Education Programs at the Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum

How well does our brain process different information at once? How about information that has no relation to each other? Join Senior Program Manager Andrea Reynolds as she takes you the steps of a Stroop Test, and see how these different exercises test how our brain processes different information!

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!

Ever wonder how you can be more sustainable to help keep our earth healthy? Recycling is a great first step! Learn the basics of what it takes to become a recycling expert.

The Scientific Method is a simple, step-by step process on how scientists can best answer their questions or spark curiosity. What better way to learn about this process than through studying wildlife like snakes? Let’s go over the six basic steps to the scientific method, all while learning about a specific animal and where they are found.

Learn about the interaction of living things through an introduction to food chains! Program Manager, Lannis Smith, takes you through what an example food chain could look like, and then challenges you to create your own using different living things found in nature!

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!

See if you can find all of these birds in your backyard! View PDF here.

Get outdoors and learn more about Spring with this fun scavenger hunt. View PDF here.

Use this scavenger hunt to find pollinators and the host plants that they're attracted to! View PDF here.

A nebula is a large cloud of gas and dust in space. It can be created by a dying star (such as a supernova) and is also where new stars are born. Learn how to make your own nebula using a salad spinner! View PDF here.

Learn about camouflage as you create your own snake with home made play dough. View our DIY Play Dough recipe here. View PDF here. 

Learn how to create your own leaf and bark rubbings and learn about the way scientists classify leaves. View PDF here and click "More Information" for examples.

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.

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.

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

Experience live, interactive Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum programs right in your classroom! Our educators use videoconferencing technology to share science and nature activities with your students, engaging them in a dynamic, hands-on learning experience.

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

Is it a solid, a liquid, or a gas? Investigate the three states of matter by measuring and mixing ingredients for two types of slime. Students are encouraged to dive hands-first into this interactive lab! Register today!

Push and pull your way through this experiment! Discover how force affects motion and how simple machines make our lives easier. 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!

Someone has broken into the Museum van and stolen a laptop! Become Museum detectives and use forensic science to analyze evidence and crack the case. Register today!

Leslie Science & Nature Center joins us with LIVE reptiles in our lab as we explore what makes a reptile a reptile. Feel the snake or lizard skin specimens we send you while you learn the adaptations that make these animals so successful in the wild. 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!

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!