The Exploratorium


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In this activity, learners make a simple spring-like scale using a rubber band instead of a spring, and calibrate the scale in newtons (N).

$1 - $5 per student Ages 11 - 18 30 to 45 minutes
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In this activity, learners trap a thin layer of air between two pieces of Plexiglas to produce rainbow-colored interference patterns.

$1 - $5 per student Ages 8 - 18 10 to 30 minutes
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In this activity, learners observe as soap bubbles float on a cushion of carbon dioxide gas. Learners blow bubbles into an aquarium filled with a slab of dry ice.

$1 - $5 per group Ages 6 - 14 10 to 30 minutes
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In this activity, learners build a Wilberforce Pendulum, a special coupled pendulum in which energy is transferred between two modes of vibration, longitudinal ("bounce') and torsional ("twist"), on a

$10 - $20 per group Ages 11 - 18 10 to 30 minutes
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With three cans and some tape, make a drum that you bonk down on any surface to produce a variety of sounds. This activity also teaches you about pitch, vibration, and frequency.

1 cent - $1 per student Ages 6 - 11 5 to 10 minutes
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This is a lesson plan for an activity in which learners, playing the role of archeologists, use math concepts about number bases to decipher the Dresden Codex, an ancient Mayan document.

1 cent - $1 per group Ages 8 - adult 2 to 4 hours
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In this activity about chemistry and electricity, learners form a battery by placing their hands onto plates of different metals.

$5 - $10 per group Ages 6 - 14 10 to 30 minutes
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Cardboard Automata are a playful way to explore simple machine elements while creating a mechanical sculpture.

$5 - $10 per student Ages 8 - adult 1 to 2 hours
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This activity provides instructions for making an aircraft that can really fly using a straw and paper hoops!

$1 - $5 per student Ages 4 - 11 10 to 30 minutes
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In ancient Chaco Canyon, the people used a "sun dagger" petroglyph to mark the passing of seasons.

1 cent - $1 per student Ages 8 - 18 45 to 60 minutes