Choose Your Own Campus Adventure!

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

Calling all bird nerds, beak geeks, and fans of feathered friends. Join us for a birding walk around the MSU Horticultural Gardens and Baker Woodlot. Learn the basics of bird identification, explore helpful apps and guides for birding, and discover ways to attract and support birds in your yard. Spring migration is just getting underway, so there will be an exciting mix of year-round species and some that are just passing through. No experience needed and all ages are welcome.

Learn more about CANCELLED: Birding Basics

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

Learn about plant pigments used in food, beauty products, textiles, and even famous works of art. Then, paint a bookmark using watercolors made from plant-based pigments.

Learn more about Botanical Pigments, presented by MSU Department of Horticulture

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

Learn about native Michigan pollinators and go pollinator-hunting in the MSU Horticulture Gardens!

*Cancelled due to inclement weather*

Learn more about CANCELLED: Native Pollinators presented by Bee Urban Growers Project (BUG)

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

Explore the vital connection between our local landscape and the pollinators that sustain it with the Beal Botanical Garden. In this hands-on, family-friendly drop-in program, you’ll learn how native Michigan wildflowers provide essential food and habitat for bees and butterflies. Participants will craft seed bombs to beautify and rewild their community, support local biodiversity, and provide a much-needed boost to the tiny heroes that keep our environment thriving. 

Learn more about CANCELLED: Ready, Set, Grow!

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

Comics are a great way to communicate science – and scientsts make great comics! Stop by the Special Collections Seminar Room in the Main Library to see some of the most awesome, amazing, and scientifically accurate comic books featured in our Special Collections. Take a special bird comic home with you!

Learn more about CANCELLED: Comics and Science

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

Tour the banks of the Red Cedar and learn about the environmental history of the river at the heart of MSU’s campus. This 1.2-mile round-trip walk will start at the MSU Main Library and loop from the Kalamazoo Street Bridge to Farm Lane and back, with stops to describe some interesting historical and environmental features of the river. Please wear comfortable shoes (in case of rain, the program will be inside the Main Library).

Learn more about CANCELLED: Red Cedar River Environmental History Walking Tour

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

The Digital Scholarship Lab will be hosting a series of activities that will give visitors an opportunity to reflect upon and learn about the significance of forests and trees through Virtual Reality (VR) and other immersive technology. In the 360 Room, artist and scholar Hailey Becker will share an immersive artwork titled: “Where the Light Gets In: Engaging the Community about Tree Removal on Campus.” Supplies will be on hand for visitors of all ages to create collages of real and imaginary forests and then display their creations in the 360 Room. In the VR Room, members of a research team led by forestry professors Emily Huff and Samantha Gailey will be on hand to discuss their study into how people respond to different forest types in VR. Visitors will be given an opportunity to explore different forest landscapes and learn about the benefits of spending time with trees in real life.

Learn more about CANCELLED: Seeing the Forest for the Trees in VR and IRL

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

Travel through the MSU Library on an adventure of discovery and stack your stamps! Stop at one of three tables featuring a different library resource and get your card stamped. Start at our antique iron printing press that uses the same basic mechanism as the Gutenberg printing press! With each new stamp, a new superhero of science is revealed. Collect them all!

Learn more about CANCELLED: Stacked Stamps

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

Explore a world-class rare isotope laboratory where nuclei are smashed into a target at half the speed of light! Our new 1,500-foot-long linear accelerator and the research spaces inside MSU’s Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) will be revealed with images, 3D models, and animations projected on the dome of the planetarium. Our “virtual tour” takes you to many locations that would normally be inaccessible!

Learn more about A Virtual Tour of the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams

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

*Cancelled due to inclement weather*

Join us for a casual-paced bike tour of MSU's campus! Along the way you'll get a behind-the-scenes look at many of MSU's gardens, museums, and research facilities. This event is open to all skill levels. Bikes will be available to rent through MSU Bikes.

Can't make it on April 18th? Explore at your own pace with a self-guided interactive map, generously provided by MSU Bikes. Plan your route, track your distance, and enjoy the experience on your own schedule.

Prefer to ride from the comfort of home? Take part in a virtual bike tour, also courtesy of MSU Bikes, and experience the route from anywhere.

Learn more about CANCELLED: Pedal Through Science!