Our Grades K-6th Workshop Themes

Specific take-home items subject to availablity.

Watts-Up

Charge up on static electricity! Make indoor lightning and conduct hair-raising experiments with our electro-static generator. Major Concepts: Electricity, lighting, electrons, static

Magnetic Magic

Explore the power of magnets! Control a compass needle. See a magnetic accelerator in action. Major Concepts: polarity, magnetic field, magnetizing

Optical Illusions

Work against your eyes! Trick your brain with lines and coils. Discover how mirrors and their reflections can play tricks on what you see. Try to touch a mirage. Major Concepts: types of mirrors, perspective, eye-brain connection

Lights ... Color... Action!

Celebrate the science of color! Split your name in ink and reveal numbers with color filters. Major Concepts: visible spectrum, absorption vs. reflection

Mission: Nutrition

Step into some healthy habits! Put together a food pie and lay out a perfectly proportioned meal. See how much energy burning calories can give you. Major Concepts: main food groups, healthy eating, portion sizes, digestion

Sonic Sounds

Uncover the source of sound! Tap into sound wave transmission and fill your ears with vibrations. Create a story with sound effects and change the pitch of your voice. Major Concepts: sound waves, vibrations

Harnessing Heat

Take on temperature! Shake up a storm and see how friction creates heat. Witness an underwater volcano and experiment with thermometers. Major Concepts: Friction, thermometers, molecular movement

Space Travel

Learn what it takes to be a true globetrotter! Race a rocket and design your own car engine as you learn about thrust. See the principles of propulsion at work in a real rocket launch! Major Concepts: Laws of motion, rockets, propulsion

Atmosphere & Beyond

We’re on a mission to explore the atmosphere on Earth, and beyond! Travel to the end of the rainbow and make a sunset. Mix up various planetary atmospheres, one molecule at a time. Major Concepts: air, planets, differences between planetary make-up, particles

Sun & Stars

This stellar program leads you through the life cycles of the stars! Learn about our star; the sun, and see stardust form. Major Concepts: stars, constellations, galaxies

Rocket Science

This is your chance to be a rocket scientist! Investigate the four forces of flight as you race through space. Explore the science involved in rocket construction as you build and take home your own Mad Science® Skyblazer Rocket! (This program has additional fees.) Major Concepts: rocket parts

Planets & Moons

Explore the farthest reaches of our solar system and create a lunar eclipse on our home planet. See the size difference between the Earth and its moon. Major Concepts: planets size, orbits, distance of planets, eclipse

Space Phenomena

Probe the mysteries of meteors and bounce around satellite light in this phenomenal program on space events. Major Concepts: comets, meteors, satellites

Living in Space

Experience the life of an astronaut as you suit up for space flight! Use teamwork to complete an important space mission and build a model space station. Major Concepts: Cooperation, micro-gravity, space temperature

Space Technology

Discover technology that’s out of this world! Steer a laser beam through a laser maze, and discover everyday objects originally designed for use in space! Major Concepts: Properties of light, lasers, radars

Che-mystery

Children discover the mysterious wonders of chemical science. They learn the difference between physical and chemical changes through exciting, hands-on experiments. Major Concepts: Physical vs. chemical change, pH, chemical reactions

"Current" Events

Children investigate conductors, insulators, and other elements in the world of circuit electricity. They connect with circuits and discover the wonders of technology! Major Concepts: series and parallel circuits, movement of electrons

Fun-damental Forces

Kids find out about forces by doing experiments on gravity, centripetal force, and inertia. They check out a gyroscope, a bike wheel, and do a few balancing tricks to discover how forces affect motion. Major Concepts: gravity, inertia, centripetal force, precession

Science of Magic

Children discover the magic of science and learn the science behind some well-known magic tricks! They untangle Houdini's chains and learn how mirrors and optics can make things disappear. Major Concepts: Careful observation

Fantastic Fliers

Children discover how the four forces of flight help things soar into the sky. They build all kinds of paper aircraft to help them understand in a tangible, hands-on way! Major Concepts: lift, gravity, thrust, drag, different types of flight, high and low pressure, flight

Super Structures

Kids test out the basics of architectural design and structural engineering in this hands-on class about structures. They explore how triangles, arches, and bridges give strength to structures. Major Concepts: tension, torsion, compression, bending, arches, architecture, triangles, cylinders

Under Pressure

Kids discover how Bernoulli's principle can keep things in the air and how air pressure can be used to move things. Major Concepts: Bernoulli, high and low pressure, balance of pressure

Wacky Water

Children explore the amazing properties of water – density, solvency and surface tension – in this hands-on look at how water works. Major Concepts: ocean current circulation, protecting environments, density

Bugs!

Kids engross themselves in entomology! They inspect authentic insect specimens. They update their insect anatomy know-how and match up insects with their habitats. Major Concepts: characteristics of insects, adaptations to environments, camouflage

Detective Science

Kids play detective and help crack a case! They inspect fingerprints, mystery powders, ink samples, and DNA. Then, they create a composite from memory. Major Concepts: Observation, comparing samples, identifying characteristics

Earthworks

Kids dig into Earth Science! They uncover rock samples and discover how they formed. They inspect fluorescing minerals, model the moving plates that cause bends and breaks, and learn how sediment stacks. Major Concepts: geology, types of rocks, rock cycle, tectonic plates, earthquakes, volcanoes

Kitchen Chemistry

Kids cook up a chemical reaction! They blow up a balloon using yeast and go on a nutrient hunt. They act out digestion from start to finish and get a glimpse of their guts in action. Major Concepts: digestion, chemical change

Mad Machines

Kids see how simple machines lighten their load! They launch with levers, secure with screws, and work with wedges. Then, they use pulleys to move heavy objects with ease. Major Concepts: simple machines

Movie Effects

Kids discover why science is the real star on the big screen. They create cool sound effects and toy with 3-D technology. They make motion pictures come alive and sketch a short feature. Major Concepts: 3-D, special effects, sound effects, fast moving pictures

Science of Toys

What makes toys work? Kids learn about motorized toys and take a spin with kinetic tops. They balance a bird to reveal its center of gravity. Major Concepts: gravity, balance, magnets, kinetic and potential energy

Walloping Weather

Kids get weather wise and a uncover the reason for seasons. They create three-day weather forecasts, stage statistically-charged indoor storms, and spot the sun’s invisible UV rays. Major Concepts: rain, lightning, weather monitoring, water cycle

Lab Works

Kids experience what it's like to be real Mad Scientists in this whirlwind class on how a lab works! They learn to manipulate laboratory equipment and practice using it. Major Concepts: lab equipment usage and terminology

Junior Reactors

Children create a tiny world of atoms! They learn to recognize chemical reactions and mix up a few reactive ingredients for some sensations results. Major Concepts: chemical reactions

pH Phactor

Kids slide down the colorful pH scale and dip into the world of acids and bases! They explore pH extremes and discover whether liquids found in their homes are acids or bases using pH paper! Major Concepts: acids and bases, pH

Slime Time

Kids ooze into a gooey hour of sliming around! They create slime using the Mad Science recipe and test its properties in the Slime Olympics! They get to take home their own concoction of Mad Science Slime! Major Concepts: polymers, testing different combinations of materials, cross-links.

Chem in a Flash

Children hop on board the chemistry express for a high-speed science experience! They perform instantaneous experiments in this fast-paced class about split-second reactions that go like mad! Major Concepts: Chemical reactions

Glow Show

Students discover amazing things that glow bright in the dark! They probe the properties of light and explore some unusual application of glow-in-the-dark technology! They learn to make secret messages that only they can see! Major Concepts: florescence, UV light

Super Sticky Stuff

Kids stick it to the walls and push the power of tape to the limits in this hour-long class on things that cling! They build a bond with glue and learn about the properties of different adhesives! Major Concepts: adhesives, fair test

Dry Ice Capades

Students manipulate matter in all of its three states! They watch metal become a liquid using boiling water and see water become a solid as it comes into contact with dry ice. Coolest of all, they get to learn about dry ice's ability to sublimate - go straight from a solid to a gas! Major Concepts: states of matter, carbon dioxide

All about Animals

Children go beyond feathers, fins, and fur to find out more about the habitats, anatomy, and life cycles of amazing creatures. They experiment with camouflage and learn to identify and imitate sounds that animals make. Major Concepts: habitats, adaptations, life cycle

Life in the Sea

Children learn about the vast range of life found in the sea - from plankton to sponges to whales! They learn how living things are adapted to their ocean habitats and find out what humans can do to protect ocean life. Major Concepts: types of ocean animals, ocean habitats

Energy Burst!

Children experiment with potential and kinetic energy as hopping and spinning toys pop, jump, and flip. They also will learn about the potential of stored energy in wind-up gadgets. Major Concepts: kinetic and potential energy

Get Connected

Children take on telecommunications! They chat over cables, link to a network and work with radio signals. They learn about the technology developed to allow for long-distance communication and investigate the electromagnetic spectrum. Major Concepts: telecommunication

Mix It Up

Children shake up solutions and make mixtures with common household elements. They learn about the different types of mixtures and how to separate solutions. Children explore filtering technology and follow a color-changing experiment to see how useful suspensions can be. Children also try out the tools and techniques of mixture sorting. Major Concepts: Mixtures and Solutions

Moving Motion

Children learn all about the forces behind the movement of plains trains, and automobiles. They explore Newton's laws of motion and get a feel for frictions, inertia, and gravity. They see how mass effects movement and try out some physics tricks! Major Concepts: laws of motion

Radical Robots

Children explore how robots make our lives easier. They program a robot to move through an obstacle course and then control and automaton through sound and light. Major Concepts: robotics

Super Power Sources

Children check out power generation using both mechanical force and chemical reactions. They turn on light bulbs and fans, find out what makes a battery work. They learn about renewable and non-renewable energy sources and just how much effort it takes to power machines. Major Concepts: alternative energy sources, batteries----Not available 2026-2027

Go Green!

This workshop was created for Earth Day programs in schools for grades K-6 as it features the science behind the 3 R’s – reduce, reuse and recycle. Students learn about the harmfulness of littering and how long it takes garbage to decompose. Major Concepts: recycling, littering, decomposition, trash

Scientific Method

This is a special 90 minute workshop (call for prices) that introduces students to the common methodology used by scientists to formulate questions, make predictions, develop and perform experiments, collect and analyze data and draw conclusion. Students will be presented with a problem and asked to develop their own ideas to formulate a solution, make predictions, and test their solutions.

Exploring Ecosystems

Students investigate the interconnections present in nature. They build ecosystem models, explore the elements of energy webs, reflect on how humans impact ecosystems, and use field journals for everyday explorations, and more. Grades 3rd-6th

Mineral Mania

Students recreate the process of rock formation and devise ways to identify and classify rocks and minerals. They experience the thrill of panning for gems; the gems they find, they can take home for further study and investigation. Recommended for 3rd-5th grade only.

Dinosaurs

Kids examine fossil casts and explore the differences in the teeth of herbivorous and carnivorous dinosaurs. Students participate in a mini dinosaur excavation and make a cast of a dinosaur tooth to take home. K-2nd only

Be Tobacco Free

Be Tobacco Free is designed to educate on the direct & indirect effects of tobacco use on the body. Recommended 3rd - 6th grade