Science
Exploring Science Everywhere
At BPC, we nurture students’ natural curiosity, challenging them to make careful observations, to ask thoughtful questions, and to make connections in their world. Every BPC student participates in hands-on science weekly - facilitated by our lower school science specialist and our upper school science faculty. We prioritize deeper investigation rather than attempting to cover ever more content. From nearby Aquatic Park and Strawberry Creek to our school garden and chicken coop, BPC students learn science everywhere.
GRADES K-5
Science Program
Our K–5 science program encourages curiosity, critical thinking, and a deep understanding of the world. Students explore core disciplines—life, earth and space, and physical sciences—through hands-on investigations, collaborative projects, and real-world applications.
Engineering is woven throughout the curriculum, with students applying scientific principles to design and build solutions, from kindergarteners creating hand-pollinators to fifth graders engineering safety helmets after studying the human brain.
Field trips to the California Academy of Sciences and the Tech Museum of Innovation complement classroom learning, while visits from expert guests—including a geologist and a neurosurgeon—offer students a window into scientific careers and inspire them to see themselves as future scientists and engineers.
Six Essential Practices for Science Education
- Asking questions (for science) and defining problems (for engineering)
- Developing and using models
- Planning and carrying out investigations
- Analyzing and interpreting data
- Using mathematics and computational thinking
- Constructing explanations (for science) and designing solutions (for engineering)
- Engaging in argument from evidence
- Obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information
The Q Lab - A Space for Science & Inquiry
Opened for students in 2016, our Q Lab is like an exclamation point on our experiential and inquiry-based program. On an average day, in the earth and physical sciences classroom upstairs, you might see students measuring the energy generated by windmills or building pneumatic judo-bots.
Downstairs, in the makerspace classroom, 6th graders might be engaged in 3D design or printing, or 8th graders might be building a bench in Workshop. In the evenings, the space might be hosting one of our Family Maker Fridays, where K–8 students and their families gather to enjoy both high-tech and classic maker activities in our makerspace.
Dissecting Owl Pellets (3rd)
As part of their study of ecosystems, 3rd grade students step into the role of ecologists during an exciting owl pellet dissection.
Human Anatomy and Physiology with Dissections (7th)
This course offers an exciting, immersive experience that brings anatomy to life!
Making Solar Ovens (5th)
As part of our science unit on thermal energy, 5th grade students explore the principles of heat transfer, thermal conductors and insulators through a hands-on solar ovens project.
Science Week
Students choose their projects, and work to find a scientific answer to their hypothesis.
Maker Club
Maker Club at BPC is where big ideas, wild imagination, and tinkering come together! From inventing clever contraptions to building creative masterpieces, students get to dream it up, experiment, and see what happens. Whether a student loves designing, building, crafting, coding, or taking things apart to see how they work, Maker Club is the place to turn their curiosity into something amazing. Activities include 3D printing, laser cutting, programing robots, quilling, button making, wood and rock carving, candle making, felting, resin art, sculpting, and terrain building.
Family Maker Fridays
Six times a year, students and their caregivers are invited to the Q Lab to enjoy a variety of maker activities together, including wood burning, foam sculpting, jewelry making, air dry clay, air pressure rockets, slingshot rockets and Whitewings gliders making, ironing fuse beads, Cardboard Automata, Groovy Sounds exploration, Chompsaw, Bedazzling, and more!
Odyssey of the Mind
Odyssey of the Mind is an international creative problem-solving competition that challenges students to think imaginatively and work collaboratively. Our lower school team, coached by our K-5 science teacher, is made up of seven 4th and 5th graders selected through an application process each fall.
Meting weekly in the upper school science lab, the team chooses a long-term design challenge, builds a solution, and prepares for a spontaneous problem component. Students bring their ideas to life through writing, engineering, art, and performance, culminating in a regional tournament in late winter—with the potential to advance to state and world competitions.
Lower School Engineering Club
The Lower School Engineering Club is an optional after-school program for students in grades K–3, led by our lower school science teacher. Held in the upper school science lab, the club invites young engineers to explore the properties of materials and tackle hands-on design challenges. Students build creations such as stomp rockets, catapults, skateboard parks, and doodle-bots while investigating scientific concepts like gravity, friction, energy, electricity, and air pressure. They also learn about the engineering design process and draw inspiration from iconic structures around the world. Through creativity, teamwork, and critical thinking, students experience the fun and discovery of real-world engineering.
Science Faculty
