KID Museum field trips feature maker activities geared towards elementary and middle school-aged students. Our hands-on STEM activities encourage creativity and critical thinking, and give students the opportunity to work collaboratively, take risks, and solve problems together. Our programming is differentiated for each grade level and customized to a group’s specific needs. We offer three field trip options: Explorer Program, Workshops, and Invention Studio.
To schedule a visit or to find out more about our programs, please contact Laurel Harrington, School Visit Coordinator, with the following information:
- Program preference
- Size of group
- Grade/age of students
- Available dates and times
Explorer Program
Our 90 minute Explorer Program is a sample or introduction to our programs. Students rotate between three separate activities which are facilitated by our staff. Activity options include:
WIND TUBES
Create a flying machine and test it in a wind tube. Predict and observe how your creation will fly, and change flight patterns by altering materials, shape, size, and weight.
CIRCUITS
Experiment with circuits by connecting power to lights, buzzers and fans. Add switches and multiple outputs and experiment with serial and parallel circuits.
DRAWBOTS
Build machines that scribble and draw using motors, circuits and everyday materials. Discover how changing the structure, or the position of the motor, will cause it to draw in different ways.
PING
Connect clear tubes to send your messages on a winding path (and overhead) using wind power. This activity relates to force and motion and encourages team work, collaboration, and problem solving. No cell phone contract required.
PIPE DREAM
Send a sphere from here to there using only gravity. Build an over-sized course using pipes, elbows, hoses and couplers in this freeform ball and tube challenge. This activity relates to force and motion and encourages team work, collaboration, and problem solving.
Workshops
Our 90-minute workshops focus on one topic and relate to concepts of design, engineering, electronics or coding. Please contact us for a current listing of available workshops. If you are looking for a full day of programming, you can choose a morning and an afternoon workshop or you can pair our Explorer program with a workshop.
Invention Studio
In this program, middle school students participate in an engaging, multi-session, project-based learning experience. Over a series of six visits, students work in small groups to develop
basic competency in four key content areas:
- Electronics & Analog Circuits
- Kinetics & Mechanical Engineering
- Woodshop Hand & Power Tools
- Microcontrollers
Invention Studio culminates in a ceremony where students present their inventions to family, friends, and museum visitors.
In past years, students have built wind-powered cell phone chargers, designed their own flashlights, programmed their own robots, and created original digital musical compositions.