Education Programs at the Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum

How many? What’s a bit? How big? Will it fit? Learn to make estimates about the world around you in this lab. You don’t always have to be exact to be correct. Register today!

Engineer your way through multiple problems. Design solutions while you experience the engineering process through questioning, planning, building, testing, and analyzing your creation. Register today!

Investigate the states of matter by measuring and mixing ingredients for two types of slime. Is it a solid, a liquid or something in between? Use your senses to find out and get ready to get messy! Register today!

Push and pull your way through an exploration of force and simple machines. We’ll learn the golden rule of simple machines and explore how levers and inclined planes can make your work easier! Register today!

Discover the energy in sound waves and make waves that travel through different states of matter. Listen for pitch and frequency, and discover the amazing physics of sound. Register today!

Students will experiment with momentum, kinetic and potential energy by building roller coasters in teams. Let the forces of physics take you for a ride! Register today!

Discover how wind can be harnessed to produce electricity and build a working wind turbine! Explore the transformation of energy between kinetic, potential, mechanical, and electrical. Register today!

Mix your way to new states of matter, heat things up with an exothermic reaction, and discover the difference between chemical and physical change. Register today!

Invite the whole school to an evening of intriguing, technology-based fun! Learn how a 3D printer works! Make your own stop motion animation film! Explore our 10 technology themed activities in this program. Educators and families love this casual, self-directed evening of fun and learning. All activities are linked to the Michigan Science Standards. Discount coupons for a visit to the Museum for all participants! Register today!

Get your preschoolers engaged in science. This collection of 15 activities is great for the youngest of scientists. Activities include measurement, animal adaptations, mixing colors, magnets and more.  Register today!

Invite the whole school to an evening of fantastic, STEM-based fun and see why this is such a popular program. Make a mini wind mill and test out its power! Want to know how windy it is in your neighborhood? Make your own anemometer and take it home to test! Register today!

All we see and hear come together as one in this workshop. Discover the similarities between sound and light.  Register today!

Have you ever wondered how many footsteps tall you are? Using the story Inch by Inch by Leo Lionni, your preschoolers will explore measurement using silly objects. We’ll discover how big, long, short, and small objects in the world around us are. Each 30-minute workshop will include an interactive story-time, an explorative hands-on activity, and group reflection time. Register today!

We’ll take a look at actual fossils and find clues hidden within that will help us learn something about life millions of years ago. Students will get to invent their own prehistoric animals, follow along in the story of fossilization, and learn about our planet’s various biologic and geologic processes.  Register today!

You provide the floor space and we’ll provide the excitement and learning. What better way to learn about the physics of energy, force and motion than through hands-on science?  Register today!

Awaken the chemist in you. Students explore states of matter and what happens when you go between them. They’ll learn the difference between a physical and a chemical change.  Register today!

Introduces information on the principles of electricity and circuits. Test these principles by using interlocking components to build your own circuits.  Register today!

Learn all about flying in this aerodynamic workshop! Participants will make a variety of airborne toys and explore the physics of flight.  Register today!

Use magnets to perform tasks and learn basic magnet vocabulary. Explore how magnets work and how we use them in our daily lives.  Register today!

The program begins with an astronomy "orientation" that features lively demonstrations to illustrate the concepts that are important to understanding the study of the stars and ends inside our portable, inflatable planetarium known as StarLab.  Register today!

Not a single machine ever designed can hold a candle up to the complexity and elegance of the human body. In this workshop, students will learn all about how this complex machine actually works.  Register today!

Explore the different properties of sound. Experiment with waves and vibration. How does sound travel through different substances? Test out your hypotheses!  Register today!

Shed a new light on science in this interactive workshop. Learn how to use the scientific method to explore what we know about the nature of light.  Register today!

Includes activities from biology, ecology, physics, chemistry, math. We can customize this to fit your needs.  Register today!

Ever wonder why you can smell, hear, taste, see, and feel? Come find out how your senses help you to discover the world around you. Students will explore their senses with 5 hands-on activities. Register today!

Can you catch the wind? Discover how wind is harnessed and transformed electricity! In this workshop students will build a hand turbine and anemometer to help understand effective design for wind power generators. Topics covered include potential and kinetic energy, electrical energy and energy transformation. Register today!

We will explore our smoky cauldron and mysterious concoctions as we make two types of slime with students. Younger students use their slime to investigate three states of matter. Older students investigate the properties of polymers. Gooey concoctions are perfect for Halloween fun!    Award-winning program! Register today!

Our most popular program goes PRESCHOOL! We talk about using your senses, making observations and Solids, Liquids and Gasses in this fun program for PreK students. Make one slime on camera with our educators, and we'll send you the supplies needed for a second slime sensory bin and further exploration.   Award-winning program!   Register today!

Together we’ll take a look at actual fossils and discuss how you can find the clues that they hide and how to interpret their stories that unfolded millions of years ago. Invent your own prehistoric animals, follow along in the story of fossilization, and discuss fossil finds like real paleontologists.    Award-winning program! Register today!

Get up close to owls as an avian expert from Leslie Science & Nature Center (Ann Arbor, MI) uses live birds to compare and contrast the characteristics of different owl species. Learn how owls have adapted to a predatory way of life. Dissect real owl pellets to investigate the diet of a barn owl. Learn about food chains and the role of avian predators in an ecosystem. Gain an introduction to skeletal anatomy and prey identification.    Award-winning program! Register today!