Appropriate for: Seven years and younger

Trees are an important part of our day-to-day lives. We use forest products on a daily basis, some of which may surprise you. Check out our collection of “things that come from trees” and learn how some of them are made. Then take home your very own seedling to take care of and watch it grow.

Learn more about AH NUTS! The Things We Get from Trees

Appropriate for: All Ages

We all get sick, but it can be hard to think about why we get sick, because we can't see the microscopic bacteria and viruses that cause our coughs and sneezes. When we are able to see these microbes, we notice that they are all different, with different shapes and sizes! This presentation will give children and adults alike a fun opportunity to see what microbes look like while playing with stuffed animals that look like what you would see under the microscope when looking at them.

Learn more about Creepy, Crawly, and Cuddly? Using Stuffed Microbes to Visualize the Microscopic World

Appropriate for: Seven years and younger

Discover how much sugar is in popular beverages on the market today. Learn why choosing water is important for oral and overall health.

Learn more about Delta Dental Presents "Rethink Your Drink"

Appropriate for: All Ages

Ready, aim, wave your magic wand! A pair of wands flash infra-red light at targets of flashing lights. First wave wins!

Learn more about Dueling Magic Wands

Appropriate for: All Ages

Meet the Howell Nature Center's live animal ambassadors and learn how YOU can help the wild animals in your own backyard!

Learn more about How Can Humans Have a Positive Impact on Local Wildlife?

Appropriate for: Seven years and younger

Children will refine their senses through specialized materials that help the children discriminate sound, sight, smell, touch and weight. Children will explore the seven continents and the animals that inhabit these areas through a matching activity. They may also explore parts of the animal. Next, they may explore various leaf shapes and their parts. Finally, they may explore the various land and water forms of the earth and will be able to color corresponding land and water papers depicting lake and island, bay and cape, straight and isthmus. Items used will be hands-on materials beautifully painted and made of wood to help isolate each quality.

Learn more about Learning About Science the Montessori Way!

Appropriate for: All Ages

Get ready to welcome monarch butterflies back from their winter home in Mexico by exploring how they live and grow through a hands-on pollination game. Investigate butterfly artifacts and the tools we use to monitor and raise monarchs at Fenner Nature Center. Learn why citizen scientists tag monarchs in the fall, and practice tagging a monarch of your very own.

Learn more about Magic of Monarchs

Appropriate for: Seven years and younger

MSU's campus lies on the banks of the Red Cedar River, a watershed full of mysteries. There are small animals and bugs hiding under rocks, and fish darting here and there. This is an opportunity to search for some of these sneaky creatures that hide out on MSU's own campus. Check under rocks, catch some fish, and discover that water is home to many creatures we cannot see.

Learn more about On The Banks of the Red Cedar...

Appropriate for: Seven years and younger

Children and families can engage in hands-on and interactive science exploration, all while learning the basic scientific concepts and exploring their senses. You can observe, predict, and explore the science of sand and bubbles.

Learn more about Sensory Stations: Sifting Sand and Bouncing Bubbles

Appropriate for: All Ages

There will be brain puzzles and coloring so children can see the various parts of the brain and what each part of the brain is responsible for (sight, hearing, etc.). Exercises will show how human brains differ from animal brains and why we are more intelligent than animals.

Learn more about Unraveling the Brain

Appropriate for: All Ages

Waves, spirals, and fractals are some of the patterns which recur in many different ways in the natural world. Learn about patterns in nature. Using natural materials such as shells, pebbles, and feathers, create your own designs to take home.

Learn more about Unraveling the Wonders of Nature's Design

Appropriate for: Seven years and younger

Three different learning environments will be available for children to explore. First, while pretending to be paleontologists, children will use their imaginations in a sensory table dig site. At the site they will discover bones and chart where they found the bones. Second, they will learn about the science of entomology, while examining and classifying insects by their various characteristics. Finally, they will pretend they are botanists as they examine real and artificial plants. All three of these experiences will focus on careful observation of the characteristics of the materials they are examining and introduce them to new vocabulary words. Adults will enhance their learning by challenging the child to think further.

Learn more about We are the Scientists