Movement and forces: This activity is an exploration of the various forces that we encounter in everyday life and their influence on motion. Students will start with the ancient theory of motion and see how inclusion of forces led Galileo to change that theory. They will study what a force is and how forces can balance each other out. They will look at a variety of forces and work with the electrical force and the magnetic force. Time permitting they will measure the friction force and explore its dependence on weight and materials.

•  Science Standards: This activity addresses the force and motion component of the NGSS in Grade 3.

• Student Preparation: This activity is mostly self-contained and does not require much that students do not already know from daily life. 

Energy: This activity is an interactive presentation that focuses on energy, its forms, its transformation, its transfer from one place to another and its basic laws. Students engage in hands-on activities that explore various forms of energy such as energy of motion or “kinetic” energy, gravitational potential energy, heat, light, etc.  They will learn to identify these different forms of energy and they will explore several types of energy transformation such as those produced by various familiar instruments.  They will also examine ways in which energy is transferred from one place to another and they will study waves as a mechanism for such transfer. Time permitting they will investigate the different states of matter and look at the periodic table.

• Science Standards Student Preparation: This activity is mostly self-contained and does not require much that students do not already know from daily life. Nevertheless familiarity with the basic mechanics will help.

Light and waves: Students will show that white light can be spread into the colors of the rainbow, and they will look at the light and colors produced by different sources. They will learn about the wave nature of light, the properties of waves, and the relationship between color and wavelength. They will also show that the colors can be recombined to produce white light. They will explore the difference between emitted and reflected light and see that the color of an object depends on the light with which it is illuminated. They will explore other forms of electromagnetic radiation, such as infrared, and will observe that they all propagate in a straight line but are absorbed differently by various substances.

• Science Standards: This activity can address the CSS on light for Grade 3 as well as the NGSS on waves and electromagnetic radiation in Grade 4.

• Student preparation: This activity is self-contained and requires no special preparation although knowledge of the colors of the rainbow is helpful.

Electricity: In this activity, students will experiment with static electricity and discover the two types of electricity and the laws of attraction and repulsion. They will test the electrical conduction properties of different materials. Then they will construct simple circuits with batteries, wires, light bulbs and switches, learn the function of these components and discuss applications of different types of circuits in real life.

• Science Standards: This activity addresses the CSS on electricity in Grade 4.

• Student Preparation: Students should know about atoms, protons and electrons.

Magnetism: In this activity, students will build a compass and then experiment with magnets and discover the two types of magnetic poles and their law of attraction and repulsion. They will map the magnetic field around a bar magnet and relate it to the earth’s magnetic field. They will test the magnetic properties of various metals. They will also investigate the relationship between currents and magnetic fields, and use that to build an electromagnet and a motor.

• Standards: This activity addresses the CSS on magnetism in Grade 4.

• Student preparation: Students should know about currents and circuits in electricity.

• Note: This is a long activity, best done in 75 minute; a 60 minute version can be done but leaves out important components.

Patterns in the Sky introduces youngsters to the motions of the Sun and the Moon and stars of the night sky.  Diurnal motion is showcased, with objects rising in the east and setting in the west.  Constellations and constellation stories from many cultures are also introduced. 

Tour of the Solar System allows students to get a "big picture" of our planetary system.

The presentation begins with an earth-based view of the night sky, noting the planets that are visible, and continues with a launch into space and visits to that/those planet(s).

A recession and view of the whole solar system, and the positions, aspects and motions of the planets round of the presentation.

Universe Fly-through starts with a presentation of the objects that can bee seen in the sky on the day of the visit. A recessional journey through the solar system, including the planets, asteroids, dwarf planets and Kuiper Belt objects, is followed by an exploration of the near-by exo-planetary systems.  Next on the trip away from Earth is viewing the Milky Way from beyond its galactic confines. The culmination of the journey out through the Universe ends with a tableau of millions of galaxies as catalogued by the Sloan and 2df Digital Sky Surveys.