Up to 30 participants, held in one of our learning lab spaces, engaging inquiry based 45-minute program.
All field trip programs are also available as Science On The Go! programs at your location, except: People of the Three Fires.
See how each program aligns with Michigan Standards!
Interested in a virtual program? Contact us!
PRESCHOOL - KINDERGARTEN
Dino Discovery
Earth & Space Science
Work like a paleontologist and travel back in time to visit the land of dinosaurs. This program is designed to invite hands-on explorations including uncovering fossils in our dig box, making imprints, fossil rubbings, and more to help piece together the story of those that ruled the land millions of years ago.
Investigating Insects
Life Science
Explore the fascinating adaptations of insects and arachnids. This hands-on program is designed to invite inquiry through activity stations including mounted specimens, living creatures, camouflage, and more.
What Makes Objects Move?
Physical Science
Explore the concept of motion while observing cause and effect relationships. Students engage in asking questions, exploring materials, and communicating ideas, all while discovering what causes objects to move.
1ST - 2ND GRADES
Dino Tale
Earth & Space Science
Discover how our understanding of dinosaurs is learned through the stories preserved in amazing fossil discoveries! Help uncover the unlikely survival of a dinosaur that survived an attack from the greatest predator of all time.
History Alive: Frontier Michigan
Social Studies
How did people of 1796 live in what is now known as Detroit? Explore the early trades and tools used by the 18th century multicultural community of Southeastern Michigan.
Let’s Explore! Rocks & Fossils
Earth and Space Science
Students investigate real fossils and rocks from the Institute’s collection! Consider what clues the samples provide about Michigan’s history. Gather evidence to support explanations about the slow changes in Michigan’s landscape over time.
Webs and Wings
Life Science
Enter the world of insects and arachnids! This hands-on program investigates anatomy, adaptations, and behavior using models and live animals from the Institute’s collection.
Energy of Motion
Physical Science
Utilize this inquiry-based experience to explore the concept of motion and study cause and effect relationships. Practice scientific processes by asking questions, observing, designing solutions, exploring materials, communicating ideas, all while discovering what causes objects to move.
What is AI?
Computer Science
Paired with children's literature, young learners practice skills such as categorizing, predicting outcomes, and probability to build small language models and better create an understanding of what artificial intelligence is and how it works.
3RD – 5TH GRADES
Ancient Michigan: Ice, Water, and Fire
Earth & Space Science
Travel back in time to investigate real fossils, rocks, and minerals from the Institute’s collection! Consider what clues the samples of glacial till, limestone, halite, copper, and marine fossils provide about Michigan’s geologic history. Gather evidence to support explanations about changes in Michigan’s landscape over time.
Built to Survive: Cockroach vs. Spider
Life Science
Enter the world of insects and arachnids! This program investigates anatomy, adaptations, and behavior using models and live animals from the Institute’s collection.
Challenge: Pegboard Track Design
Science & Engineering | Recommended for grades 5+
Test your problem-solving skills to work out the Pegboard Challenge. Performing like an engineer, think outside the box, and collaborate with your peers to move a small ball across obstacles – with a limited amount of time and resources.
Claim, Evidence, and Reasoning: Prehistoric Ecosystem Unlocked!
Science & Engineering
Students embark on a series of investigations utilizing the claim, evidence, reasoning method to solve the mystery of identifying a fossil, study ancient fossils for clues, and manipulate prehistoric food web models to uncover a true survival of the fittest saga.
Dinos Drawn Wrong
Life Science
Ponder the fact that every dinosaur image ever constructed was based solely on the evidence or knowledge available at the time. As scientists unearth new evidence and data is updated, so is our understanding of what dinosaurs may have looked like – possibly rendering previous images inaccurate! This hands-on program demonstrates how paleo artists use current science to make the most accurate designs possible.
Fur Trade Alive!
Social Studies
Meet a French voyageur on the middle ground between Native Peoples and European traders of 18th century Michigan. Hands-on materials enliven the adventure, which takes place in a period Native American replica wigwam (weather permitting.).
How Do We Train AI?
Computer Science
Students participate in digital literacy practice through simulations that help uncover what AI really is and how it works. Engage in building decision tree models to simulate how machines analyze input to make meaning.
Invent It! Engineering in Action
Science & Engineering
Experience the engineering skill of empathizing with others, the power of brainstorming ideas, and the necessity of creating a 2D design prototype to meet the needs of a predetermined user. Participating in this Design Thinking process includes sharing and receiving group feedback to enhance prototypes.
Money!
Social Studies
Explore the compelling question of how we meet our wants and needs in a world of limited resources. Trace the development of human economies across the centuries with close-up views of ancient and modern currencies from around the world. Interactive activities bring to life marketplaces past and present and the choices consumers make each day.
People of the Three Fires
Social Studies
Trace the story of Michigan’s Native Peoples from the end of the last Ice Age to the present day. Investigate the lifeways of Anishinaabeg (Ojibway, Ottawa, and Potawatomi) across the centuries, touching on artforms, languages, and technologies.
Web of Life: Michigan Ecosystems
Life Science
Explore the interrelationships between living and non-living things to see how energy flows through food webs to sustain life. Students work in groups to create a manipulative model of a food web and then participate in collaborative design feedback.
6TH - 8TH GRADES
Anatomy of T. Rex
Life Science
Examine fossil casts of T. rex from different stages of growth and development and draw conclusions on how this massive dinosaur’s structures supported its growth, behavior, and overall survival as the apex predator of its time. Recent studies focusing on the T. rex brain, including how it likely processed information and its perceived level of intelligence, will be analyzed.
Ancient Michigan: Ice, Water, and Fire
Earth & Space Science
Travel back in time to investigate real fossils, rocks, and minerals from the Institute’s collection! Consider what clues the samples of glacial till, limestone, halite, copper, and marine fossils provide about Michigan’s geologic history. Gather evidence to support explanations about changes in Michigan’s landscape over time.
Challenge: Pegboard Track Design
Science & Engineering | Recommended for grades 5+
Test your problem-solving skills to work out the Pegboard Challenge. Perform like an engineer, think outside the box, and collaborate with your peers to move a small ball across obstacles – with a limited amount of time and resources.
Claim, Evidence, and Reasoning: Prehistoric Ecosystem Unlocked!
Science & Engineering
Students embark on a series of investigations utilizing the claim, evidence, and reasoning method to solve the mystery of identifying a fossil, study ancient fossils for clues, and manipulate prehistoric food web models to uncover a true survival of the fittest saga.
Dinos Drawn Wrong
Life Science
Ponder the fact that every dinosaur image ever constructed was based solely on the evidence or knowledge available at the time. As scientists unearth new evidence and data is updated, so is our understanding of what dinosaurs may have looked like – possibly rendering previous images inaccurate! This hands-on program demonstrates how paleo artists use current science to make the most accurate designs possible.
Fossils, Rocks, and Change
Earth & Space Science
Gather evidence from the fossil record using Institute fossil specimens to construct an explanation of how the geologic time scale is used to organize Earth’s history. Examine real fossils, place them in order of emergence from oldest to youngest following the law of superposition, and identify time periods of a species’ existence, extinction, or adaptation, over time.
Groundwater Detectives
Earth & Space Science
Explore the importance and mechanics of groundwater resources and their importance to Michigan communities. Students will work in teams to investigate groundwater contamination and utilize detective skills following clues to determine the pollution source, then brainstorm solutions to clean up contamination.
How Does AI Work?
Computer Science
Students participate in digital literacy practice through simulations that help uncover what AI really is and how it works. Engage in building unbiased decision tree models to classify information simulating how machines learn to beat you in a game.
Every Rock Has A Story
Earth & Space Science
Explore and evaluate evidence for continental drift and plate tectonic movement with rocks, fossils, and casts from the Institute’s collection. Discover what the distribution of earthquakes, volcanoes, mountains, rift valleys, rocks, and minerals tells us about continental movement.
I Live in a Watershed
Earth & Space Science
Investigate the ways in which land use impacts the water quality of local watersheds and ultimately the Great Lakes through hands-on learning. Students will work in teams to examine the problem of stormwater runoff by designing and polluting a model community and discover how green infrastructure can protect their watershed.
More Money!
Social Studies
Go global in this exploration of macroeconomics! How do world-shaking events, natural and man-made, affect the World’s economic system? How does that impact our daily lives? Students explore the roots of modern free-market and command economies and play a fast-paced, interactive card game, taking on the role of world traders in commodities such as oil and electronics. For Science on the GO!, this is a single-class program.
Shifting Earth: A Hands-On Story of Plate Tectonics
Earth & Space Science
Explore and evaluate evidence for continental drift and plate tectonic movement with rocks, fossils, and casts from the Institute’s collection. Discover what the distribution of earthquakes, volcanoes, mountains, rift valleys, rocks, and minerals tells us about continental movement.
9TH - 12TH GRADES + ADULTS
Anatomy of T. Rex
Life Science
Examine fossil casts of T. rex from different stages of growth and development and draw conclusions on how this massive dinosaur’s structures supported its growth, behavior, and overall survival as the apex predator of its time. Recent studies focusing on the T. rex brain, including how it likely processed information and its perceived level of intelligence, will be analyzed.
Critical Thinking & AI
Computer Science
Students become more skilled consumers and producers of information as they uncover the importance of determining the purpose and source of information which they engage with . Analyze digital content to think about purpose, credibility, and authenticity. Engage in building a decision tree model simulating how machines analyze input to make meaning.
My Money!
Social Studies
Help students prepare to enter the economics of our working world in this activity-based program that starts with a whirlwind tour of the history of money with artifacts from the Institute’s collections. Then it poses the question, “How can I retire as a millionaire?”. Using the Financial Literacy & Education Commission’s MyMoney Five principles approach, participants engage in activities to understand the importance of creating a household budget and building a retirement plan.
Reading the Rock Record
Earth & Space Science
Gather evidence from the fossil record using Institute fossil specimens to construct an explanation for how the geologic time scale is used to organize Earth’s history. Examine real fossils, place them in order of emergence from oldest to youngest following the law of superposition, and identify time periods of a species existence, extinction, or changes over time.
Shifting Earth: A Hands-On Story of Plate Tectonics
Earth & Space Science
Explore and evaluate evidence for continental drift and plate tectonic movement with rocks, fossils, and casts from the Institute’s collection. Discover what the distribution of earthquakes, volcanoes, mountains, rift valleys, rocks, and minerals tells us about continental movement.