Education Programs at the Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum

Young children explore science and music through pitch, tempo, beat and dynamics and learn how these blend to create music. Register today!

Learn about magnets as we sort materials into magnetic and non-magnetic groups. Explore whether all metals are magnetic, make magnets attract and repel, even get them to float in mid-air! Register today!

Explore light and optics as we learn how light travels, the difference between reflection and refraction. Discover what color light really is using flashlights, lenses, special glasses and more. Register today!

Look beyond the four stages of the water cycle and get a first-hand look at the many paths of a water molecule. Where does the rain come from and where does it go after it hits the ground? With activities and movement, students begin to answer these and other questions about water. Register today!

Students will be “wired” after this electrifying introduction to circuits. Explore the two types of circuits and the parts that make them work. Build a burglar alarm and more with our safe, interlocking electronic components. Register today!

Investigate how the eye works by dissecting a real cow eye. Students connect the functions observed to the structures within the eye. Register today!

Invite the whole school to an evening of interactive, math and engineering fun! Family members can work together or compete with each other to be the math and engineering champion! You provide 20 volunteers and we’ll fill 20 of your tables with creative hands-on activities. Educators and families love this casual, self-directed evening of fun science activities. All activities are linked to the Michigan Science Standards. Discount coupons for a visit to the Museum for all participants! Register today!

Invite the whole school to an evening of fantastic, STEM-based fun and see why this is our most popular program. We offer you a wide range of science, technology, engineering, and math activities. We even have a STEM for middle school audiences. 

Meld your science and literacy curriculum together with this new Premium Family Night! We'll bring a series of interactive, dynamic activities that can serve your whole school population. To integrate writing and literacy, students will also receive an Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum pencil and Scientist Journal with writing prompts that will link to each of the twenty science and math-centered activities. Students will be able to take these journals home with them or use them in the classroom to extend their Family Night Experience long after we leave. 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!

What’s the smallest thing you can think of?  We’ll learn about the science of the teeny tiny with activities that discuss scale, nano in nature and nanotechnology. Register today!

Now your littlest students can explore the wonders of the universe. You choose two activities from our selection to explore as a class. Register today!

Study the lives of seeds, frogs and insects in this dynamic workshop. We’ll identify the stages of the life cycle using live beetles, start seeds and discover the order of different kinds of life cycles. 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!

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!

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!

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

Look beyond the four stages of the water cycle and get a first-hand look at the many paths of a water molecule. Where does the rain come from and where does it go after it hits the ground? With activities and movement, students begin to answer many questions about water.  Register today!

Experience the alien world of arthropods through this special, interactive workshop. Fun activities and lively demonstrations give students a first-hand look at insects, arachnids and more with plenty to touch!  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!

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!

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

We’ll showcase interactive, try-this-at-home activities in an auditorium setting. We’ll also bring along a few demonstrations involving dry ice and liquid nitrogen!  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!

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!

Students will learn about animal adaptations to extreme weather with hands-on experiments and even take a virtual trip to Antarctica. Join us as we learn how animals such as penguins live and have babies during extreme weather.    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!