Group of children and adults using dry ice to make bubbles in Explore Science Let's Do Chemistry Sublimation Bubbles activity

Short Activities

Short activities are brief hands-on experiences lasting less than 15 minutes for small groups of people. They are often presented at a table, cart, or demonstration space in a variety of settings such as a museum exhibit gallery, classroom, or other public or group setting. Multiple short activities can be combined to form a longer activity.
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Showing 11 - 20 of 180 results

A learner and facilitator place a heavy ball in the middle of a fabric stretched well

Exploring the Universe: Orbiting Objects

In this activity, learners experiment with different sized and weighted balls on a stretchy fabric gravity well.
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A family looks at an image through a blue filter

Exploring the Universe: Filtered Light

In this activity, learners discover how colored filters can help reveal more about an image and we can use light and filters to learn more about an object.
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Learners pull on elastic bands to simulate the stretching of the universe

Exploring the Universe: Expanding Universe

In this activity, learners pull at the edges of a stretchy model universe and see that the space between objects in the universe is expanding.
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Facilitator and Learner use a block with a rover image to transport astronauts

Exploring the Solar System: Story Blocks

Every space mission has a story. In this activity, learners use blocks to tell a creative story about planning a space mission to explore the Moon together.
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Children exploring Building with Biology DNA activity using pipette

Exploring Structures - DNA

In this activity, learners create a necklace of wheat germ DNA to explore self-assembly
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Two kids in cleanroom suits and PPE hugging and smiling at the camera

Tiny Particles, Big Trouble!

In this activity, learners investigate clean rooms by sniffing scents that are too small to see, trying on the head-to-toe suits that scientists wear in clean rooms, and manipulating pretend silicon wafers with tweezers.
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Two learners and one facilitator look and discuss a space elevator concept that one of the learners drew on paper

Exploring Nano & Society - Space Elevator

In this activity, learners imagine and draw what a space elevator might look like, what support systems would surround it, and what other technologies it might enable.
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Boy holding a plastic bag of green oobleck with a plastic Easter egg

Exploring Materials - Oobleck

In this activity, learners investigate the properties of a cornstarch and water mixture, called Oobleck, and test its ability to protect from impacts.
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A learner blows air on a pinwheel

Exploring Size - Moving Molecules

In this activity, learners use an air cannon toy to spin pinwheels to explore what makes up air.
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Hands holding square of polarizers and transparent tape

Exploring Materials - Polarizers

In this activity, learners experiment how polarizers affect light by using two polarizing sheets and overlapping layers of transparent tape.
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