Early Childhood Zone

Appropriate for: Kindergarten and Pre-K, Elementary school age

Seeing is believing. That is why this program will allow pre-K to elementary school-aged children to experiment hands-on with magnifying lens and microscopes so that they can explore the unseen microscopic world of cells and tissues. The program will introduce young children to fun (but powerful) technologies that can reveal the tiny parts that make up us and our surroundings. Children will get to look at prepared microscope slides of animal, insect, fungi, and plant cells/tissues. They can also prepare their own samples of plants, soil, and sand for microscopic viewing. There will also be coloring print-outs and fun sticker handouts for the children.

Learn more about A Kid's-Eye View of the Microscopic World

Appropriate for: Kindergarten and Pre-K, Elementary school age

Blow bubbles and see if you can balance them on your hands!

Learn more about Bouncing Bubbles

Appropriate for: Kindergarten and Pre-K, Elementary school age

Use your creativity and build with us!

Learn more about Building Station

Appropriate for: Kindergarten and Pre-K, Elementary school age

Explore color mixing by seeing what happens when you add water to art! Create beautiful butterflies using markers and coffee filters. 

Learn more about Chromatography Butterflies

Appropriate for: Kindergarten and Pre-K, Elementary school age, Middle school age, High school age, 18 years and above

Everyone communicates differently, and every kind of communication is great! At the communication station, audience members will have the opportunity to learn and try out different forms of communication. These include gestures, speech, low-tech AAC, and high-tech AAC. AAC, or augmentative and alternative communication, is any form of communicating other than speech! 

Learn more about Communication Station

Appropriate for: Kindergarten and Pre-K, Elementary school age

Draw your own creature, and give them adaptations to survive in the wild! How powerful can you make your critter?

Learn more about Create a Critter

Appropriate for: Kindergarten and Pre-K, Elementary school age

How do researchers collect their study animals? They head into the field and get hands-on! This program introduces kids to different types of organisms and the methods scientists use to gather them. Learn how to spot a squid hidden in the sand and capture it with a net. Try collecting insects from plants using specialized tools. Explore the world of anemones under a microscope. Through these hands-on activities, kids will discover how researchers find and study animals in the wild while gaining a deeper appreciation for the natural world.

Learn more about Critter Collectors: Fieldwork Exploration Zone

Appropriate for: Kindergarten and Pre-K, Elementary school age

Build your favorite shape using marshmallows and toothpicks!

Learn more about Marshmallow Structures

Appropriate for: Kindergarten and Pre-K, Elementary school age

Help your children experience the joys of scientific exploration through a ramp and roll activity you can recreate at home!

Playing with ramps and things that roll helps children learn simple principles of physical science and engineering. A ramp is an example of a simple machine called an inclined plane.

“Work” has a specific meaning in physics involving the transfer of energy to an object and making it move. We don’t expect young children to know this. When we say that “simple machines make work easier,” we are using an accurate but young-child-friendly description of what simple machines do and how they help people.

Learn more about Ramp and Roll

Appropriate for: Kindergarten and Pre-K, Elementary school age

Come find out what toys and other objects are located in our sensory bins! Stay and play with us for as long as you'd like.

Learn more about Sensory Bins

Appropriate for: Kindergarten and Pre-K, Elementary school age, Middle school age

The STEAM Plays is an original musical theater piece that toured elementary schools and was performed at the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams on the MSU campus in the fall of 2024. Since then, the playwright and designer, members of MSU's faculty, have created a free-access website for students and teachers to perform the play or parts of it on their own. The website includes a corresponding curriculum that helps teachers guide students in integrating the arts into STEM. Join us for an interactive session of performing, playing, and learning!

Learn more about STEAM Plays: Using the Arts to Talk About STEM

Appropriate for: Kindergarten and Pre-K, Elementary school age, Middle school age, High school age, 18 years and above

Join the Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum in exploring STEM-based experiences! Launch a rocket, create objects using 3D technology, and so much more! Join our partners as well from the Leslie Science and Nature Center, which will feature live animals up close and other nature-based activities.

Learn more about STEM and Nature Activities with the Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum

Appropriate for: Kindergarten and Pre-K, Elementary school age

Come explore your sense of touch by interacting with our texture wall!

Learn more about Texture Wall

Appropriate for: Kindergarten and Pre-K, Elementary school age, Middle school age, High school age, 18 years and above

This hands-on activity will teach parents and young children how to identify common symptoms and decide when emergency care is needed. Families will explore:

Learn more about When to Go to the ER

Appropriate for: Kindergarten and Pre-K, Elementary school age, Middle school age

Guess how many drops of water can fit on a penny (spoiler alert: more than you think)? Find the answer by using a pipette filled with water. Water molecules cling together, causing several drops to fit. Learn about properties of water with a lava lamp. Oil and water do not mix but dye and water do, causing large bubbles to float around in the oil.

Learn more about Fun Experiments to do at Home