HOG HOUSES

Storybook STEM

The Big Bad Wolf is back for more! Protect the three little pigs from their furry predator by helping them build strong, safe houses. Students will use open-ended materials to plan, design, and build a structure to keep the pigs safe from the Big Bad Wolf’s “huff and puff” antics.

NGSS: K-PS2-1, K-LS1- 1, ETS1.A, ETS1.B CCSS RL.K.10

TRIP TRAP BRIDGE- BUILDING

Storybook STEM

“Who’s that tripping over my bridge?!” the troll shouted angrily. Oh no! That grumpy old troll is at it again. Students will be engineers as they plan, design, and build a bridge to escape the clutches of the mean troll.

NGSS: K-LS1-1, K-ESS2-1, ETS1.A, ETS1.B

COLOR CRAZE

Storybook STEM

Poor Camilla Cream… Her skin has turned green. And red, orange, yellow, blue, and purple, too! Our skin cannot change color like Camilla Cream’s, but we can create the color of the rainbow ourselves. Students will create a self-portrait then use primary colors to give themselves “a bad case of stripes.”

WEATHER BOOKS

Weather

What’s the weather like? Design a weather report folder to use for observing and describing the weather. Students will see how weather affects our daily lives as we discuss the importance of dressing for the weather.

NGSS: K-ESS2.D, K-ESS3-2

PLANT IN A BOTTLE

Needs of Living Things

Students will build their own terrarium to take home, while investigating living and non-living things.

NGSS: K-LS1-1, K-ESS3-1, K-ESS3-3

SHEEP IN A JEEP

Forces and Motion

Use a ramp, a sheep, and a jeep to investigate how pushes and pulls make objects travel various distances.

NGSS: K-PS2-1, K-PS2-2

RAMP IT UP

Engineering Challenge

Students will build a model car then use open-ended materials to construct a ramp for their car. This activity reinforces the concept that outside forces and intended design solutions can change the way an object travels.

NGSS: K-PS2-1, K-PS2-2, ETS1.A, ETS1.B

“IN MY BACKYARD”

Full-Dome Feature Film

Students will learn about what can be seen in their backyard. Students will explore creatures and plants, the Moon, the Sun, the Solar System, and the movement of the stars in this engaging show designed for early childhood learning.

NGSS: K-ESS2-1

TIME TRAVELERS

Students will travel back in time to explore historical objects and learn about people from the past through hands-on activities. Compare and contrast historical artifacts with the objects used in the present, and think about what people in the future may use for a similar purpose.

GLCE: K-H2.0.1, K-H2.0.4

IT ALL STARTS WITH ME

Students will explore the past, present, and future from the perspective of their own lives. Join a museum educator for historical story time, identify the important details and people from the story, and compare life today with life in the past, while creating a hands-on project to take home.

GLCE: K-H2.0.1, K-H2.0.2, K-H2.0.3, K-G5.0.1

LIGHT & SHADOWS

Investigate the properties

of this form of energy, while exploring shadows, mirrors and the light spectrum. Discover how you can block, reflect, and bend light with hands-on activities.

NGSS: 1-PS4-2, 1-PS4-3

LIGHT SURPRISE BOX

Maker Project

Students will use tools and materials to design their own light surprise box. This project will shine light on the concept that objects can only be seen if there is light to illuminate them.

NGSS: 1-PS4-2

SOUND

What makes sound? Students will find out as they investigate vibrations, pitch, and loudness with fun hands-on activities.

NGSS: 1-PS4-1, 1-LS1-1

BUILD YOUR OWN ECOSYSTEM – PLANT PARTS

Students will build an independent ecosystem to take home, while exploring plant parts. See how each of these structures help plants survive and grow.

NGSS: 1-LS1-1

MOON PHASE BOOKS

Make a glow-in-the-dark moon phase book that will help students explore the predictable pattern of the shapes of the Moon we can see on Earth.

NGSS: 1-ESS1-1

TIME TRAVELERS

Students will travel back in time to explore historical objects and learn about people from the past through hands-on activities. Compare and contrast historical artifacts with the objects used in the present, and think about what people in the future may use for a similar purpose.

GLCE: 1-H2.0.5, 1-H2.0.6

IT ALL STARTS WITH ME

Students will explore the past, present, and future from the perspective of their own lives. Join a museum educator for historical story time, identify the important details and people from the story, and compare life today with life in the past, while creating a hands-on project to take home.

GLCE: 1-H2.0.1, 1-H2.0.3, 1-H2.0.4, 1-H2.0.5, 1-H2.0.6

IF I COULD BUILD A CITY

What is a community? It’s never too soon to learn how communities work. Join our educators as they focus on the importance of transportation, location, communication, and infrastructure to help “build a city” and make it successful. Each team will discuss, plan, and build a two-dimensional model city.

GLCE: 1-G5.0.1, 1-E1.0.1

“IN MY BACKYARD”

Full-Dome Feature Film

Students will learn about what can be seen in their backyard. Students will explore creatures and plants, the Moon, the Sun, the Solar System, and the movement of the stars in this engaging show designed for early childhood learning.

NGSS: 1-ESS1-1

“MAGIC GLOBE: A STORY OF THE SEASONS”

Full-Dome Feature Film

Students will explore the seasons in this visually stunning and engaging show. The show will discuss the cause and effect of the seasons including the tilt of the Earth, the motion of the Sun, and how the seasons affect ecosystems on Earth.

NGSS: 1-PS4-3, 1-ESS1-2

SKY SLEUTHS

Live Planetarium Program

Investigate the sky and discover patterns of motion of the Sun and stars throughout the year. Students will embark on a quest with handy clues to find glowing constellations in the night sky, engage in an interactive reading to identify patterns of the day and night cycle, and view the seasonal shift of the Sun along the horizon.

NGSS: 1-ESS1-1

“ACCIDENTAL ASTRONAUTS”

Full-Dome Feature Film

Follow the adventures of Cy and Annie as they embark on an unexpected journey to space. Students will learn about the properties of the Earth, Moon, and Sun. Topics include the day/night cycle, phases, composition, and temperature of the Moon, as well as physical and electromagnetic properties of the Sun.

NGSS: 1-ESS1-1

GROUNDWATER

Build and manipulate a model groundwater system, while learning how removing, adding, and polluting water impacts our underground water system.

NGSS: 2-ESS2-3

WATER FILTRATION

Engineering Challenge

Explore how water is treated in a municipal water treatment system while students select materials to design, build and test their own filtration system.

NGSS: 2-ESS2-3

GALACTIC GOO

Chemistry at its finest and most fun! Matter, molecules, and polymers will be discussed in this hands-on activity. Each student will make and take home a bag of their own goo!

NGSS: 2-PS1-1, 2-PS1-2, 2-PS1-3, 2-PS1-4

CREEPING SAND DUNES

Engineering Challenge

A sand dune is pushed closer and closer to a house by the wind. Is there a way to save the structure? Students will be invited to design, build, and test a solution to the creeping sand dune and save the house.

NGSS: 2-ESS2-1

LANDFORMS

Explore Earth! Students will use clay to sculpt mountains, valleys, plains, plateaus, and other major landforms. Investigate where on earth these landforms can be found and what forces help shape our world. Discover the many different landforms that are located in our state of Michigan.

NGSS: 2-ESS2-2

BUILD YOUR OWN ECOSYSTEM – NEEDS OF LIVING THINGS

Investigate ecosystems and the water cycle, and learn what living things need to survive. Students will build an independent ecosystem to take home. Work collaboratively to design an investigation that explores how light affects plant growth.

NGSS: 2-LS2-1

ICE CREAM

A sweet way to study solids, liquids, and gases! Working in groups, students will use beakers, measuring cups, and measuring spoons to mix up solids and liquids into an ice cream base. Educators will add the “magic liquid” that changes their liquid into solid ice cream. Each student gets some ice cream to taste.

NGSS: 2-PS1-1, 2-PS1-3, 2-PS1-4

BIRD FEEDERS

Maker Project

Birds help move seeds from place to place. Explore the different ways animals help disperse seeds, while designing and building your own bird feeder to take home.

NGSS: 2-LS2-2

RESOURCEFUL RED HEN

Using her entrepreneurial skills, the Little Red Hen invested natural, capital, and human resources to produce some delicious goods! The cat, dog, and mouse learned a hard lesson about incentives and opportunity costs. Using a reader’s theater format, kids will hear the story of “The Little Red Hen.” Students will use natural, capital, and human resources to plant wheat seeds to take home.

GLCE: 2-E1.0.1, 2-E1.0.4

IF I COULD BUILD A CITY

What is a community? It’s never too soon to learn how communities work. Join our educators as they focus on the importance of transportation, location, communication, and infrastructure to help “build a city” and make it successful. Each team will discuss, plan, and build a two dimensional model city.

GLCE: 2-G2.0.2, 2-G4.0.1, 2-G4.0.2, 2-G5.0.1, 2-G5.0.2, 2-E1.0.2

“DINOSAURS OF ANTARCTICA”

Full-Dome Feature Film

From the Permian through the Jurassic, journey to the south polar landscapes of Antarctica hundreds of millions of years ago. Roam the primitive forest and thick swamps with bizarre dinosaurs and colossal amphibians. Join Antarctic scientists on a quest to understand the ice continent’s profound transformation through time.

NGSS: 2-ESS1-1, 2-LS4-1

PLANETS: ROCKY WORLDS

Live Planetarium Program

Students will visit the inner planets while comparing and contrasting their geological characteristics. Students will travel to mountains, volcanoes, canyons, and craters on the planets and investigate their origins.

NGSS: 2-ESS1-1, 2-ESS2-1, 2-ESS2-2, 2-ESS2-3

AMUSEMENT PARK SCIENCE

Investigate balanced and unbalanced forces acting on a marble as students use a variety of interesting materials to build a roller coaster that moves a marble through upside-down loops, curves, and drops.

NGSS: 3-PS2-1, 3-PS2-2

BUILD YOUR OWN ECOSYSTEM – CHANGING ENVIRONMENTS

Investigate ecosystems and the water cycle, and learn what living things need to survive. Students will build an independent ecosystem to take home. Work collaboratively to design an investigation that explores how changing environmental features affect plant growth.

NGSS: 3-LS4-4

FOSSIL SCIENCE

Make a plaster fossil model to take home and touch real fossils, while learning how fossils are formed and how they provide evidence of life long ago.

NGSS: 3-LS4-1

TORNADO CONSTRUCTION

Engineering Challenge

The wind howls as the tornado touches down. Can you design a house that can withstand the forces of a twister? Design, build, and test a wind resistant structure.

NGSS: 3-ESS3-1

CRANKY CONTRAPTIONS

Maker Project

Twist, crank, push, pull, spin. Are you ready to create a moving sculpture? Discover patterns of motion, while designing a cranking mechanism that puts your artwork in motion.

NGSS: 3-PS2-1, 3-PS2-2

MOTION OF THE SKIES

Live Planetarium Program

The program investigates the motion of the Sun, Moon, Planets, and stars in the sky. Students investigate the causes of motion including Earth’s rotation, the orbits of the Earth, Moon, and planets. Students will use this knowledge to predict future motions and occurrences in the sky.

NGSS: 3-PS2-2

EARTH’S ECOSYSTEMS

Live Planetarium Program

Students will explore the diversity of Earth’s ecosystems by digitally taking a trip around the globe. Students will learn about different types of climates and use real world data to make observations about their properties.

NGSS: 3-ESS2-1, 3-ESS2-2

“DINOSAURS OF ANTARCTICA”

Full-Dome Feature Film

From the Permian through the Jurassic, journey to the south polar landscapes of Antarctica hundreds of millions of years ago. Roam the primitive forest and thick swamps with bizarre dinosaurs and colossal amphibians. Join Antarctic scientists on a quest to understand the ice continent’s profound transformation through time

NGSS: 3-LS4-1, 3-LS4-3, 3-LS4-4, 3-ESS2-2

RESOURCEFUL RED HEN

Using her entrepreneurial skills, the Little Red Hen invested natural, capital, and human resources to produce some delicious goods! The cat, dog, and mouse learned a hard lesson about incentives and opportunity costs. Using a reader’s theater format, kids will hear the story of “The Little Red Hen.” Students will use natural, capital, and human resources to plant wheat seeds to take home.

GLCE: 3-E1.0.1, 3-E1.0.2, 3-E1.0.4

LANDFORMS

Explore Earth! Students will use clay to sculpt mountains, valleys, plains, plateaus, and other major landforms. Investigate where on earth these landforms can be found and what forces help shape our world. Discover the many different landforms that are located in our state of Michigan.

GLCE: 3-G1.0.1, 3-G1.0.2

PIONEER JOURNEY

Students will travel back in time to the opening of the Erie Canal and learn how it led to a significant population growth in Michigan. Go on a journey with a pioneer family who is migrating from New York to the wilderness of Michigan through hands-on activities. Discover how pioneers had to make difficult decisions, and trek through the harsh landscape with few possessions.

GLCE: 3-H3.0.1, 3-H3.0.2, 3-H3.0.3, 3-H3.0.7, 3-G5.0.1, 3-G5.0.2

LUMBER CAMP

Explore how Michigan and the Great Lakes region was once the center of the American lumber industry. Examine how Flint and other Michigan cities used the abundance of trees and waterways to develop economic growth. Investigate life in a lumbering camp through primary and secondary sources. Discover how lumber barons used natural, human, and capital resources to make their businesses successful.

GLCE: 3-G4.0.2, 3-E1.0.3, 3-E1.0.4, 3-G5.0.1, 3-G5.0.2

ANISHINABEK: CONNECTING WITH THE LAND

Explore how the people of the Three Fires Confederacy (Ojibwe, Odawa, and Potawatomi) adapted to and used their environment and natural resources to meet their basic needs for survival. Investigate primary sources, visual evidence, artifacts, and replicas through hands-on activities in order to answer historical questions about daily life for the Anishinabek in the early history of Michigan.

GLCE: 3-H3.0.1, 3-H3.0.2, 3-H3.0.4, 3-H3.0.5, 3-G5.0.1, 3-G5.0.2, 3-G4.0.4

HISTORY DETECTIVES

Working in teams, uncover the history behind mysteriously abandoned artifacts from the past. Investigate each object using keen detective skills, historical thinking, visual evidence, and primary and secondary sources. Can you figure out what the mystery objects are?

GLCE: 3-H3.0.1, 3-H3.0.2, 3-H3.0.7

CATCH A WAVE

Energy moves in waves! Students will use duct tape, skewers, and modeling clay to build wave models that demonstrate how energy moves through matter. Students will explore mechanical waves, wave frequency, and amplitude.

NGSS: 4-PS4-1

EARTHQUAKE CONSTRUCTION

Engineering Challenge

Seismic waves move energy through the earth. Students will work in teams to engineer earthquake resistant towers. Students will test their designs on the earthquake shake table to see if they can survive the quake.

NGSS: 4-PS4-1, 4-ESS3-2

MARKER ROBOTS

Maker Project

Using markers, a battery, a motor, and a hot glue stick, students will build a simple robot that draws. Will it draw a circle? Dotted lines? You won’t know until you turn it on and let it go! Students will explore electrical circuits and the forces necessary to make their robots move.

NGSS: 4-PS3-2, 4-PS3-4

EYE DISSECTION

Students will explore the structure and function of an eye while learning how objects are seen when light reflects off the surface and enters the eye. Students will dissect a sheep eye.

NGSS: 4-PS4-2, 4-LS1-2

JITTER CRITTERS

Maker Project

Students will create their own vibrating critter using a battery and vibrating motor from a cell phone.

NGSS: 4-PS3-2, 4-PS3-4

FOSSIL SCIENCE

Make a plaster fossil model to take home and touch real fossils, while learning how fossils are formed and how the presence and types of fossils can provide clues to the formation of rock layers.

NGSS: 4-ESS1-1

AN EVER-CHANGING WORLD

Live Planetarium Program

Students will examine how the Earth can change from long- term processes such as erosion and tectonic drift to fast processes including deforestation, volcanos, and severe weather events. Satellite images and simulations will be used to show changes using real data from agencies such as NOAA and NASA.

NGSS: 4-ESS1-2, 4-ESS3-2

“TWO SMALL PIECES OF GLASS”

Full-Dome Feature Film*

Telescopes come in many different shapes and sizes. Students will learn about the different types of telescopes- including reflectors and refractors-the components that make them work and the types of objects that can be seen with a telescope.

*This full-dome feature includes a 20-minute star talk. Students will have an opportunity to ask questions and engage with an educator during this time

NGSS: 4-PS3-2, 4-PS4-2

HISTORY DETECTIVES

Working in teams, uncover the history behind mysteriously abandoned artifacts from the past. Investigate each object using keen detective skills, historical thinking, visual evidence, and primary and secondary sources. Can you figure out what the mystery objects are?

GLCE: 4-H3.0.4

LUMBER CAMP

Explore how Michigan and the Great Lakes region was once the center of the American lumber industry. Examine how Flint and other Michigan cities used the abundance of trees and waterways to develop economic growth. Investigate life in a lumbering camp through primary and secondary sources. Discover how lumber barons used natural, human, and capital resources to make their businesses successful.

GLCE: 4-H3.0.1

PHYSICAL & CHEMICAL CHANGES

Students will explore how matter changes, while observing changes in state of matter and making separating mixtures. Students will follow procedures and look for evidence of chemical changes, while measuring and mixing chemicals to create chemical reactions.

NGSS: 5-PS1-2

TRASH CART DERBY

Maker Project

Humans make tons of trash. Why not reuse some refuse and save it from the landfill? Use clean trashables and your engineering and design skills to build a trash cart to use in the Trash Cart Derby drag race. Investigate useful properties of materials, build and test axles and wheels, and explore how shapes affect motion in this fun and creative class.

NGSS: 5-ESS3-1

MYSTERY POWDER

Someone has spilled white powder in the Learning Lab. Students will use observation and a series of chemical tests to collect data on known powders and then compare that data to the unknown powder’s tests to identify it.

NGSS: 5-PS1-3

WATER FILTRATION

Engineering Challenge

Where does the water come from? Where does it go? Students will explore the hydrosphere as they clean dirty water with filtration systems that they design, build, and test.

NGSS: 5-ESS2-2

MOON PHASES & ECLIPSES

Students will make a glow-in-the- dark Moon phase book and an eclipse project, while exploring the motion of the Earth and Moon.

NGSS: 5-ESS1-2

“WE ARE STARS”

Full-Dome Feature Film

Where did it all come from? Students will learn about the evolution of the Universe from the earliest moments of the Big Bang to the beginnings of life on Earth. Other topics include the formation of stars, nuclear fusion in stars, and the creation of elements from fusion.

NGSS: 5-PS1-1, 5-ESS1-1

“STARS”

Full-Dome Feature Film

Stars focuses on the lives of stars, how they are born, what happens when they die, and how human understanding of the universe changes over time. Cultural connections to the stars are explored through Native American, Ancient Egyptian, and Ancient Greek connections. The history of the Solar System is discussed starting with Copernicus through Einstein.

NGSS: 5-ESS1-1

HISTORY DETECTIVES

Working in teams, uncover the history behind mysteriously abandoned artifacts from the past. Investigate each object using keen detective skills, historical thinking, visual evidence, and primary and secondary sources. Can you figure out what the mystery objects are?

GLCE: 5-U1.4.1

EYE DISSECTION

Students will explore the structure and function of an eye while learning how objects are seen when light reflects off a surface and enters the eye. Students will dissect a sheep eye.

NGSS: MS-LS1-8

TRASH CART DERBY

Maker Project

Humans make tons of trash. Why not reuse some refuse and save it from the landfill? Use clean trashables and your engineering and design skills to build a trash cart to use in the Trash Cart Derby drag race. Investigate useful properties of materials, build and test axle and wheels, and explore how shapes affect motion in this fun and creative class.

NGSS: MS-ESS3-3

“WE ARE STARS”

Full-Dome Feature Film

Where did it all come from? Students will learn about the evolution of the universe from the earliest moments of the Big Bang to the beginnings of Life on Earth. Other topics include the formation of stars, nuclear fusion in stars, and the creation of elements from fusion.

NGSS: MS-LS1-1, MS-LS1-3, MS-LS1-6, MS-PS1-1, MS- PS5-1, MS-ESS1-2, MS-ESS1-3

“DINOSAURS OF ANTARCTICA”

Full-Dome Feature Film

From the Permian through the Jurassic, journey to the south polar landscapes of Antarctica hundreds of millions of years ago. Roam the primitive forest and thick swamps with bizarre dinosaurs and colossal amphibians. Join Antarctic scientists on a quest to understand the ice continent’s profound transformation time.

NGSS: MS-ESS1-4, MS- ESS2-3, MS-ESS3-3, MS- ESS3-5, MS-LS4-1

BUILDING A BETTER TOMORROW

Live Planetarium Program

This program discusses the human impact on our world. The effects of resource consumption, pollution, and harmful emissions will be analyzed in a data driven process. Present and future solutions to minimize human impact will be explored on both an individual and global scale.

NGSS: MS-ESS3-3, MS-ESS3-4, MS- ESS5