Did you know that scientists and engineers have used bugs as inspirations for really cool inventions? Join author Anjali Joshi (Built Like a Bug) as she shares cool inventions inspired by bugs and leads students through a design activity, followed by an interactive, live trivia game. Students are encouraged to bring paper, pencils, crayons and/or pencil crayons. This event will have a live audience Q&A. Grades 6-8.
Author
Emily Deibert is a Waterloo-based author and astronomer. Bea Mullins Takes a Shot is her first middle grade novel.
There’s also an accompanying festival book list although it’s not necessary to read the books to enjoy the events.
Make the most of your festival experience! Use the 2026 Educator Guide to extend student learning with discussion prompts, activities, and curriculum-based resources, and check out the Festival Book List to discover books to bring into your home, classroom or library.
Patrick de Belen
A spoken word poetry workshop.
Sarena Nanua and Sasha Nanua
A creative writing workshop.
