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.
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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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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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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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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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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Event Passports for Building with Biology events
Visitor "passports" can be used at your Building with Biology event to collect stamps at hands-on activity stations and scientists they've talked to.
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Online Workshop Recording: Nano Brown-Bag: Engaging Younger Audiences with Nanoscale Science
Online professional development workshop recording (2017).
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Exploring the Universe: Objects in Motion
In this activity, learners use "orbiting" clay balls to make simple, functioning models of interacting objects in space.
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Exploring the Universe: Space Guess Quest Game
In this activity, learners play a yes-or-no question guessing game that identifies the many types of objects in space, from human-made spacecraft to nebulas, galaxies, stars, and worlds.
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Exploring Science Practices: Measure Up
In this activity, young learners and caregivers use measuring tools to investigate foundational scientific concepts like distance, mass, and volume. Try this with a toddler or preschooler!
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