2008 Program Guide

Science Station makes science and learning fun for people of all ages. This is done through an innovative approach to science learning based on hands-on interaction.

We want people to ask "why?" and explore to discover the answers for themselves. There are over 100 hands-on exhibits and many educational programs to serve visitors. The museum has over 7,500 square feet of exhibits on three floors.

The guide lists programs available for the current school year by age / grade level. Please call (319) 363-4629 ext. 110 for more information.

• General Information
• Programs for ages 3-5
• Programs for grades K-2
• Programs for grades 3-5
• Programs for middle school grades
• Programs for high school grades
• Family outreach programs

The SCIENCE STATION is…  Hands-on Learning!  

Push, pull, test, explore, observe and think in an atmosphere that encourages inquiry learning.  Our mission is to provide entertaining learning experiences that inspire our visitors and spark their imaginations.  Come explore our content-rich exhibit collection and experience one of our outstanding educational programs.  Please contact the Registrar to arrange class visits to fit your school schedule, 319 363 4629 x 110 or registrar@sciencestation.org.

What's Available at the Science Station?

Learning Excursions at the Science Station:  What can your group do during a visit to Science Station?  A lot!  We have options to fit nearly every schedule and budget. 

Self-Guided Museum Visit:  Explore our four exhibit galleries, stocked with over 100 hands-on science exhibits.  Your students will have so much fun they won’t realize they’re learning!  We suggest you allow 1 - 2 hours for a Museum Visit.

Group Rate Child $4.05, Student $4.95 -- One adult per 10 students is required and admitted free to Science Station.  The ratio for pre-schoolers (child) is one adult per 5 children.  More than five students over the minimum requires an additional adult to assist.  There is a fee of $6.05 for each adult over the requirement. 

Educational Programs: Take learning to the next level with an educational workshop.  Our programs inspire students to explore science by providing content-rich, hands-on activities.  Multiple topics are available for students. See individual program descriptions.  Program sessions are 45-60 minutes in length; groups larger than 25 students may require additional sessions.  Educational programs may be combined with museum visits.  There is no program charge for chaperones.

The Educational Program List follows in the next section.  Questions about program content?  Don’t see the topic that you’re looking for?  Please call (319) 363-4629 ext. 107 for help about the program selections. 

Learning Excursion Package Pricing:

• Program Only - Child/Student $3.00
• Program and Museum  - Child $5.00, Student $6.00
• (one adult per 10 students free, other adults, $6.05)

Reservations are required a minimum of two weeks in advance for all groups in order to guarantee availability and price discount.  Early booking for spring dates is strongly recommended.

To make a reservation, please call our registrar at (319) 363-4629 ext. 110, or email registrar@sciencestation.org.  Voice mail is available 24 hours a day.  A worksheet to guide you through the group reservation process is available at the end of this guide.

Can the Science Station Educators Bring Programs to My Location?

Can’t come to us?  We’ll come to you!  Science Station programs are available as outreach options held in your location. 

Outreach Programs

• First Session $100
• Second Session $75
• if three or more, $50 each 

Mileage $.45/mile round trip outside Cedar Rapids, Hiawatha or Marion.

Reservations are required a minimum of two weeks in advance for all groups in order to guarantee availability and price discount.  Early booking for spring dates is strongly recommended.

To make a reservation, please call our registrar at (319) 363-4629 ext. 110, or email registrar@sciencestation.org.  Voice mail is available 24 hours a day.  A worksheet to guide you through the registration process is available at the end of this guide.

Educational Programs Available

Deepen the educational impact of your students’ visit to Science Station by attending an educational workshop, or by scheduling on of these programs for presentation at your location.  These hands-on activities engage students and deliver age-appropriate content in a fun way. 

Workshops are 45-60 minutes in length.  All classes have a minimum of 15 students; see class descriptions for the maximum number of students allowed per session.  All programs for ages 3-5 carry a minimum of 5 students. 

Questions about program content?  Don’t see the topic that you’re looking for?  Please call the Science Station Education Department at (319) 363-4629 ext. 107 for help about the program selections. 

All programs are available as either in-center at the Science Station or as outreach in your location.  Please note that some are available as Assembly Style Programs at your site only.

Listings for Educational Programs are by age/grade level, so please scroll down for the appropriate grouping.  Divisions are color-coded for ages 3-5, grades Kindergarten-2nd, grades 3rd-5th, middle school grades, and high school grades.

Programs For Ages 3-5

(maximum of 20 students per class and 1/5 chaperones)

Blast Off!: To infinity and beyond!  Pretend to be an astronaut while learning about our solar system.  See a rocket and create your own stuffed space shuttle. 

Dino Hunters: Become a dinosaur hunter as we dig for dinosaurs and make fossils.  Discover a dinosaur fossil in our special rocks, rescue it from the rock just like a real dinosaur scientist, and then take your fossil home!

Water Works: Splash and play as we learn about water’s amazing qualities.  Bubble over as we experiment with soap and water.  Make a bubble cup and wand to take home. 

Cloudy Skies: It looks like cotton candy or spilled milk, but a cloud is really made of water!  Create a cloud, learn how clouds float so high in the sky, and make a cloud craft to take home. 

Catch a Rainbow: What makes a rainbow?  Explore the colors of a rainbow and make a beautiful rainbow craft.  Find out how red, yellow and blue can be mixed to make all the colors of the rainbow. 

Creepy Critters: If you love bugs, this is the program for you!  Explore the world of critters that crawl, wiggle, and squirm.  What makes an insect special?  Why aren’t spiders insects?  Learn how a caterpillar becomes a beautiful butterfly. 

Fab Five Senses: Tingle your taste buds, excite your ears, and get all of your senses singing.  We will play a game using our listening ears.  Create a craft using all five senses. 

Planetarium Programs:

Get ready to hear oohs and ahhs as you crawl into the Big Silver Bubble, otherwise known as our Starlab Portable Planetarium.  This inflatable dome is transformed into a wondrous, star-filled sky where your students can practice star-finding skills and hear legends of ancient cultures.  The Planetarium is wheelchair accessible.  If you request this as an outreach program, the Planetarium requires an 11 foot ceiling, two electrical outlets and 24’ x 24’ of floor space in a quiet spot. 

Planetarium Program #1 Legends of the Night:  Gaze at the stars and listen to wonderful stories.  This program highlights the myths told by ancient civilizations to explain the patterns of the stars, as well as to explain their worlds.  Many of the constellations recognized by astronomers today have their beginnings in this cultural heritage.  Respect for cultures and beliefs that may be different from our own is stressed.  Suitable for all ages and grade levels.  Max: 25 students per session. 

Programs For Grades 3rd – 5th

(1/10 chaperones)

Current Events:  Explore a shocking topic!  Learn about static and current electricity, and  parallel and series circuits.  Max: 30 students per session

Dive-In: Investigate neutral buoyancy with this class on experimental design.   Devise a method to control the variables and successfully suspend your diver underwater.  Max:  30 students per session

Music to My Ears:  Bang, beat, strum, and shake to make music!  Model sound waves, experiment with vibrations, and learn about pitch and volume.  Make a quacker.  Max: 30 students per session

Take Flight:  Become test pilots and explore flying objects.  Discover the forces of flight and engineer your own flying machine.  Max: 50 students per session

Super Structures:  Take the challenge and design the best tower.  Find the most stable shapes and work as a team to build a successful structure.  Max:  50 students per session

Digging Dinosaurs:  Ever think you’d like to pet T-Rex?  Think again when you learn all about his ferocious predator of the Cretaceous.  Discover the differences between dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals, as well as differences between meat-eaters and plant-eaters.  Recommended for Pre-K-3^rd grades.  Assembly Style Program at your site only.

Cool Science:  Really cool science.  In fact, it’s 320 degrees below zero!  See the amazing changes that take place in every day items at the super cold  temperature of liquid nitrogen.  (Extra materials charge for this presentation.)  Recommended for K-8^th  grades.  Assembly Style Program at your site only.

Eye Spy:  Trick your eyes and tickle your brain with these optical illusions.  Find out how different types of illusions work to fool your brain into seeing something that’s not there.  Recommended for 4^th-12^th grades.  Assembly Style Program at your site only.

Planetarium Programs:

Get ready to hear oohs and ahhs as you crawl into the Big Silver Bubble, otherwise known as our Starlab Portable Planetarium.  This inflatable dome is transformed into a wondrous, star-filled sky where your students can practice star-finding skills and hear legends of ancient cultures.  The Planetarium is wheelchair accessible.  If you request this as an outreach program, the Planetarium requires an 11 foot ceiling, two electrical outlets and 24’ x 24’ of floor space in a quiet spot. 

Planetarium Program #1 Legends of the Night:  Gaze at the stars and listen to wonderful stories.  This program highlights the myths told by ancient civilizations to explain the patterns of the stars, as well as to explain their worlds.  Many of the constellations recognized by astronomers today have their beginnings in this cultural heritage.  Respect for cultures and beliefs that may be different from our own is stressed.  Suitable for all ages and grade levels.  Max: 25 students per session. 

Planetarium Program #2 Iowa Skies:  Learn patterns while discovering constellations.  Custom-designed instruction lets students to see the night sky as it would appear on the date of their program.  Students will learn to read star-maps and identify seasonal constellations.  Recommended for 4^th – 12^th grades.  Max: 25 students per session 

Planetarium Program #3 Seasons of the Sun:  Why are there seasons?  Chart the progress of the sun through an entire year and discover how the sun’s rays make our seasons.  Learn about orbits and seasonal constellations.  Recommended for 5^th - 8^th grades.  Max: 25 students per session. 

Programs For Middle School Grades

(1/10 chaperones)

Mission Specialists:  Blast off on a rocket journey.  Find out about the history of rockets and what makes rockets fly.  Use your knowledge to try and build your own working rocket from nothing but drinking straws and a balloon!  Max: 30 students per session

Toys in Space:  Can astronauts shoot baskets in space?  Watch astronauts in the space shuttle use toys to test Newton’s Laws of Motion in microgravity.  Test the toys yourself to find out how they work on Earth.  Make a toy to keep, too.  Max: 30 students per session

Cool Science:  Really cool science.  In fact, it’s 320 degrees below zero!  See the amazing changes that take place in every day items at the super cold  temperature of liquid nitrogen.  (Extra materials charge for this presentation.)  Recommended for K-8^th grades Assembly Style Program at your site only.

Eye Spy:  Trick your eyes and tickle your brain with these optical illusions.  Find out how different types of illusions work to fool your brain into seeing something that’s not there.  Recommended for 4^th-12^th grades.  Assembly Style Program at your site only.

Planetarium Programs:

Get ready to hear oohs and ahhs as you crawl into the Big Silver Bubble, otherwise known as our Starlab Portable Planetarium.  This inflatable dome is transformed into a wondrous, star-filled sky where your students can practice star-finding skills and hear legends of ancient cultures.  The Planetarium is wheelchair accessible.  If you request this as an outreach program, the Planetarium requires an 11 foot ceiling, two electrical outlets and 24’ x 24’ of floor space in a quiet spot. 

Planetarium Program #1 Legends of the Night:  Gaze at the stars and listen to wonderful stories.  This program highlights the myths told by ancient civilizations to explain the patterns of the stars, as well as to explain their worlds.  Many of the constellations recognized by astronomers today have their beginnings in this cultural heritage.  Respect for cultures and beliefs that may be different from our own is stressed.  Suitable for all ages and grade levels.  Max: 25 students per session. 

Planetarium Program #2 Iowa Skies:  Learn patterns while discovering constellations.  Custom-designed instruction lets students to see the night sky as it would appear on the date of their program.  Students will learn to read star-maps and identify seasonal constellations.  Recommended for 4^th – 12^th grades.  Max: 25 students per session 

Programs For High School Grades

(1/15 chaperones)

Living DNA:  All living things contain DNA in their cells.  Extracting DNA is the first step in isolating, identifying or engineering DNA.  Enjoy a DNA smoothie as we extract the DNA from a banana.  Max 30 students per session

Eye Spy:  Trick your eyes and tickle your brain with these optical illusions.  Find out how different types of illusions work to fool your brain into seeing something that’s not there.  Recommended for 4^th-12^th grades.  Assembly Style Program at your site only.

 Planetarium Programs:

Get ready to hear oohs and ahhs as you crawl into the Big Silver Bubble, otherwise known as our Starlab Portable Planetarium.  This inflatable dome is transformed into a wondrous, star-filled sky where your students can practice star-finding skills and hear legends of ancient cultures.  The Planetarium is wheelchair accessible.  If you request this as an outreach program, the Planetarium requires an 11 foot ceiling, two electrical outlets and 24’ x 24’ of floor space in a quiet spot. 

Planetarium Program #1 Legends of the Night:  Gaze at the stars and listen to wonderful stories.  This program highlights the myths told by ancient civilizations to explain the patterns of the stars, as well as to explain their worlds.  Many of the constellations recognized by astronomers today have their beginnings in this cultural heritage.  Respect for cultures and beliefs that may be different from our own is stressed.  Suitable for all age and grade levels.  Max: 25 students per session. 

Planetarium Program #2 Iowa Skies:  Learn patterns while discovering constellations.  Custom-designed instruction lets students to see the night sky as it would appear on the date of their program.  Students will learn to read star-maps and identify seasonal constellations.  Recommended for 4^th – 12^th grades.  Max: 25 students per session 

Family Event Outreach Programs Available

SCIENCE FUN FOR THERE AND HERE

1. Paper Helicopters (M&T) – Simple paper copters provide a powerful learning tool for exploring flight.
2. Paper Airplanes (M&T) – Design several different paper airplanes and discover their unique flight characteristics.
3. Bernoulli’s Principle 1 – Show the force of moving air in an unexpected way with two “kissing” pop cans.
4. Bernoulli’s Principle 2 – Demonstrate the force of lift with a spool and paper.
5. Air Pressure – Air pushes from all sides, top and bottom. Hold a ruler down and keep water in a cup using air pressure. Crush a can with air pressure.
6. Loop Planes (M&T) – Make a glider using a straw and two loops of paper
7. Boomerangs (M&T) – Try one of these designs or make your own “Returning Flying Object”
8. Magnus Flyer (M&T) – Two paper cups make a whirling, spinning glider

1. Last One – Test your powers of logic and solve the golf tee triangle.
2. Mazes (M&T) – Escape from the tangled web of mazes (four on a page).
3. Tangrams – Arrange the seven pieces to match the pictures.
4. Code Breaker (M&T) – Decipher the messages on this page of codes.

1. Roger’s Connections – Discover the strength of the triangle with this unique building set of magnetic rods and steel balls.
2. K’NEX – Free build or follow a pattern for a challenge with our large collection of rods and connectors.
3. Bridges – Test the strength of different paper bridges and find out what is the best design.
4. Build a Bridge (M&T) – Use toothpicks and marshmallows and build a bridge to take home.

Dinosaurs:

1. Dino or Not – Separate the plastic models into dinosaurs and not-dinosaurs by following the paleontologists’ rules.
2. What’s For Dinner – Discover the difference between carnivores and herbivores and put the dino pictures into the right categories.
3. Skeleton Puzzle – Put the pieces together and make a 3D dino skeleton.
4. Design a Dino (M&T) – Draw your own dinosaur and give it a name using scientific names for its characteristics.
5. Fossil Find – Take a look at some real fossils and some fossil replicas.

Electricity:

1. Charge It – Test materials and determine the electron donor and receiver.
2. Static Dance –Discover which materials will make the Styrofoam inside the tube dance the most.
3. Simple Circuits – Create a simple circuit with batteries and bulbs.
4. Electromagnets – Experiment to see which electromagnet will pick up the most paper clips. Graph your findings with the rest of your group.

Genetics:

1. Trait Tracker – What characteristics do you have in common? Take this simple quiz and help graph the results for your group.
2. Make-A-Face (M&T) – Roll the dice and see what chromosomes come up. Will the hair be straight or curly? Find out the chances for different characteristics.
3. DNA – Put together a model of DNA. Try to replicate your model.
4. Create-A-Creature (M&T) – Create a space alien by chance. A roll of the die will determine what your alien will look like and do.
5. Genetic Code – Match the letters to the amino acids to create proteins. Decipher the code to find the protein.

1. Crystals – Look at rocks and crystals with magnifiers and see their structures.
2. Crystal Painting (M&T) – Create an invisible picture that will appear when the solution dries and crystals form.
3. Rock Types – Use our student kits to identify igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks.

Human Body:

1. Heartbeat – Listen to your heart with a real stethoscope and learn to take your pulse. Find out how exercise affects your heart.
2. Quick Reaction – Catch the ruler as your partner drops it. Test your eye/hand coordination and speed.
3. Feelings – Identify hidden objects by feel alone.
4. Sensitivity Touch – Find out whether your fingers or your arms are more sensitive with this pin prickly activity.
5. Nose Knows – Sniff the mystery scent and see how well you can identify these odors.
6. Brain Game (M&T) – Make a model of the brain

Magnets:

1. Magnet Play – Free play with a variety of magnets. Identify the poles and which repel or attract. See if a magnet can defy gravity.
2. Stick To It – Test different items to see which will be attracted to the magnet. Make a prediction.
3. Strong Magnets – Measure the strength of several magnets. Determine a good test of a magnet.
4. Roger’s Connections – Build interesting structures held together only with magnets.

Newton’s Laws (Inertia & Momentum):

1. Penny Drop – Put the pennies in the cup without touching them.
2. Marble Roll – Roll a marble into a row of marbles and see what happens.

Optics:

1. What Color? – Identify the colors and not the words on this tricky poster. It’s more difficult than you think.
2. See 3D (M&T) – Find out how eyes work together to make 3D pictures.
3. Color Spinners – Try the different tops to combine colors.
4. Find the Blind Spot – Use this activity to find where the optic nerve connects to the retina.
5. Color Reversals – Stare at these pictures and then at a blank page and see how your eye has been fooled.
6. Color Reversals 2 (M&T) – Color your own page to fool your eyes. What colors should you use?
7. Flicker Sticks (M&T) – Spin these two pictures to make one image.
8. Tesselations (M&T) – Color these pattern pages and see if you can make the images seem to move in and out.

Simple Machines:

1. Gear Up – Put together a group of plastic gears and discover motion and ratios.
2. Pulleys – Follow a diagram to construct a block and tackle. Find out how an arrangement of pulleys can make lifting easier.
3. Balance It – A balance is really a kind of lever. Load up the lever and then figure out a way to balance it.
4. Catapults – Explore levers to launch sponge pieces at a target.
5. Tool ID – Take a look at the different tools and see if you can find all the simple machines that help tools make work easier.

Sound:

1. Pitch It – Experiment with mini- tuning forks and xylophones to learn about frequency.
2. What Is It – Determine the contents of a canister just by the sound it makes.
3. Sound Travels – Bang and beat on everyday items hanging on strings to explore how sound travels through a solid.
4. Straw Oboes (M&T) – Learn to play a double reed instrument. Put several lengths together to get a range of notes.
5. Squawker (M&T) – Use string and a cup to create a vibration machine that makes quite a noise.

Space:

1. Crater Makers – Explore the formation of craters using marbles and boxes of flour.
2. Constellation Viewers – Paper tubes hold constellation patterns for indoor viewing of many well known star patterns.
3. Space Arm – Apply the principle used by the International Space Station Canadarm to hold and move objects.
4. Create-A-Constellation (M&T) – Using dark construction paper and shiny stars, make up your own figure and the story to go with your constellation.
5. Spinner (M&T) – Make a simple gyroscope out of paper plates and string.
6. Solar System – Put space into perspective with this activity on the relative size and distance of the planets.
7. Solar System in your Pocket (M&T) – Make a rough scale of planetary distance that can fit in your pocket.
8. Paper Rockets (M&T) – Design and launch a paper rocket using air for thrust.
9. Your Weight in Space – Use calculators and scales to find how much you would weigh on the other planets of the solar system.