Explore the relationship between science and art this Homeschool Day. Students will experiment with watercolors, conductive painting, and other art activities!

activities

Watercolor & Rubbing Alcohol - Guests will experiment with watercolor and rubbing alcohol to create paintings that represent alcohol’s hydrophobic qualities

Corona Chalk Art - Guests will learn about the Sun’s atmosphere by creating chalk art that represents the Sun’s corona!

LEARNING LABS

Ages 5-7: Salty Watercolors (10:30am - 11:00am) - Students will experiment with watercolor and salt to explore how salt absorbs water to create stunning masterpieces

Ages 8-10 (11:30am - 12:30pm) and 11-17 (1:00pm - 2:00pm): Egg Tempera Painting - Students will learn about the chemistry of paint and make their own science-themed still life paintings using egg tempera paints

STEM SCHOLAR HOUR (2:30pm - 3:30pm)

Lorraine Zajac, children’s author and educator, will perform a reading of her book, “Logan’s 3D Printed Surprise.” She will then lead a Tinkercad design activity for students.

Earth’s oceans are home to many unique ecosystems and creatures. Students and guests will explore deep sea vents, ocean currents, and sharks and squids!

ACTIVITIES

Ocean Zone Explorers - Guests will go on a deep sea adventure and complete a scavenger hunt around the museum that takes them to the different zones of the ocean

Surfacing Submarines - Have you ever wondered how a submarine works? Guests can participate in our Surfacing Submarine activity, where they will experiment with and learn about mass, density, and chemical reactions through a hands-on activity. They will also explore how buoyancy affects a submarine's ability to ascend and descend.

Color Changing Squids - Guests will learn about how squids use chromatophores to change color by making a color-changing squid thaumatrope

LEARNING LABS

Oil Spill Cleanup (Ages 5-7, 10:30am - 11:00am) - Students will learn about oil spills, how they affect the environment, and learn how to clean up oil spills using a common household ingredient

Blown Away (Ages 8-10, 11:30am - 12:30pm) - Students will create a model ocean ecosystem and explore how ocean currents affect these ecosystems

Deep Sea Vents (Ages 11-17, 1pm - 2pm) - Students will create model hydrothermal vents and investigate how the transfer of energy affects solids and liquids

STEM Scholar Hour (2:30pm - 3:30pm)

Shark or Squid Dissections - Students will follow along with an instructor to dissect their own sharks (or squids)!

STEM Scholars and their families have the opportunity to spend an extra 45 minutes after each Homeschool Day with Science Mill staff, taking deeper dives into the STEM theme of the day along with a variety of STEM principles, STEM careers, and at-home STEM projects.

For this year’s STEM Scholar Project, participants will experience the process of designing a new exhibit for a science museum. From February to April 2025, scholars will conceptualize, plan, and create models of their ideas during STEM Scholar Hour, which they will then present during the last Homeschool Day of the year. Who knows, your kiddos may one day see their exhibits on the Science Mill museum floor!

Coders and Engineers are needed this Homeschool Day! Students and guests will create and program robots of all kinds, even human robots!

SPECIAL ACTIVITIES (10am - 2pm)

Cardboard Robots - At this station, guests will create their own robots out of cardboard and craft materials!

mBot Mini Golf - At this station, guests will control an mBot to navigate a mini golf course!

Code a Human Robot (Make a Lemonade) - Try to code a human robot to make a glass of lemonade. What seems like a simple task is complicated by the hilarious ways that robot language and thinking is different from our own. Can you translate commands into a form that robots can’t get wrong? Schedule: 11:00am and 12:30pm

LEARNING LABS

Ages 5-7 Lab: Mr. Ozobot’s Neighborhood (10:30am - 11:30am) - Students will learn about inputs and outputs in regards to coding by drawing a neighborhood that an ozobot will drive through.

Ages 8-10 Lab: Spy Mission: Micro Chat (11:30am - 12:30pm) - Students will learn about inputs and outputs by coding a microbit to send messages to each other through radio transmission.

Ages 11-17 Lab: Micro Mission (1:00pm - 2:00pm) - Students will learn about inputs and outputs and computer hardware and software as they explore a tiny pocket sized computer or microcontroller called a Micro:Bit. They will explore the MakeCode Software and create their own programs for the Micro:Bit.

STEM Scholar Hour (2:30pm - 3:30pm)

Get an up-close look at some seriously cool robots! Robotics team coach Bradley Gray will present the JC Joules competition robot and talk about complex systems and inputs and outputs. Then, scholars will join our Exhibits Coordinator George Clement to explore the Mars Rover exhibit and talk about exhibit design considerations for robotics.