Classes at the Museum

Navigate the Nile to discover what life was like in ancient Egypt. Learn about the role of animals in Egyptian life and lore. Make a splash with safe hands-on activities, and investigate the importance of rivers. Watch the mysteries of mummification unfold through dehydration experiments with fruits and vegetables. Observe live insects and see how […]

Explore ecology and discover ways to protect the Earth. Learn about the water cycle and how acid rain affects soil and plants. Investigate creative ways to reduce, reuse, and recycle materials and why it’s important for the planet. Take a tour through the museum to learn about endangered and extinct species, and make a mini […]

Investigate all the small things in our world—from animals to rocks and minerals and everything in between! Build your own mini museum collection as we explore the exhibits. Grow your own crystals, and use video microscopes to observe their structure. Meet live animals from the museum’s living collection, and venture behind the scenes with museum […]

Grab your time travel gear and explore a different mystery from the past during each class! From life before dinosaurs to the present day, analyze fossils and artifacts that document how life on Earth has changed over time. Document your discoveries in a scientific journal, and create unique artifacts illustrating your own history! See All […]

This fall, explore the foundational principles of ecosystems and biodiversity in the first of this year’s three-part Environmental Science series. Delve into this interdisciplinary field of study to deepen your understanding of the natural world. Interpret Earth’s terrestrial and aquatic biomes to infer regional ecosystems. Examine food chains within biomes and follow the transfer of […]

Get an inside look at paleontology from the gigantic Diplodocus to the tiny Archaeopteryx. Cover land, sea, and sky while searching for unusual pterosaurs, ichthyosaurs, birds, and mammals. Peek into PaleoLab where museum scientists work on fossils every day. Go on a dinosaur dig. Make a mask of your favorite prehistoric beast, and move like […]

Take your love for nature to the next level as you explore the field of herpetology. Experience what it’s like to be a museum scientist studying reptiles and amphibians—in the field and in the lab. Use field notebooks and check out the tech used by professional scientists for fieldwork. Meet distinguished scientists who have traveled […]

Take your interest in rocks to the next level as you examine rocks, gems, minerals, and fossils in the lab and throughout the museum. Learn the tools of the geologists’ trade on a rock walk and start a take-home collection of rocks and minerals. Create your own experimental gallery to model the effects of magma […]

This winter, explore the realms of atmosphere and climate change in the second of this year's three-part Environmental Science series. Examine Earth's geologic formations, atmospheric composition, and oceanography to understand the regional availability of natural energy resources. Explore renewable and nonrenewable sources of energy and the global impact their local and regional use has on […]

Immerse yourself in beloved stories as we read, act, and experiment together. Explore storybook curiosities from dragons to mermaids and search for their connections in the natural world. Hunt for hidden treasures in Hillman Hall of Minerals and Gems, and learn what it takes for a fairy (or butterfly) to take to the skies. See […]

Grab your passport and get ready for a trek through the foreign lands of the museum. Learn how to survive a night in the frozen Arctic and how to stay cool in the heat of the Sahara. Discover cultural cuisine and taste unusual foods from around the world. Unearth the history of early human habitation […]