Education Programs at the Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum

Ever wanted to create your own play dough? Not sure what ingredients to use? Join Program Manager Cristina Tamer as she takes you through the kitchen science behind making your own play dough!

Is it a solid, liquid or a gas? Get an introduction to the three states of matter through the use of SLIME! Learn how to make one type of slime using glue and borax solution.

Adapted from NISEnet’s activity “Imagining Life”, Life on Earth comes in many different forms. Kids will be encouraged to take a walk and observe local wildlife and think about the questions: What would life look like on another planet? What adaptations would be needed to survive?

Understand the adaptations plants possess for their seeds to spread, thrive, and grow. Program Manager Andrea Reynold takes you through some common adaptations, as well as a way to make your own seed helicopter right at home!

Magnets are all around us, but how do they work? We’ll challenge each other to find magnetic and non-magnetic materials, talk about magnet strength, and find ways we can study magnetism right at home.

Have you ever wondered how lava lamps work? Want to make one of your very own? Learn how to make your own lava lamp using simple materials at home, all while exploring the science behind the chemical reactions that make the lava inside the lamp move!

Get outdoors with this fun scavenger hunt! View PDF here.

Every year, waves of butterflies make the perilous journey south for the winter. With this game, you can try your hand at surviving some of the challenges these butterflies face! Grab a dice, a sticker, and a space outdoors to play the Monarch migration game! View PDF here.

We get a lot of resources from rainforests all over the world. Can you find items in your house that might have come from a rainforest? View PDF here.

Which ones will sink and which ones will float? Will they sink quickly or float down gently? Will the floaters stay floating the whole time? Why do you think that? View PDF here.

Find as many items as you can as you explore your local ecosystem. View PDF here.

Can you think of any plants or animals on Earth that live in extreme environments? Learn all about extremeophiles as you imagine your very own world and the life that could live there. View PDF here.

Learn about constellations and stars with this easy and fun activity. View PDF here.

Bat Biology Echolocation Activity for 4th Grade. View PDF here.

Students will create adaptations for each stage of an animal’s life cycle in order to give it the ability to survive in a new habitat. View PDF here.

Extension Activities for Kindergarten Forces and Motion. View PDF here.

Extension Activities for 4th Grade Sound Energy. View PDF here.

List of Video Resources for teachers. 

Learn all about Kenyan Sand Boas. View PDF here.

Learn all about Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches. View PDF here.

Can you see a sound? Smell a color? Come play with us as we explore sight, sound, smell and touch! Register today!

Make magnets float in mid-air while testing their ability to attract and repel each other! Students learn all about magnetism by using a variety of materials to explore and design. Register today!

Students will use tools such as lenses, flashlights and mirrors to investigate how light travels. Several interactive activities make up this exploration! Register today!

Look Beyond the four stages of the water cycle. Engage in experiments and become a water drop as you experience the many paths of a water molecule. Register today!

Investigate series and parallel circuits as well as the parts that make them work. Students get to design their own alarm and much more with our safe, interlocking electronic components. Register today!

Dissect a real cow eye to investigate the inner workings of eyes! Students will be able to make connections to eye structure through this hands-on exploration. Register today!

Is it a solid, liquid, gas, or something even spookier? Make two kinds of slime as we investigate the states of matter.   Award-winning program! Register today!

Meet up to three live bats with the Leslie Science & Nature Center! Join in as we take an up close look into the wondrous world of bats! Explore what makes bats so unique, why they're important across the globe and try your hand at being an expert echo-locator using a simple tool to understand sound! Register today!

Together with the Leslie Science & Nature Center, we will create a food chain using LIVE animals (hawk/owl, snake, frog, spider and roach). Along the way we will discuss how they survive in the wild. Register today!

Take a look at actual fossils, discover the clues that they hide, and learn how to interpret their stories which unfolded millions of years ago.   Award-winning program! Register today!