Celebrate Earth Week at Discovery Museum
Acton, MA – Discovery Museum will explore our connection to the Earth through science, art, and play during Earth Week, April 18 through 26, which falls during April school vacation week. The Museum will offer twice daily visitor programs most days, as follows:
Saturday, April 18
Music and Movement with Miss Bernadette
10:00am – 10:30am, Indoors
Explore sound through singing and playing. Move, make music, listen, learn, and get a multi-sensory workout! Music improves your child’s memory, cognitive development, learning skills, and ability to express emotion. Plus, it’s fun! Miss Bernadette is a professional musician and music educator.
Meet the Scientist: Exploring Emergency Management with Tempestt Morgan
1:00pm – 3:00pm, Indoors
Meet Tempestt Morgan, who works in Emergency Management at Beth Isreal Deaconess Medical Center, and learn about how she uses science to create stronger communities in the face of natural disasters. Try some hands-on engineering and math activities inspired by different areas of Tempestt’s work in emergency management and ask her questions about why she finds science cool and exciting!
Sunday, April 19
Chemists Celebrate Earth Week: Trees and Forests
10:00 am – 12:00pm, Indoors
Discover the science behind Trees and Forests: Into the Woods with Chemistry as we celebrate Chemists Celebrate Earth Week. Join us and our guest educators from the North Eastern Section of American Chemical Society and have fun exploring chemistry through hands-on activities related to this year’s theme, Trees and Forests!
Indoor Garden
1:00pm – 3:00pm, Indoors
Enjoy some plants indoors while nature is still waking up outdoors. Make observations, touch, compare and contrast a variety of indoor plants.
Monday, April 20
"Every Rock Has A Story" with Professor Ethan Baxter
10:00am – 12:00pm
Join us for a rocky twist on Storytime with Ethan Baxter, Boston College Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences and host of "Every Rock Has a Story" on YouTube. We will explore the surprising stories locked inside dazzling rocks and minerals; feel free to bring your own!
Bug Hunt
1:00pm – 3:00pm, Outdoors
We’ll flip logs and stones in Discovery Woods in search of as many bugs as we can find. Explore for roly-polies, millipedes, beetles, slugs, and other tiny critters that share our outdoor space. Inclement weather may result in changes to the program, or cancellation.
Tuesday, April 21
Nature Take Aparts
10:00am – 12:00pm, Outdoors
An organic spin on our classic Take Aparts program: curious what’s inside flowers, cones, seed pods, and stems? Use a variety of tools to take apart natural objects and investigate their insides. Inclement weather may result in changes to the program or cancellation.
Meet the Artist: Sarah Spencer
1:00pm – 3:00pm, Outdoors
Join local artist Sarah Spencer for an adventure in art and science with cyanotype, an old-fashioned process that prints photos in blue tones using UV light and water. Create your own print and watch as it comes to life, changing colors right before your eyes. Connect with nature by using pressed flowers, ferns, and leaves, or get creative with photo negatives and found objects. Inclement weather may result in changes to the program or cancellation.
Wednesday, April 22
Outdoor Scientists
10:00am – 12:00pm, Outdoors
Get a new perspective on Discovery Woods by exploring with a variety of science tools. Measure, observe, compare, and contrast as we collect some data and look closely at what we find. Inclement weather may result in changes to the program or cancellation.
Meet the Scientist: Our Changing Ocean with Boston College
1:00pm – 3:00pm, Indoors
Join Professor Tony Wang and doctoral students from the Earth and Environmental Sciences department at Boston College to explore the science of our changing ocean. Discover the intricate workings of ocean circulation and the essential role of phytoplankton, practice fish dissection and uncover earstones (otoliths), and use a microscope to identify microfossils. Learn about the impact of climate change on coral reefs and the Antarctic Ocean. These hands-on activities will offer valuable insights into the dynamic and vital world of ocean science!
Thursday, April 23
Explore Local Ecosystems
10:00am – 12:00pm
Today, meet a Discovery Museum youth volunteer and environmental advocate. Come hear about their work with advocacy groups and learn about the importance of wildlife that live right in our backyard!
Stone Soup
1:00pm – 3:00pm, Outdoors
Join us in Discovery Woods as we collect some of nature’s “ingredients:” stones, pebbles, leaves, flowers, dirt, and twigs. Pour, stir, simmer, and boil as we imagine our way through a pot of stone soup. Inclement weather may result in changes to the program or cancellation.
Friday, April 24
Explore a Vintage Electric Car
10:00am—12:00pm, Outdoors
A tiny French car from 1959 was converted to electric in 1973 right here in Boston. 50 years and a few updates later, it's back on the road. Come poke around this time-traveler that's halfway between a radio-controlled car and a modern EV. Learn - and see - how batteries, motors, and controllers combine to make electric vehicles go. Inclement weather may result in changes to the program or cancellation.
Geology Rocks!
1:00pm—3:00pm Indoors
In today’s program, discover the wonders of geology as we use tools to explore and observe rocks with interesting properties. Amplify your message with a “TV rock”, use a UV light to investigate fluorescing rocks, and consider starting a rock collection of your own! After your visit, check out our Discovery at Home page to watch our video of “Things to do with a Rock.”
Saturday, April 25
Spray and Splatter Painting
10:00am – 12:00pm, Outdoors
Join us for an exciting action-art experience! Work together to spray and splatter some bright spring colors to make a communal masterpiece. Inclement weather may result in changes to the program, or cancellation.
Sunday, April 26
Explore an Insect Zoo
10:00 am – 12:00pm, Indoors
Today, meet a Discovery Museum youth volunteer and environmental advocate. Get to know insects and other small creatures from near and far.
Natural History Mysteries
1:00 pm – 3:00pm, Indoors
Explore some of the artifacts in our collection and become a natural history detective! Can you figure out what the artifacts are by using your observation skills and a variety of science tools?
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