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“Exploring the Universe: Imagining Life” is a hands-on activity in which visitors imagine and draw an extreme environment beyond Earth, then invent a living thing that could thrive in it.

In this activity, learners create a map of a hidden surface using a "sounding stick" -- a technique similar to how underwater maps were once made.

In this activity, learners sort different natural phenomena into categories (they occur on Earth, on the Moon, or on both), and then model how energy moves during a quake using spring toys.

Break open that used musical toy and squish some Play-Doh over the circuit boards, and you will hear some weird and distorted sounds the manufacturer never intended!

Learn how to make and fly a paper helicopter! This simple activity includes a template (for the copter "blades") and instructions for folding, flying, and testing designs.

In this fascinating and fun experiment, learners use chemistry to identify a mystery powder and to solve a "crime," a process similar to that used by real forensic scientists.

Experiment with liquids of different densities and create liquid layers. For example, oil and water have different densities: oil floats on water because it is less dense than water.

In this activity, learners make an electroscope out of a foam cup, straw, aluminum pie pan, thread, and foil. Learners use their electroscopes to test for static electricity.

In this optics activity, learners build an animation tool to make mini movies. When you spin a phenakistascope, the pictures move so quickly that your eyes and brain can't separate the images.

In this hands-on activity, learners build their own kaleidoscopes and explore how light can reflect of off surfaces such as mirrors, to produce beautiful patterns.

Using electrolysis, learners produce hydrogen gas and oxygen gas from water molecules in a solution.

In this math activity, challenge learners to make two equal rows from eight different paper strips. Learners can explore the many ways they can solve this problem.

Learners make their own acid-base indicator from red cabbage. They use this indicator to test substances around the house.

In this activity (on page 2 of the PDF), learners (with adult help and supervision) investigate how heat affects polystyrene plastic.

In this activity, learners will turn an ordinary tray of sand into a desk-top garden for meditation.

In this activity, learners build a seesaw powered by magnets.

Through this nutrition activity (page 5 of the PDF), learners will understand—and probably be surprised by—how big serving sizes of various foods should be.

In this activity, learners will explore engineering to construct an insect collecting tool (insect aspirator). The pooter uses suction to safely collect smaller insects that nets miss or may injure.

In this activity, learners use oil, water, food coloring and antacid tablets to create a bubbling lava lamp. Use this activity to introduce concepts related to density, hydrophobicity vs.

By playing a card game similar to "Go Fish," but based on the stages of metamorphosis, learners will be able to see how insects change in form as they grow and will consider the advantages of undergoi