Education Programs at the Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum

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!

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?

What are fossils? Where can you find them? Learn answers to these questions while we show off some cool fossils of our own!

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.

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.

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.

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.

Join us with your family, Pod or homeschool for fun outdoor STEM and nature family activities!

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!

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!

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!

Explore the three states of matter by making two types of slime. Get up and moving to determine what state your matter is in!   Award-winning program!   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!

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!