Color Mixing
Grades Pre-K and up — 30-45 min
Nothing is more fun for beginning scientists than blending and making things change before their eyes. This lab is all about colors, mixing, pouring, and analysis. Students will get to do their own filling, pouring, and mixing as we start with the primary colors and create the full rainbow spectrum.
Density Tubes/Lava Tubes
Grades Pre-K and up — 30-45 min
Density is a hard idea to grasp, until you see it in action. We use oil and water to make our own lava lamps. Sealing baby soda bottles, oil, water, and color tabs make this lab colorful and safe. Students can do almost all of it entirely on their own, with a little help from adults.
Slime
Grades K and up — 45 -60 min
Mixing, measuring, and following instructions are foundational parts of chemistry. Students can start to learn these skills (and have some ‘gross’ fun) by making slime. This glue/borax slime is guaranteed to be a hit with all ages.
Grass Heads
Grades 2nd and up — 45min+
Dig into biology with this hands-on lab focusing on plants. Each student will make a personalized “head” that grows grass for hair. The fun will continue at home as the students take care of the plant and watch the grass grow into hair.
Stomp Rockets
Grades 2nd and up –60 min+
Learn about beginning rocketry as we build and launch these simple cardstock rockets. Students will decorate and LAUNCH their rockets, watching the fun fly! After the lab, ask about plans for the launch pad to keep the fun going!
Soda Can Catapult
Grades 3rd and up — 45-60 min
Construct a soda can and rubber band resistance catapult. Students will learn to follow instructions and engineering as they build these old-fashioned war machines. Afterwards participants divide into warring parties and battle it out!
Dino Excavators
Grades Pre-K and up — 30-45 min
Dinosaurs or more specifically their fossils have been fascinating people for years. In this lab, students get to dig their own “dinosaur” out of a baking soda block using vinegar and a popsicle stick. They get to be a paleontologist as they find their own dinosaur that they get to take home.
Glitter Blood
Grades 3rd and up — 30-45 min
Blood, our bodies’ life force is a very interesting fluid. In this lab, we will dissect and discuss the different parts and kinds of blood. For those who are squeamish, no real blood will be spilled in the making of this lab, we will use glitter instead.
Flashlights
Grades 3rd and up — 45-60 min
Basic circuitry can be very simple; power source, LED, and conductor, all built in a closed circle-flowing path. With this lab, students will make a working flashlight out of a popsicle stick, button battery, tin foil or conductive tape, and other office supplies. This is a simple way to see the way a circuit works!
Owl Pellet Dissection
Grades 3rd and up –30-45 min
What are owl pellets? They are the regurgitated remains of an owl’s meal, including all the bones of the animals it ate (usually small rodents). Owls usually swallow their food whole, digest the edible parts, and then expel the indigestible parts through their mouth as a pellet. It might sound gross, but dissecting these is a project most kids love!
Mallonaut Spacesuit Building
Grades 4th and up — 45-60+min
We have a piece of an actual NASA spacesuit; the different layers are imperative to keep astronauts safe in space. With this lab, we will discuss space, vacuums, and spacesuits. Students will then create spacesuits to keep our marshmallow astronauts safe from a vacuum.
Spectroscopes
Grades 4th and up — 45-60 min
How can scientists identify the composition of a star — or the gas inside of a street light — by looking at its light? In this lab, we’ll build a spectroscope, a device that breaks up light into component colors. Students examine at least two “stars” to see if they can determine the elements that make them shine.
Marble Machines
Grades 4th and up — 60+ min
Students will get to build marble-powered computers using the puzzle book as their guide as a way to discover and see how computers work on the inside. This lab has several different levels that increase in complexity with each level the students successfully solve. Limit of 30 students.
DNA
Grades 5th and up — 45-60 min
What is DNA? Where is DNA? We will discuss this and harvest our own. No blood, don’t worry…but there is a little spit and elbow grease involved. We will use common household items to pull DNA from our dead cheek cells. Students even get to keep small vials of their DNA.
Owl Eyesight Lab
Grades 1st-3rd — 30-45 min
Did you know that owls have unique eyes? They have something called binocular vision. No wonder they have to turn their heads almost completely around to see the world around them. This unique owl eyesight keeps them from seeing well from side to side. In this lab, students make an owl mask and use it so they can see and understand how binocular vision works.
Nest Engineering Lab
Two Options: 30-45 min
Raptors are expert nest engineers and they make their nests out of lots of different materials. Their ability to build nests that support and protect their eggs and young is an adaptation that has helped them survive and thrive within their habitats.
Option #1 (K – 3rd) In this lab, students build a nest that can protect their eggs. Just like real birds, you can use a combination of natural and man-made materials to build your nest that are provided.
Option #2 (4th and up) In this lab option, students get to test their nests to see if they can safely catch an egg.