UBC Steam Party Resources

Summary

UBC STEAM Event Resource Collection

Everything we shared at the University of British Columbia, all in one place

At the University of British Columbia, we connected with student teachers by setting up tables in the foyer of the Education Building and meeting them between classes. It was a great opportunity to introduce Switch Classroom, share classroom-ready resources, and talk through how our lessons support energy and environmental topics across grade levels.

We also hosted a prize draw featuring Switch Classroom swag and Tim Horton’s gift cards, which helped spark conversations and draw in future educators eager to build their teaching toolkits.

Hands-On Activities

Play-Doh Electric Circuits Lab

A clear favorite among student teachers, this creative, hands-on lab helps students visualize electric circuits, conductivity, and problem-solving. It’s especially effective for making abstract concepts more concrete and engaging.

Building a Windmill (Hands-On)

This engineering-focused activity challenges students to design and build a working windmill while exploring renewable energy, energy transfer, and design iteration.

Energy + Density Lab

An inquiry-based lab that helps students explore the relationship between energy resources and physical properties like density, supporting deeper conceptual understanding through experimentation.

Teacher Favorites

Student teachers were especially excited about:

Play-Doh Electric Circuits Lab
Power Card Priorities activity, which encourages discussion around energy trade-offs, decision-making, and values
Upper Elementary Quick Start Guide for its clarity and ease of classroom implementation

Quick-Start Alignment Guides

To make lesson planning easier, we featured a range of Quick Start Guides that show how Switch Classroom resources align directly with BC courses and grade levels.

Featured Quick Start Guides:

Each guide helps educators quickly find lessons that fit their curriculum, standards, and pacing.

New to Switch Classroom?

Switch Classroom is a nonprofit that provides free, teacher-trusted lesson plans and activities focused on energy and environmental topics. All resources are classroom-tested, standards-aligned, and designed for real classrooms.

Explore the full Switch Classroom Resource Library to get started.