Scientifica

Transform your school into a science center with Montshire's Scientifica!

Create a hands-on science center — bring Scientifica to your school's gym or multi-purpose room for one or more days. Accompanied by a professional Montshire educator, Scientifica provides opportunities for students and adults to explore and test ideas, and to become actively involved in "doing" science, much as visitors do at the Montshire Museum. This mobile collection of hands-on exhibits allows students and families to explore light, electricity and magnetism, motion, and balance. Along with the truckload of exhibits, the Scientifica program includes a teacher workshop, a 2-hour community open house, and a teacher resource table.

Grades: K-12
Fee: $875 for first day of program, and $750 for each additional day. (Fee for a one-day program is $950.) Fees include exhibit set-up, a teacher workshop, an evening open house prior to the student program, and break down of exhibits. Trucking fee of $1.25/mile is additional.

The Exhibits

Scientifica uses approximately 2,000 square feet of space. Eighteen exhibit stations are clustered according to the following physical science topics:

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Light

Explore the concept of reflection in the Light exhibit cluster. Through a variety of open-ended activities with mirrors, students will develop their own understanding of reflection as they experiment and manipulate the exhibit components. The Light cluster is comprised of the following exhibits:

• Cracked Mirror: A series of small movable mirror blocks mounted on a vertical surface that students can move around and change their angle of reflection.

• Mirror Maze: A variety of mirrors with activity cards that let students set up various mirror mazes and other activities to better understand the relationship between the angle of reflection of light and its angle of incidence.

• Anamorphic Art: Two cylindrical mirrors with examples of anamorphic art to demonstrate how curved mirrors affect the reflection of light. Students also have the opportunity to create their own anamorphic art.

• Curved Reflections: A table top full of everyday examples of curved reflective surfaces. Also includes reflective material that students can bend in a variety of ways to demonstrate the difference between a concave and convex mirror.

• Praxinoscopes: Three different praxinoscopes that let students experiment with animation created by revolving mirrors.

• Duck-Under Kaleidoscope: A human-scale kaleidoscope that students can walk into.

• Anti-Gravity Mirror: A large mirror that lets students use their bodies in different ways to create the illusion that they are floating.

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Electricity and Magnetism

The Electricity and Magnetism cluster has a variety of exhibits that provide opportunities to experiment with magnetism and electric circuits.

• Pole Patterns: A large, clear disk filled with iron filings suspended in water allows children to visualize and manipulate the magnetic fields of different magnets. The pole patterns created take shape in a dynamic way and form highly detailed maps of the magnetic fields.

• Magnet Table: A variety of magnets, compasses and metal shapes provides ample opportunity for students to explore magnetism. A series of activity cards guides students through various activities.

• Spinning Magnet: Students spin a large bar magnet and move it in and out of a coil of wire to produce an electric current. This exhibit demonstrates the principle of an electric generator.

• Energy Bike: Students pedal a bicycle that is connected to a generator. The work they do is converted to electricity to light up incandescent and fluorescent light bulbs. This exhibit allows the user literally to feel a watt, and to recognize that it takes energy to create electricity. The more light bulbs the user wants to turn on, the more work she/he needs to do.

• Electricity Bench: This exhibit offers students the ability to explore basic electrical components and circuits with easy-to-assemble "building blocks." These building blocks include electrical components such as resistors, wires, switches, light bulbs, LED's and ammeters. Students can build very simple circuits or more complex circuits in series or parallel.

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Motion

The Motion exhibit cluster is an introduction to various aspects of mechanics. This cluster includes three tables plus a freestanding "Rollways" wall.

• Rollways: This exhibit is an exaggerated version of a marble chute. Students create their own rollways using movable slats on which golf balls can roll down, roll up, or jump. Rolling motion, acceleration of gravity, and momentum are the major concepts imbedded in this exhibit.

• Gears: A table full of gears and belts — students make their own contraptions.

• Large Tops: Large tops and oddly-shaped tops sit on this table. A clock lets students compare size and mass of the tops to the length of time they spin.

• Make Your Own Tops: Students design and make their own small tops using a variety of nuts, bolts and washers. Activity cards suggest ways for students to compare the behavior of their tops.

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Balance

The Balance cluster enables students to experiment with the concept of balance and counter-balance. Illustrations of Alexander Calder's work show a real-world application of these principles in the arts.

• Balancing Play: Students use prefabricated shapes with washers and Velcro attachments to create structures that will balance on a tightrope or a pencil eraser. Two balance sculptures provide insight into how counterbalance is achieved and how it affects an object's balancing point.

• Mobiles: Two mobile-making workstations allow for open-ended experimentation with balance, art, and design.

Montshire's outreach programs are offered at a substantial discount to schools. This is made possible by the generosity of donors who help subsidize our educational programs.