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!

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!

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!

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!

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 fantastic, science-based fun! We mix Natural and Physical Sciences to give you a unique look into how the world works. 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 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 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!

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!

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!

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!

The classic egg drop experiment! Students are given credits to purchase materials to protect their egg from damage in freefall. Concepts in this workshop range from gravity to economics.  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!

Students are immersed in the intriguing world of forensics as they work together to solve a mock crime.  Register today!

Take a look at surface tension in this interactive, bubble adventure. Students will learn how to make and measure different bubbles.  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!

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

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!