Montshire Museum of Science Hands On Activities

Sunday, August 3

11:00 a.m. Kitchen Chemistry

Explore chemical reactions as you combine common household products and get some unexpected results.

3:00 p.m. Fossils

You will hold fossils from the Museum's collection and use clues to uncover their origins.

Montshire Museum of Science Hands On Activities

Monday, August 4

11:00 a.m. Batteries & Motors

We'll explore electricity and basic circuits as we get motors to spin and bulbs to light.

3:00 p.m. Sound Science

Sounds are all around us. You will experiment with how sounds are created and how they travel.

Montshire Museum of Science Hands On Activities

Tuesday, August 5

11:00 a.m. Exploring Magnets

Discover some cool things about magnets and their properties as we conduct some experiments using lots of different materials.

3:00 p.m. Lab Coat Investigation

This special activity explores a different topic each time - from making batteries to using microscopes, extracting DNA to modeling glaciers. This activity is for adults and children 9 years and older.

Tinkering Lab: Open Studio for Makers

August 5-17, 11 am-4 pm

Build something! The Tinkering Lab is a new, experimental space where visitors try their hand at engineering whimsical contraptions using real tools and materials. Tinkering Lab activities require cooperation, concentration, and a playful "tinkering mindset": you'll design, test, fail, redesign, and share your creations alongside other participants. Program is designed for adults and families with children age 8 and over. Programs vary by date. Some activities include:

Electric Island: visitors build houses and buildings, add electricity to their building for lights and other devices, then add their buildings to a ‘community built’ island city.

Scribble Bots: visitors make moving robots that trace fun patterns with markers using weighted toy motors, batteries, wires, and other everyday materials.

Tinkering Lab Notes: Real Tools Develop Real Skills—the Tinkering Lab uses real tools and small parts and is not recommended for children under 8 years of age. Activities in the Tinkering Lab are designed for in-depth participation; plan on spending 25-45 minutes in the Lab.

Montshire Museum of Science Hands On Activities

Wednesday, August 6

11:00 a.m. Mirror Mirror

Use mirrors to investigate symmetry. You will turn simple shapes into complex and interesting patterns.

3:00 p.m. Microscopic Explorations

Montshire Museum of Science Hands On Activities

Thursday, August 7

11:00 a.m. Leafcutter Ants

Our Leafcutter ant colony is a community of "insect fungus farmers" that grows its own food. Help us provide the colony with its morning supply of leaves and get a close look at these amazing insects.

3:00 p.m. Color Mixing

Mix it up by experimenting with primary colors and seeing what new colors can be created.

Montshire Museum of Science Hands On Activities

Friday, August 8

11:00 a.m. Rocks & Volcanoes

Examine different kinds of volcanic rocks and explore how volcanoes form.

3:00 p.m. Lab Coat Investigation

This special activity explores a different topic each time - from making batteries to using microscopes, extracting DNA to modeling glaciers. This activity is for adults and children 9 years and older.

Saturday, August 9, 10:30 am – 5 pm

Spend a day at the Montshire celebrating summer by getting wet! Outside in Science Park try making boats that float down the 'Rill." Test the strength of foil boats and experiment with what floats and sinks. Then explore the science of water at the Science Discovery Lab. Investigate the properties of water, experiment with density by making liquid rainbows, and see how colors behave in water. It promises to be a wet day both inside and out!

Schedule:

10:30 a.m.  Sink and Float – test your predictions on how things behave in water in this preschool program. Science Park Patio.

11:15 a.m.  Cork Boats – construct your own boat and follow it down the stream in Science Park.

12 p.m. Who Sank the Boat? – how strong can you make your boat before it sinks? Science Park Patio.

12:45 p.m. Surface Tension – test the power of water and other liquids at the Science Discovery Lab.

1:30 p.m. Mixing Colors – use colored water to see how many different colors you can make. Science Discovery Lab.

2:15 p.m.  Cork Boats - construct your own boat and follow it down the stream in Science Park.

3 p.m.  Liquid Rainbows – experiment with the density of water while making a miniature rainbow. For ages 9 and up. Science Discovery Lab.

3:45 p.m.  Siphons and Funnels – get wet as you discover ways to move water with buckets and tubes. Science Park Patio.

4:30 p.m. Cork Boats - construct your own boat and follow it down the stream in Science Park.

Schedule subject to change. Programs free with Museum admission.

http://www.montshire.org/programs/detail/super-science-day-splash-exploring-water

Montshire Museum of Science Hands On Activities

Sunday, August 10

11:00 a.m. Batteries & Motors

We'll explore electricity and basic circuits as we get motors to spin and bulbs to light.

3:00 p.m. Sound Science

Sounds are all around us. You will experiment with how sounds are created and how they travel.

Montshire Museum of Science Hands On Activities

Monday, August 11

11:00 a.m. Exploring Magnets

Discover some cool things about magnets and their properties as we conduct some experiments using lots of different materials.

3:00 p.m. Lab Coat Investigation

This special activity explores a different topic each time - from making batteries to using microscopes, extracting DNA to modeling glaciers. This activity is for adults and children 9 years and older.

Montshire Museum of Science Hands On Activities

Friday, August 22

11:00 a.m. Batteries & Motors

We'll explore electricity and basic circuits as we get motors to spin and bulbs to light.

3:00 p.m. Sound Science

Sounds are all around us. You will experiment with how sounds are created and how they travel.

Super Science Day: Microworlds – Investigation of the Very Small

Saturday, August 23, 10:30 am – 5 pm

A whole day devoted to things microscopic! The Science Discovery Lab will be buzzing with activity as we explore an entire world of microscopic wonders. Using an array of magnifying instruments from hand lenses to compound microscopes, you can observe everything from the weave of a t-shirt to invertebrates in pond water, to the nuclei of your very own cheek cells. Discover a whole new world just hidden from the naked eye!

Schedule:

10:30 a.m.  Microscopic Explorations – look up close at feathers, rocks, seeds, and bugs! Discovery Lab.

11:30 a.m.  Pond Water Critters - use microscopes to look for all of the hidden life in pond water. Discovery Lab.

12 p.m.  Micro Parks – head outside with a magnifying glass to make your own miniature park.

12:30 p.m.  Cells – use a light microscope to see you very own cells! For adults and kids 9 and over. Discovery Lab.

1:30 p.m.   Microscopic Explorations - look up close at sugar, leaves, cloth, and snake skin! Discovery Lab.

2 p.m.  Micro Parks – head outside with a magnifying glass to make your own miniature park.

2:30 p.m.  Aquatic Critters - use microscopes to look for all of the hidden life in pond water. Discovery Lab.

3:30 p.m.  Dissecting Lichen – use a light microscope to discover the hidden symbiosis of lichen. For adults and kids 9 and over. Discovery Lab.

4:30 p.m.  Microscopic Explorations - look up close at ants, flowers, coins, and freckles! Discovery Lab.

Schedule subject to change. Programs free with museum admission.

Montshire Museum of Science Hands On Activities

Sunday, August 24

11:00 a.m. Mirror Mirror

Use mirrors to investigate symmetry. You will turn simple shapes into complex and interesting patterns.

3:00 p.m. Microscopic Explorations

Use microscopes to magnify items and you will discover that there is more to see than with the naked eye. 

Montshire Museum of Science Hands On Activities

Monday, August 25

11:00 a.m. Leafcutter Ants

Our Leafcutter ant colony is a community of "insect fungus farmers" that grows its own food. Help us provide the colony with its morning supply of leaves and get a close look at these amazing insects.

3:00 p.m. Color Mixing

Mix it up by experimenting with primary colors and seeing what new colors can be created.

Montshire Museum of Science Hands On Activities

Tuesday, August 26

11:00 a.m. Rocks & Volcanoes

Examine different kinds of volcanic rocks and explore how volcanoes form.

3:00 p.m. Lab Coat Investigation

This special activity explores a different topic each time - from making batteries to using microscopes, extracting DNA to modeling glaciers. This activity is for adults and children 9 years and older.

Montshire Museum of Science Hands On Activities

Wednesday, August 27

11:00 a.m. Kitchen Chemistry

Explore chemical reactions as you combine common household products and get some unexpected results.

3:00 p.m. Fossils

You will hold fossils from the Museum's collection and use clues to uncover their origins.

Montshire Museum of Science Hands On Activities

Thursday, August 28

11:00 a.m. Batteries & Motors

We'll explore electricity and basic circuits as we get motors to spin and bulbs to light.

3:00 p.m. Sound Science

Sounds are all around us. You will experiment with how sounds are created and how they travel.

Montshire Museum of Science Hands On Activities

Friday, August 29

11:00 a.m. Exploring Magnets

Discover some cool things about magnets and their properties as we conduct some experiments using lots of different materials.

3:00 p.m. Lab Coat Investigation

This special activity explores a different topic each time - from making batteries to using microscopes, extracting DNA to modeling glaciers. This activity is for adults and children 9 years and older.

Montshire Museum of Science Hands On Activities

Saturday, August 30

11:00 a.m. Mirror Mirror

Use mirrors to investigate symmetry. You will turn simple shapes into complex and interesting patterns.

3:00 p.m. Microscopic Explorations

Use microscopes to magnify items and you will discover that there is more to see than with the naked eye. 

Montshire Museum of Science Hands On Activities

Sunday, August 31

11:00 a.m. Leafcutter Ants

Our Leafcutter ant colony is a community of "insect fungus farmers" that grows its own food. Help us provide the colony with its morning supply of leaves and get a close look at these amazing insects.

3:00 p.m. Color Mixing

Mix it up by experimenting with primary colors and seeing what new colors can be created.