Maryland Science Center: For Educators: Traveling Science Program: Classroom Programs

TSP Classroom Programs feature hands-on, minds-on science fun. We have eight programs specially designed for your classroom or science lab. Whether they are building a structure from toothpicks and marshmallows or examining their own fingerprints, students will have lots of fun while learning important science principles first-hand. Groups are limited to 30 students for maximum interaction.

Name	Grades	Capacity	Description

Amazing Animal Adaptations	2-6	30	Have you ever wondered why zebras have stripes? A wild educational experience will reveal how factors such as size, shape, and color are influenced by where animals live, what they eat, and what eats them! Applying knowledge from discussion and workstations, students design their own animal adapted for survival in a hypothetical habitat.

Brainstorm in a Bucket	4-8	30	How are inventions invented? What inspires inspiration? Uncover the potential of creativity in science while devising a solution to a physical problem, using only imagination and items found in a bucket. Brainstorming, design, and teamwork are all emphasized in this lively, group-focused experience.

Cryogenics: It's Cool in Your School	7-12	30	What happens to matter when it is chilled to 300 degrees below zero Fahrenheit? Liquid nitrogen is the dramatic substance that allows investigation of the super cold. While observing how different materials respond to extremely cold temperatures, explore how different industries use cryogenics every day.

Detecting the Pattern: Biology Repeats Itself	3-6	30	What constitutes a pattern? Science and math get put to educational and fun uses as students learn about types of natural and man-made patterns. Practicing fingerprinting and DNA modeling, students explore how identifying biologic patterns can help both scientists and detectives.

Hydrosphere 101: Earth Science in Action	6-12	30	What is the hydrosphere and how do scientists study it? Discover how scientists can study our world's water using satellites, aerial and ground based platforms. This joint venture between the Maryland Science Center and NASA's Laboratory for Hydrospheric Processes combines high-tech information with hands-on application.

Slime Time!	K-5	30	What do styrofoam, Legos, and the bottom of your shoe have in common? Discover the properties of polymers and then create one --slime! Students will then perform hands-on experiments to test whether this polymer is a solid or a liquid.

Spiderman's Challenge: Super Structures	3-6	30	Discover why we build structures and what makes them stand or fall. Workstations testing the concepts of tension, compression, and shape prepare participants to create a group structure that must support the weight of Spiderman.

Toy Stories: Physics at Play	3-5	30	Physics becomes fun when students uncover Sir Isaac Newton's Three Laws of Motion using toys and sports. Discover how easy physics is to understand when everyday situations are explored. Demonstrations and experiments allow students to find the physics of motion all around them.

(To meet all safety and fire code regulations, classroom program audiences may number no more than 30.)

The picture above is from Slime Time, a program where students create and experiment with gooey, slippery, squishy slime.