Hands-On Workshops

Explore the science of physics, engineering and architecture. Students will plan, build and test structures as they participate in a variety of engineering challenges using ROK blocks.

Explore the “ins and outs” of the body's many systems as they work together to help us do everything from basic everyday functions to some amazing feats! 

Take an intimate look at the indicators of a chemical change in this inquiry-based investigation of the properties of matter.

Students will experiment with radiant energy and the concept of refraction to develop a lighting system made out of recycled materials.

Use an inquiry-based approach to understand the relationship between electricity and magnetism. Shocking experiments illuminate this challenging subject.

What is energy? Students investigate several different forms of energy, including light, sound, electrical, chemical, and thermal energy.

Students will work in groups as they experience what it is like to be an engineer. They will plan, build, and test solutions to a unique challenge as they explore the scientific method and engineering process.

This hands-on program introduces students to friction, forces, and the laws of motion. After experimenting with parachutes, students design and build roller coasters to investigate the fundamental laws of physics.

Have fun with physics in this fast-paced workshop. Using roller coasters and parachutes, students explore motion, unbalanced forces, friction, velocity, and more.

In this “mysterious” program, students use chemistry, physics and observation skills to piece together evidence and crack the case. They learn how to classify mysterious powders, calculate the pH of soils, and perform chromatography to separate pigments.

Students sharpen their observation skills while exploring why animals live in different habitats. Students will investigate a terrarium, learn about adaptations and learn about how animals use their habitats to survive.

Why do some insects hop and others buzz? Explore camouflage, life cycles and more in this program devoted to the incredible world of insects. A visit from a live insect ambassador is included!

Ugh! What’s that smell? Students will hear, see, smell, taste, and touch their way through this multi-sensory workshop.

Students will work together to build a spacecraft to take them to Mars, then complete several experiments to learn more about our neighboring Red Planet.

Learn fascinating information about our neighboring planets and discover why our solar system is so unique with these out-of-this-world activities.

In this inventive workshop, students encounter simple machines in everyday life and learn how they work. They use levers, wheels, screws, pulleys, and more to solve tasks and create gadgets.

Explore the fundamentals of radiant energy. Students learn how the sun heats the Earth and then compete in a solar design challenge. A great complement to our exhibition “So WATT! An Illuminating Look at Energy.”

Investigate the many ways of making sound and discover how it travels through different substances. Experiment with waves, explore vibrations, and make an imaginative musical instrument.

Explore the wonderful states of matter as students discover how liquids turn into solids, solids into liquids, liquids into gas and even solids into gas! After the students explore the relationships between the states of matter, our educator will present an out-of-this-world demonstration!

Genes play an important role in the makeup of all living things. In this humorous approach to genetics, students will use superheroes to discover the fundamental aspects of heredity, including alleles, dominance, phenotypes, genotypes, and mutations.

Students take on the role of meteorologists to discover what makes the weather. They’ll explore why weather changes and then create instruments to measure it.