Education Programs at the Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum

Come explore the science behind music! Kids will interact with pitch, tempo, and volume to learn how music is created. 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!

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!

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!

Stick with us as we explore the golden rule of magnets, sort through what materials are magnetic or non-magnetic, and even make a magnet float in mid-air. Register today!

Using the story Balancing Act by Ellen Stoll Walsh, students will use levers and fulcrums to see if they can find the perfect balance. Each 30-minute workshop will include an interactive story-time, an explorative hands-on activity, and group reflection time. Register today!

Using the story The Wind Blew by Pat Hutchins, students will learn how wind can move objects through the air. We’ll design and engineer our own wind socks to help tell which direction the wind is blowing. Each workshop will include an interactive story time, an explorative hands-on activity, and group reflection time. Register today!

Explore the wonders of space with a workshop that is out of this world! We will work on their engineering skills as we build our own paper rockets to launch across the classroom, then we'll emphasize the A in STEAM to imagine and paint our own planets and the creatures who might live there. Register today!

Shed new light on science as we discover how light travels, reflects, and refracts through the world. Register today!

We’ll take a look at actual fossils and learn about life millions of years ago. Students will get to invent their own prehistoric animals, follow along in the story of fossilization, and learn about how a paleontologist pieces together the clues hidden among the fossil record.Register today!

Push and pull your way through an exploration of force and simple machines as we explore how levers and inclined planes can make your work easier. Register today!

Is it a solid? A liquid? A gas? Your students will discover the properties of each state of matter by making our ooey, gooey slime. We’ll also discuss how molecules look and act when changing between states of matter. Students will get to take home their slime as well as a recipe to make it again at home. Register today!

We'll use science to brush up on our logical thinking and problem solving skills as students are immersed in the intriguing world of forensics. They'll need to work together to solve our mock crime. 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!

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!

Let’s take a virtual trip to Antarctica! Touch “blubber,” feathers and more as we learn how animals adapt to extreme weather.   Award-winning program! Register today!

It’s the fraction game show! Find out how much you know about fractions by becoming a game show contestant—can you survive three rounds of fraction challenges?   Award-winning program! Register today!