe) Program to provide opportunities for university students to conduct research in a laboratory or clinical setting at SickKids, under the supervision of a Research Institute scientist. Find out more about this year’s program activities and learn how to apply for a research position.

Learn more about SSuRe