STEM Field Trips
STEM Field Trips at Great Skate
Education and fun rolled into one GREAT experience!
Looking for a reward field trip, a brush-up on math skills before MAP testing, or a fun way to reinforce classroom concepts? STEM field trips extend learning beyond the school building.
We offer a range of STEM presentations — from a general look at STEM in the roller rink to focused topics like math, music, Newton's laws of motion, the science of sound, or nutrition and exercise, all applied to skating.
Every STEM field trip includes your chosen presentation, a skate session, skate rental, and time for lunch. Teachers skate free!
Explore Lessons by Grade Level
Students will learn about the parts of a roller skate/inline skate and how each part functions to make the skate. They'll discuss how rink surfaces are made of different materials and how that affects the skate in motion, then get a chance to design a new feature for a skate.
Topics: Geometry, Friction, Reverse Engineering, Design
An introduction to the physics of roller skating through the four parameters of motion. Students answer an open-ended design challenge by inventing their own skate.
Topics: Motion, Physics, Design
Students count using the beats of rink music and learn how music tempo affects skater speed. Fourth and fifth graders also learn to control skating speed using the beat of the music.
Topics: Sound Waves, Beats per Minute, Frequency
Students explore how sound waves travel through different mediums, and discuss speaker pitch and tone as they relate to rink sound design.
Topics: Sound Waves, Doppler Effect, Sound System Design
Students learn about the speed of light and how light travels, exploring the effects of reflection and refraction.
Topics: Electromagnetic Spectrum, The Speed of Light, Light Waves
Students learn basic human biology and how the body works, focusing on heart anatomy, nutrition, and exercise — including finding and calculating average heart rate and reading nutrition labels.
Topics: Basic Anatomy, Heart Health, Calculating an Average, Labeling a Graph
Students discover math concepts all over the rink: measuring and calculating skater speed, using mean/median/mode to talk about skate sizes, and identifying shapes throughout the rink.
Topics: Mean, Median, and Mode, Geometry, Calculating Speed
Students learn Newton's three laws and how force and mass play into motion — then construct a balloon rocket to see it in action.
Topics: Motion, Inertia, Force
Students see how STEM shows up in sports, exploring how three different kinds of motion affect the outcome of a hockey game and how roller/inline skates are engineered for the sport.
Topics: Physics, Force, Potential Energy and Motion
Students learn about reaction time and how to improve it, plus explore probability through the arcade games in our facility.
Topics: Reaction Time, Probability, Engineering Through Game Design
Students will learn about the parts of a roller skate/inline skate and how each part functions to make the skate, how rink surface materials affect motion, and get a chance to design a new skate feature.
Topics: Geometry, Friction, Reverse Engineering, Design
Physics of roller skating through the four parameters of motion, with an open-ended skate design challenge.
Topics: Motion, Physics, Design
Counting rink music beats, understanding how tempo affects skater speed, and learning to control speed using the beat of the music.
Topics: Sound Waves, Beats per Minute, Frequency
How sound waves travel through different mediums, plus speaker pitch and tone in rink sound design.
Topics: Sound Waves, Doppler Effect, Sound System Design
The speed of light, how light travels, and the effects of reflection and refraction.
Topics: Electromagnetic Spectrum, The Speed of Light, Light Waves
The functions of the cardiovascular system and healthy lifestyle habits — students predict, then calculate, their average heart rate through physical activity.
Topics: Cardiovascular System, Heart Health, Importance of Exercise
Math concepts found throughout the rink — measuring, comparing, and averaging skater speeds, using geometry, and applying statistics to roller skating.
Topics: Averages, Geometry, Statistics
Each of Newton's Three Laws of Motion in action at the rink — students experiment with force and mass.
Topics: Physics, Laws of Motion, Inertia
How STEM plays into sports — three kinds of motion and their effect on a hockey game's outcome — plus a hands-on catapult build covering probability.
Topics: Physics, Probability, Angular, Projectile and Linear Motion
Reaction time, how to improve it, and probability through arcade game play in our facility.
Topics: Reaction Time, Probability, Engineering Through Game Design
How science, math, and the arts blend in artistic skating — the physics behind jumps and spins, and how skaters use music, dance, and precision. Includes an interactive lab on projectile motion.
Topics: Angular Momentum, Center of Mass, Projectile Motion
Students explore the workings of a human cell by comparing it to something familiar and fun: a roller rink. This creative analogy makes cellular functions and organelles easier to understand and relate to.
Topics: Cell Organelle Identification, Diverse Functions of Organelles, Basic Fundamentals of Operating a Roller Rink
*Please discuss any food allergies before booking this lesson.
Students will learn the details and evolution behind the technology of a roller skate. They will focus on the elements that are needed to apply engineering concepts to a roller skate. Students will work together to assemble a roller skate and then test their skate's performance by calculating distance, force, energy, speed and more.
Topics: Engineering, Roller Skate Technology, Distance, Force, Energy, Speed
- STEM presentation
- Skate session
- Skate rental (quad or inline)
- Skate trainers (balance aid)
- Group departs to eat lunch elsewhere
- STEM presentation
- Skate session
- Skate rental (quad or inline)
- Skate trainers (balance aid)
- Lunch time included — sack lunch (free) or hot pizza lunch ($4/student)
Schedule Your STEM Field Trip Today!
To learn more about our STEM field trips, presentations, or how to schedule your event, please contact our office at: