Climate Quest

Climate Quest is a free program for Grades 6/7 to 12, which corresponds to 11 to 18 years of age. The duration of the program is approximately 60 minutes, but the program can be shortened or extended depending on the needs of your group.

The programming location is your space, such as your school classroom. The venue should comfortably fit all students as well as a minimum of 1 supervisor and 1 Pacific Museum of Earth staff facilitator.

Maximum group size is capped at 35 participants to ensure a high-quality, interactive experience. For a more impactful learning experience, we recommend splitting larger (>30 participants) groups in half. We will work with you to book back-to-back programs or another alternative that works with your schedule. There are many options and we’re happy to get creative to plan the perfect itinerary for your group!

Climate Quest programs are available on select weekdays in morning or afternoon timeslots with flexible start times. Morning timeslots can begin anytime between 9:00am to 11:30am. Afternoon timeslots can begin anytime between 12:30pm to 3:00pm.

Please see the Climate Quest availability calendar below before booking.

Please use our Climate Quest booking form to request a date and time for your program. Please note:

• All Climate Quest bookings must go through this form.
• Filling out this form is not confirmation of your booking.
• Booking requests must be made at least 1 week in advance of your preferred date.
• One class or group per booking; if you require more than one booking please submit a new form for each request.

Once your booking request has been received, our Teaching and Learning Manager will contact you by email to confirm the date, time, and group size. Due to the high volume of incoming requests, responses may require up to three days.

Once we finalize the details, including availability for your preferred date and time, you will receive a booking confirmation email and your group will be set to engage with Climate Quest!

• On extremely rare occasions, the Pacific Museum of Earth may need to cancel programs due to unforeseen circumstances (e.g. weather). In the event of a program cancellation by the museum, we will contact the organizer as soon as possible, and offer alternatives if available.

Science 7: Evidence of climate change over geological time and the recent impacts of humans.

• Change in climate affects the interconnectedness of plants and animals, and their local environment.
• Humans are capable of changing Earth’s landscape, climate, and systems
• Efficacy of sustainable practices.

Science 8: The theory of plate tectonics is the unifying theory that explains Earth’s geological processes.

Science 9: The biosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere are interconnected, as matter cycles and energy flows through them.

• Matter cycles within biotic and abiotic components of ecosystems.
• A systems approach to sustainability sees all matter and energy as interconnected and existing in dynamic equilibrium.
• First Peoples knowledge of interconnectedness and sustainability.

Science 10: Energy is conserved, and its transformation can affect living things and the environment.

• Practical applications and implications of chemical processes, including First Peoples knowledge.
• Local and global impacts of energy transformations from technologies.

Earth Sciences 11: Earth materials are changed as they cycle through the geosphere and are used as resources, with economic and environmental implications.

• The transfer of energy through the atmosphere creates weather, and this transfer is affected by climate change.
• The distribution of water has a major influence on weather and climate.
• Evidence of climate change (both historical and recent).
  • Effects of climate change on water sources.
• First Peoples knowledge of climate change and interconnectedness as related to environmental systems.

Environmental Science 11: Human practices affect the sustainability of ecosystems.

• Changing ecosystems are maintained by natural processes.
• Humans can play a role in stewardship and restoration of ecosystems.
  • Benefits of ecosystem services (ex. climate regulation).
  • Human actions and their impact on ecosystem integrity.
  • Sustainable use of, and care for, local resources.
  • Restoration practices; the process of renewing and recovering a degraded, damaged, or destroyed ecosystem.
• First Peoples knowledge and other traditional ecological knowledge in sustaining biodiversity.
  • First Peoples ways of knowing and doing.

Science for Citizens 11: Scientific understanding enables humans to respond and adapt to changes locally and globally.

• Scientific literacy; evidence-based decision making through science.
• Human impact on Earth’s systems:
  • Natural resource availability, responsible development, and use.
  • Effects of climate change on food production, climate, weather, and our oceans.
• Actions and decisions affecting the local and global environment, including those of First Peoples.

Environmental Science 12: Human activities cause changes in the global climate system.

• Human actions affect the quality of water and its ability to sustain life.
• Sustainable land use is essential to meet the needs of a growing population.
  • Ecosystem services, land use and degradation, and land management.
• Living sustainably supports the well-being of self, community, and Earth.
  • Personal choices and sustainable living.
  • Environmental ethics, policy, and law.
• Changes to climate systems include:
  • Sinks and sources of greenhouse gases, snow and ice coverage, land surface coverage, solar radiation, energy balance, ocean temperatures, sea levels.
• Impacts of global warming include:
  • increase in extreme weather events, flooding, desertification, ocean acidification, permafrost melting, drought, wildfires, hurricanes, migratory changes, human health, food security, changes to traditional ways of being and doing.
• Mitigations and adaptations to climate change.

Specialized Science 12: Climate change impacts biodiversity and ecosystem health.

• Biodiversity is dependent on the complex interactions and processes between biotic and abiotic factors.
• Geologic materials can change as they cycle through the geosphere and can be used as resources.

Demonstrate a sustained intellectual curiosity about a scientific topic or problem of personal interest.

Make observations aimed at identifying their own questions, including increasingly complex ones, about the natural world.

Seek patterns and connections in data from their own investigations and secondary sources.

Seek and analyze patterns, trends, and connections in data, including describing relationships between variables (dependent and independent) and identifying inconsistencies.

Construct, analyze, and interpret graphs (including interpolation and extrapolation), models, and/or diagrams.

Use knowledge of scientific concepts to draw conclusions that are consistent with evidence.

Analyze cause-and-effect relationships.

Demonstrate an awareness of assumptions, question information given, and identify bias in their own work and secondary sources.

Consider the changes in knowledge over time as tools and technologies have developed.

Connect scientific explorations to careers in science.

Demonstrate an understanding and appreciation of evidence (qualitative and quantitative).

Exercise a healthy, informed skepticism and use scientific knowledge and findings from their own investigations to evaluate claims in secondary sources.

Consider social, ethical, and environmental implications of the findings from their own and others’ investigations.

Critically analyze the validity of information in secondary sources and evaluate the approaches used to solve problems.

Contribute to care for self, others, community, and world through personal or collaborative approaches.

Transfer and apply learning to new situations.

Generate and introduce new or refined ideas when problem solving.

Contribute to finding solutions to problems at a local and/or global level through inquiry.

Consider the role of scientists in innovation.

Communicate scientific ideas, claims, information, and perhaps a suggested course of action, for a specific purpose and audience, constructing evidence-based arguments and using appropriate scientific language, conventions, and representations.

Express and reflect on a variety of experiences, perspectives, and worldviews through place.