STEAM Workshops

Our STEAM workshops are designed to give a one hour hands-on experience to groups of 10 to 24 kids.  Many of our classes can be differentiated to work with preschool or elementary age school students.  Libraries, preschools, and summer programs with mixed age groups often book two classes in succession, one for preschool and one for school age. 

Classes are $200 each.  If you would like to book multiple of the same workshop on the same day, or if you would like to book a series of 6 or more workshops discounts are available.  

Digging Dinosaurs (preschool & school age)

Become a junior paleontologist as we explore the features and characteristics that make dinosaurs fascinating. Learn about how we know what we know as you get hands on with a collection of interesting fossils.  Go on your own tabletop dinosaur dig and learn how paleontologists share their fossils as we make a cast of a T-rex tooth to take home.

Bugs!  (preschool & school age)

Everywhere we go we are surrounded by a miniature world creeping and crawling with bugs.  We will explore the amazing arthropods that make up the bugs we find all around us.  How are insects, arachnids, myriapods and isopods are the same and different. We will discover how bugs use camouflage to hide in plain sight and mimicry to confuse predators.  How do bugs around us help us and the environment?  What bugs do we find here in Minnesota, other than mosquitoes?  We will use what we learn to build our own bug to take home.  

Bubbles! (preschool & school age)

Let's explore the chemistry and physics of bubbles.  What is the chemistry that makes bubbles possible?  How do bubbles make all those beguiling colors?  What shapes can bubbles make?  Students will make their own bubble wand to take home and older children can make a 3D bubble wand.  We even bring our own special device that will put you in a bubble.

Under the sea (preschool & school age) 

We will explore the ocean from the sunlight zone to the depths of the midnight zone.  What amazing animals we find as we go deeper.  We will compare the features and habitats of whales, sharks, sea turtles and much more. 

Space flight  (preschool & school age) 

Are you ready to launch?  Learn how Newton’s laws of motion make space flight possible.  Experience how spacecraft use gyroscopes and angular momentum to orient themselves.  Learn how astronauts live, work, eat and even go to the bathroom in space.   Experiment with your own mini air powered rockets to take home.  If weather permits and if we have a safe area we may even launch a model rocket.

Real robots (preschool & school age) 

Explore the science and the fiction of the history of robotics.  Did you know that robotics and automation can be traced back thousands of years?  Learn how circuits, sensors and motors help a robot move and explore its environment. Get hands-on experience with a variety of different robots from robot arms, remotely controlled vehicles and even autonomous robots that use a very simple artificial intelligence.  We will build our own colorful mechanical hands to take home.

Slime Science!  (preschool & school age) 

It's slime time!  Let’s get slimy and learn all about polymers. Learn how our world is full of long chain molecules called polymers.  Look inside yourself and see the proteins, starches and DNA polymers that make you work.  We will make several different slimes and discover how polymers make our modern world.  This is science that will stick with you!

Shocking Science (school age)

What you will learn about static electricity will shock you.  We will examine how electrons move to make electricity and how static electricity is different.  Students will learn how to create static electricity and how to store their charge as they build a leyden jar to take home. If weather conditions cooperate you might even make your hair stand on end and play with 50000 volts with our Van De Graaff generator.  

Circuit Science (school age)

Let’s learn how electricity works by building some circuits.  Explore the shocking history of electricity and learn how electricity makes our modern world.  We will learn about voltage, current and resistance by building series and parallel circuits.  See how a fuse can save our house from fire.  Make your own light up firefly to take home.

Forensic Science (school age) 

Who done it? Use science to solve the mystery!  Learn how we use the super science of fingerprints, chemistry and even DNA to solve crimes.  How do forensic scientists use fingerprints to identify suspects?  Use chromatography to find the hidden colors that will solve the crime.  What is DNA and how do investigators use it to solve mysteries decades or even centuries old?   

Rocks Rock! (preschool & school age) 

Let's talk rocks!  We will learn about the three rock groups, igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary and the rock cycle. What rocks do we find here in Minnesota and how and where did they form?  How do we use the rocks around us in our everyday life?  We will become geologists and explore how to test and classify the rocks we find.  

Volcanoes and Earthquakes (school age) 

Let's look at the big geology that makes the earth shake and moves mountains.  We will explore the geology of earthquakes, volcanoes and the plate tectonics that drives them.  Learn how plate tectonics has changed the face of the earth over eons of time and how it affects us today.  Become an engineer and see how your building reacts to the S and P waves of an earthquake.  Discover the different types of volcanoes and create your own eruption using kitchen chemistry.

Aerial Inventions (Wind Tube) (preschool & school age)

Use your creativity to make a flying machine and watch it float away with our wind tube.  The wind tube is a vertical wind tunnel that allows kids to experiment with lift, drag and defy gravity as they design and test a simple flying machine.  This class is an excellent way to explore the design cycle through experience.  The best part is they get to take their creation home.

Solar System:  (preschool & school age)

Take a tour of the planets, moons, asteroids and other amazing objects that make up our solar system.  Discover why Pluto is classified as a dwarf planet and discover the other dwarf planets in our system.  We will explore the relative sizes and distances as we build a kid solar system using a roll of TP.  Your amateur astronomer will make like Magrathea and make their own planet to take home.  :)

You have Energy!  (preschool & school age) 

In this class we will learn about various types of energy, focusing on potential and kinetic energy.  We will experiment with gravitational potential and kinetic energy by playing with hot wheels, ramps and loops.  Engineer a marble run with your team.  Learn how springs and rubber bands store energy that you can use by building a pom pom catapult to take home.

Science of Illusion (preschool & school age) 

This class explores the science and engineering that makes magic and illusions possible.  Discover the simple science behind some popular magic tricks that you can do at home.  Watch water disappear and see how money can burn and survive.  Be amazed as you discover how optical illusions trick our minds.  Bring home your own mini magic trick to amaze your friends and family.

Magnetic Marvels  (preschool & school age) 

Let us investigate the marvelous world of magnets. We will explore one of the fundamental forces of the universe as we discover how magnets make our modern world move.  Discover how to see the invisible magnetic fields that surround magnets and experience how these invisible fields attract and repel.  Conduct tests to see what materials are magnetic and what are not.  Make a simple electromagnet out of wire and a bolt and see how electricity can make things magnetic.  Play with a simple electric motor to discover how magnets make us move.  Your Jr. Scientists will make their own magnet toy to take home.

Air Power  (preschool & school age) 

Is air really there?  Does air weigh anything at all?  Discover the power of the air all around you.  We will learn about Bernoulli's principle by filling wind bags and making balls float on air.   Watch the air around you cause cans to implode.  Have a tug of war with the atmosphere you live in.  I guarantee you will feel the pressure of the 62 miles of air that is weighing down on you right now.

You have Energy!  (preschool & school age) 

In this class we will learn about various types of energy, focusing on potential and kinetic energy.  We will experiment with gravitational potential and kinetic energy by making our own marble roller coaster.  Experience some fun ways our toys store energy and how to convert one type to another.  Turn your own muscle energy into electrical then light energy.  You will take home your own potential energy toy to continue your investigations at home.

Toy Tech (preschool & school age) 

Discover the amazing science and clever engineering that make our toys amazing.  See how Newton’s laws help a string thing do its thing.  Discover how gravity and momentum put the slink in Slinkys. Find out how magnets can make your toys marvelous.  How do our toys use springs and gravity to convert potential energy into kinetic energy to make things pop and fly.  We will even make a simple toy to bring home to continue the fun.

Cool Chemistry (school age)

Discover how chemistry makes our modern world possible.  We will learn about the structure of the atom by building a tasty model.  Explore some colorful chemistry with acid/base indicators.  Use your kitchen chemistry to inflate a balloon with carbon dioxide.  Learn how catalysts make some amazing chemical reactions happen. 

Secret Science: Codes and Ciphers  (School age)

Discover how we use codes and ciphers to send hidden messages.  Learn how a secret code inspired Louis Braille to invent his Braille system for the blind.  Learn how cryptologists decipher secret messages and try it for yourself.  You will learn several ways to send your secret messages securely and bring home some tools to continue your studies at home.  

Volcanoes and Earthquakes  (preschool & school age)

Let's look at the big geology that makes the earth shake and moves mountains.  We will explore the geology of earthquakes, volcanoes and the plate tectonics that make them happen.  Learn how plate tectonics has changed the face of the earth over eons of time and how it affects us today.  Become an engineer and see how your building reacts to the S and P waves of an earthquake.  Discover the different types of volcanoes and create your own eruption using some kitchen chemistry.

Aerospace Engineering (School age)

Let's fold and fly!  In this class we will discover the science and history of flight. We will learn to make a variety of fun paper airplanes from simple to advanced.  Explore how to use control surfaces like ailerons, elevators and rudders to allow your planes to do rolls and loops.  Your Junior Engineers will bring home their airplanes to keep the fun flying.

Cool Constellations  (preschool & school age)

Check out the night sky and learn about the stories hidden in the stars.  We will learn how telescopes and binoculars work and how to use them to explore the stars.  We will listen to the stories our ancestors told about the patterns they saw in the stars. We will make a planisphere to take home that will allow us to navigate the stars and find more constellations to learn about.  We will also make our own constellation and come up with a story to tell about it.

The Science of Color  (preschool & school age)

Let’s investigate the science of light and color.  We will discover how every beam of white light contains a whole rainbow of colors. Learn how we mix the primary colors to make any color we want.  We will experiment with how our eyes see all the colors of the world around us.  You will explore how scientists use the colors of the rainbow to identify new elements and even determine the makeup of distant stars and exoplanets.  

Wonderful Weather  (preschool & school age)

We will explore the wonderful and sometimes extreme world of weather.  How and why does it rain?  How do clouds form?  Do you know the difference between a cumulus and a cirrus cloud? We will learn how meteorologists measure the weather and make a tiny tornado in a bottle to take home.

Spinning Science  (preschool & school age)

We will spin you round and round as you explore rotational motion.  We will experiment with how we use centripetal force and angular momentum in some very fun ways.  You will experience how gyroscopes defy gravity and how dancers hack angular momentum to do high speed spins.  We will make our own spinning toy to make our friends and family dizzy.

Super Cool Science (school age)

This class is so cool it is 110 degrees below zero!  Let's explore the three states of matter and get some hands-on experience with phase changes.  We will see how sublimation works and how extreme temperatures can make coins shiver and make things pop.  We will take a cloud shower and catch amazing cloud filled bubbles. 

The Magic of Motion  (school age)

In this class we will explore Newton’s laws of motion through hands-on experiences.  We will demonstrate how inertia works as you attempt to pull a tablecloth out from under a table full of dishes.  You will experiment with how forces can set things in motion and bring things to a halt.  Throughout the class we will assemble your own Newton’s lab full of demonstrations that you will take home to amaze your friends and family.

Awesome Animals  (preschool & school age)

Let's explore the fantastic fauna of the world around us. We will learn about our favorite mammals, arthropods, amphibians, reptiles and much more.  You will learn how biologists have organized all the amazing animals in a tree of life.  Discover how animals use camouflage or crypsis to hide from predators or prey.  Learn how animals use teeth, shells, claws and even their hair to defend themselves.  Discover how we can learn about animals and their behavior from their tracks and other ways they impact their environment.

Marvelous Machines  (school age)

We will discover the six simple machines that make our world work.  How did the Egyptians use the inclined plane to build the pyramids?  Discover how a simple lever can make you as strong as a super hero.  Learn how ancient people making pots lead to the discovery of the wheel. Explore how the simple screw allowed the ancient Mesopotamians to water their fields, the Greeks to make their olive oil and allow Gutenberg to kick off the the Renaissance and Age of Enlightenment. 

Coding Robots  (preschool & school age)

What does it take to make a robot go?  In this class we will use simple commands to send our little robots on an adventure.  Tell your robot where to go with a simple line and use different color codes to send your mini robot commands.  We will construct our own bristlebot to take home and challenge it with a maze of our own design.   

Feel the Pressure  (school age)

Don’t underestimate the air around you.  All of your life, you have had thousands of pounds of air flowing around you and pressing in on every square inch.  We will explore the power of this air pressure as we crush cans and send mysterious vortexes flying across the room.  We will even make a mini vortex generator to take home.

Spy Tech  (school age)

Use your STEAM skills to learn about the clandestine technology used by secret agents. How do spies encrypt and use everyday items to pass secret messages?  How do they use disguises to hide their identity?  Are the spy gadgets from the movies fact or fiction?  We will learn all about that and even play Q and make our own Spy Gadget.  

Kitchen Chem  (school age)

Chemistry is all around us, especially in our kitchen. We will learn how to use an enzyme in yeast to make a mountain of foam.  We will explore the power of acids and bases as we investigate the pH of everyday drinks.  We can even make our own oobleck to experiment with!

Movie Magic  (school age)

Ready! Set! Action!  Let us embark on a journey through time as we explore the history of motion pictures.  How did a wager by a railroad mogul and former governor of California inspire the Lumiere brothers to invent the motion picture?  How do they use models and the knowledge of perspective to make volcanoes erupt, spaceships fly and monsters come to life?  We will even make our own phenakistoscope to make our drawings move!   

Awesome Atoms  (school age)

Never trust an atom.  They make up everything!  We will learn how protons, neutrons, and electrons come together to make the atoms all around us. We will explore the periodic table and learn how the 94 elements found in nature combine to form all of the molecules that build our universe.  We will even make some sweet atom models to take home!  

Super Sonic Sounds  (preschool & school age)

Let’s explore the science of sound. We will make some waves with tuning forks, boom wackers and lasers to discover how vibrations make the sound waves we hear.  How do we hear sound?  We will explore how our ear detects and our mind perceives sound.  We will learn about amplitude, frequency and wavelength as we make some waves of our own. 

Use the Force!  (school age)

Or should I say use the mass times acceleration.  We will find out all about forces as we delve into Newton’s second and third law of motion in this class.  We will experience firsthand how speed, velocity and acceleration get things moving.  We will make our own balloon car to take home.

Optical illusions  (school age)

Don’t believe your eyes!  This class explores how we can hack our vision and fool our mind to make some amazing optical illusions.  How do some simple images trick our brain into seeing what is not there? How can we use forced perspective to make two things of the same size look so different? How can simple patterns confuse our mind into seeing motion where it isn’t?  We will even make our own optical illusions to take home to entertain and perplex our parents. 

Structural Engineering  (school age)

How do engineers build amazing bridges that cross seas and skyscrapers that touch the sky?  We will explore how we use shapes like triangles and arches to tame the forces of tension and compression that would tear our modern world apart. We will learn how the Romans built fantastic aqueducts and bridges by building arches. Get hands-on experience by building a toothpick tower and test your own bridge design.

Catch a wave! (school age)

We will explore the wonderful world of waves we live in. Experiment with pendulums like Galileo did. Make your own waves with strings, sound and light. Use a very scientific slinky to generate longitudinal and transverse waves as you learn about frequency, wavelength, and amplitude. Bring home a simple wave simulator to bring what you learned home. 

Ready for Take Off! (school age)

As long as we have been human we have dreamed of leaving the solid ground and taking flight.  Leonardo daVinci dreamed of fantastic flying machines and even a parachute. It would take another 420 years and the Wright bothers to tame and control flight. We will explore the scientific principles that make flight possible by building hot air balloons, helium blimps, gliders and more. We will even make a stunt glider to continue our experiments at home.

Gravity (school age)

Catch an apple and come along with us to explore the force that makes stars shine and keeps the planets in motion. Let’s follow in the footsteps of Galileo and Newton as we explore how gravity works through a series of hands-on experiments. Recreate Galileo's famous gravity experiment that inspired Newton to revolutionize physics.  Learn how the earth pulls on us but we also pull on the earth.  Make your own gravity toy to bring home.

Taste (school age)

We assure you this class is tastefully fun. Learn about the four categories of flavors and how we taste them.  Experiment with how our sense of smell supercharges our sense of taste.  Do we really taste different things on different parts of our tongue?  Participate in a double blind taste test to learn how to construct reliable experiments.  Take home a few taste tricks to take home to amaze your family.

Marble Madness (school age)

Everyone says we have lost our marbles!  That may be true but we have fun doing so.  Marbles give us so many ways to experiment with gravity, motion and forces that we built a class around them.  Explore how to turn potential energy into cool kinetic motion by building marble runs and roller coasters.  Marvel at the mysterious motion that magnetic marbles make.  Make your own marble maze to take home. 

Cardboard construction (school age)

There is nothing more creative than a kid with a cardboard box.  We will set your imagination loose with my classroom set of Makedo cardboard construction tools.  Let your creativity guide you as you use the design cycle to endlessly invent and create with recycled cardboard.  Oh yes, you do get to take your creation home!

Cells (school age)

“Life is made out of cells. Cells make copies of themselves…”  They Might be Giants.  Let’s look at the tiny bubbles of DNA, mitochondria, proteins and lipids that are life on this earth.  We will use microscopes to look at cells and learn about what makes them similar and different.  Explore the structure of bacterial, plant, and animal cells by making a model to take home.  

Extended Workshops

Extended workshops involve larger and more in depth projects so can take two or three hours to complete.  They are generally for students in the 3rd grade up to middle school.

Robotic Engineering (school age)

In this class small groups of students will collaborate to build and program a LEGO Mindstorm robot. If time permits, groups can equip and program their robot to follow a line or explore the room using an ultrasonic sensor.  Due to the complexity of the build and programming students need to have completed second grade.  The content of this class covers a significant amount of the requirements needed for the retired robotics adventure for Bears in cub scouts, the Robotics Merit Badge and two of the three robotics badges for Girl Scouts.

Model Rocketry with Launch (school age)

Students will build a scratch built model rocket in the first third of the class.  They will learn about the history and future of rocketry and spaceflight while their rockets dry.  They will then, weather permitting, learn how to safely launch their rockets.  They will get to take the rockets they build home.  This class covers requirements for the Cub Scout Nova awards as well as some for the Space Exploration merit badge.

DYI Electric Motor (5th grade and up) 

Students will use, or reuse, everyday items such as a hanger, wire, refrigerator magnets, and some scrap wood pieces to build a simple but fully functional electric motor.  Yes, they get to take it home.