STEAM Learning Lab – Rock Cactus Mother’s Day Gift
One of the unique features of cacti is that they don’t need frequent watering. For Mother’s Day, we are going to “plant” some rock cacti that don’t need any water at all! These planters make a great gift for the mothers, grandmas and aunts in our lives, or a fun display for anyone.
STEAM Learning Lab – Seed Mosaics and Parts of a Seed
Today we are going to learn about seeds! Seeds are everywhere, when a flower is pollinated it grows seeds so that more plants can grow. Sometimes these seeds are scattered by nature, sometimes they are planted by people to grow new plants.
STEAM Learning Lab – Bird Migration Hopscotch
Why are wetlands so important? We’ll explore this concept through a fun game of hopscotch.
STEAM Learning Lab – Earth Balloon Painting
Let’s paint a picture of our planet, as seen from space! This activity is a great way to try painting with some different materials. The half-filled balloons present a fun challenge and lets your child play with the shapes that the balloon makes on the paper. The round shape of the Earth works well with the circular “brush strokes” of the balloon.
STEAM Learning Lab – Spring Plant Prints
Now that everything outside is blooming, it’s the perfect time to make plant art! This could also be a beautiful gift for Mother’s Day! This activity preserves the image of the plants on a beautiful background. It is also a good chance to experiment with art activities that use multiple, different tools to make a single piece of artwork-also known as mixed media art!
STEAM Learning Lab – Cardboard Loom Bracelets
Celebrate the arrival of spring by making a bright bracelet! Unlike usual friendship bracelet making methods, we will be recycling cardboard into a user-friendly loom that will make the bracelet making process easier.
STEAM Learning Lab – Tulip Dissection, Learning the Parts of a Flower
As spring arrives, there are beautiful flowers to enjoy. Even though flowers look different from each other, they all have the same basic parts. We are going to look inside a flower and see the different parts that it is made of! Make sure to always get permission before picking a flower and have an adult help you with this activity.
STEAM Learning Lab – Inverted Plastic Bottle Planter
Happy Earth Day! Today we are partnering with the American Chemical Society to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. Find some fun activities on their website To show some love for the planet we are going to recycle a plastic bottle into a self-watering planter. This easy to maintain planter makes a great place to watch fruits and vegetables grow
STEAM Learning Lab – Bubble Wrap Art Prints
Welcome to Earth Week! This is a time to celebrate the Earth and also see what we can do help the environment. Earth Week is an opportunity to talk to your children about respecting the environment and see what changes you and your family can make to help the Earth. Earth Day is April 22nd, and it’s the 50th anniversary, so make sure to do something special to celebrate, and we’re here to help with lots of fun activities!
STEAM Learning Lab – Artsy Thursday
We are excited to work with the UMFA to showcase one of their current art exhibits, Beyond the Divide: Merchant, Artist, Samurai in Edo Japan. Even though the museum is closed, you can still check out the exhibit online. Today, they are going to teach about us the history of Japanese folding screens and show us how to make a fun paper screen.
STEAM Learning Lab – Music Monday
Today is Music Monday, and we will be making a simple musical instrument. We are also joined by Hello Music. Hello Music offers family-style classes in the museum with a focus on teaching young children. Today, they are offering a free music class that you can do at home.
STEAM Learning Lab – Sweet Bunny Face Treats
Thanks for participating in our virtual Bunny Hop! Today we are going to do some fancy food art. So many of the items in our kitchen have an interesting shape or color and other items can be sliced into any shape you want. Take some time to notice the shape, texture and color of the items we are using today. Once you are all done, you will have a yummy treat!
STEAM Learning Lab – Fizzy Tie-Dye Eggs
One of the funnest things to do in the spring is to have a egg hunt. These seed bomb “eggs” are not only colorful and fun, but any left outside can sprout into a plant for a fun surprise later.
STEAM Learning Lab – Seed Bomb Eggs
One of the funnest things to do in the spring is to have a egg hunt. These seed bomb “eggs” are not only colorful and fun, but any left outside can sprout into a plant for a fun surprise later.
STEAM Learning Lab – Homemade Easter Baskets
Hoppy spring! At the Museum we usually celebrate spring with our annual Bunny Hop Event. Because we are not able to do the event this year, we decided to bring the party to you online! This week we’ll be posting fun activities for you and your family to do so you can have your very own Bunny Hop at home.
STEAM Learning Lab – Moon Phases
Tuesday, April 7th will have the first full moon of Spring 2020! It will appear at roughly the same time as flowers are blooming and therefore is nicknamed the “pink moon.” Use this creative project to learn more about the lunar cycle and make some wall art at the same time!
STEAM Learning Lab – Optical Illusion
Happy April Fools’ Day! Did you know that your own eyes can play tricks on you? While the retina of your eye can perceive visual changes pretty fast, images linger for around one-tenth to one-twentieth of a second. This is called the “persistence of vision.” Making a Thaumatrope is a way to trick your own eyes by blurring 2 images together!
STEAM Learning Lab – Photo Scavenger Hunt
Famous artists like Dorothea Lange used their camera to capture interesting perspectives, and help people think about daily life in a new way. Take a camera and try some activities!
STEAM Learning Lab – Holi Celebration
Holi is a traditional Hindu festival, which celebrates the return of spring. A big part of this celebration is the color throw. This is a wonderful activity to share with the whole family! No matter your age everyone will enjoy this festival of colors! So get ready to have your own Holi celebration at home, here are two fun activities to get the party started!
STEAM Learning Lab – Pointillism
Pointillism is a artistic technique where you make a picture using just dots. The most famous example is “A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte” by Georges Seurat. Today, we are going to use dots to make a picture of the states of matter
STEAM Learning Lab – Homemade Lava Lamp
Join Discovery Gateway every Monday, Wednesday and Friday for our STEAM Learning Lab! While the museum is temporarily closed we will continue to bring programming to you and your family!
Making a kaleidoscope!
Take advantage of all the time at home with this fun activity! Teach you child all about Hildegard of Bingen and their perception of light!
Marbled Clay
This week we celebrated President’s Day at Discovery Gateway! It was a day dedicated to learning about our presidents.
Friendship Bracelet
This week we celebrated the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. at Discovery Gateway! It was a great day filled with inspiring speeches, activities and crafts that helped children to learn the importance of acceptance, understanding, and compassion!
Jewelry Making
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christamas at Discovery Gateway! With Christmas is just around the corner, we are making fun and easy gifts that your children can make for their friends and family!
