Core Skills Analysis
Science
The child toured Enmarket Arena and learned how a hockey rink’s ice was built over 3–5 days in thin layers. The child discovered that workers painted the hockey lines and markings by hand between layers and that about 10,500 gallons of water were used to make the rink. These details showed how careful layering and preparation created a surface ready for hockey.
Mathematics
The child encountered useful real-world quantities and costs during the tour, including an arena capacity of 9,500 people, roughly 100 scheduled shows each year, and a monthly electricity bill of $100,000. The child also heard that VIP suites cost $150,000–$300,000 per year under five-year contracts. Comparing these figures offered practice thinking about large numbers, ranges, time periods, and how operating costs could accumulate.
Language Arts
The child listened to explanations about the arena’s spaces and processes, then learned specific facts that could be retold in an informative account of the visit. The tour connected vocabulary such as “green room,” “locker room,” and “layers” to places and activities the child saw firsthand. Recalling the sequence of how artists moved toward the stage or how the ice was built supported clear chronological description.
Career and Event Operations
The child saw how different areas supported hockey games and live performances, including VIP seating, private rooms, the kitchen, the team locker room, the green room, and the route artists took to reach the stage. The child learned that the arena scheduled about 100 shows a year and maintained specialized spaces for guests, performers, and teams. This behind-the-scenes visit gave the child a concrete view of how a large venue prepared for varied events.
Tips
Tips Turn the visit into a mini investigation by having the child sketch the rink and label the thin ice layers, painted markings, and water use. Next, use the arena’s figures to create a simple budget or comparison activity—for example, calculate the electricity cost across several months or compare annual suite prices. Invite the child to write a short “behind the scenes” report in the order a hockey player or performer might experience the venue, using details from the tour. To extend the experience, design a model arena from reused materials and explain how its spaces would support a game or concert.
Book Recommendations
- The Way Things Work Now by David Macaulay: An illustrated guide to machines and systems that can support curiosity about the equipment and processes involved in running a large venue.
- The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer: A true story about engineering, energy, and problem-solving that connects with thinking about the arena’s substantial electricity needs.
- The Science of Hockey by John F. Wukovits: An accessible introduction to the science behind hockey, providing further context for the rink and the sport the child learned about.
Try This Next
- Create a labeled rink-layer worksheet showing where the painted lines were added and noting the 10,500 gallons of water.
- Math challenge: estimate the arena’s electricity bill for three months and five years using the stated monthly cost.
- Write a first-person tour recap that follows an artist from the green room to the stage, using details from the visit.
- Design a model arena and label spaces for hockey players, performers, visitors, and food preparation.