The Museum of Arts & Sciences has many choices for Family Science Nights. Bring us to your school for a Family Science Night or Science Day, or have your Family Science Night at the Museum! Family Science Nights are available as evening events Monday-Thursday.

The Family Science Night program lasts for 1.5 hours. MOAS provides two curators and 15 science stations. 

Science Stations

The Museum of Arts & Sciences' Education Department provides curriculum-based science nights to Volusia County Schools, as well as surrounding county schools. Please choose 14-15 stations from the list of activities below. This list does not include the portable planetarium, but if you wish to include it for an event please inquire. 

Elementary Schools

Newton's 1st Law of Motion: Students will test this principle (an object at rest tends to stay at rest, and an object in motion tends to stay in motion) using two foam balls and a ramp.

Newton's 2nd Law of Motion: Acceleration of an object is dependent upon two variables - the net force acting upon the object and the mass of the object. Students will test the acceleration of a golf ball and a foam ball and compare the net force of the two different masses. 

X-Ray Vision: Students will test and understand how x-rays work and how they are a part of the electromagnetic spectrum. 

Potential and Kinetic Energy: Students will test the difference between potential and kinetic energy with rubber bands and cars.

Rotation Station: A spinning object resists a change in orientation, so when the student tries to force it the opposite way the wheel will force its movement through the student. It is basically the transfer of energy. You can also mention rotation and revolution of an object. Example: Earth revolves around the Sun and the Earth's rotation around its axis (24 hours). 

Circuits: Students will create and complete circuits using the circuit boards. They will understand that electrical energy is from moving electrons from the difference between a series circuit and a parallel circuit. 

Sound Effects: Sound is a wave that is created by vibrating objects and propagated through a medium from one location to another. Students will design paths for the marbles to take a make noise. 

Electromagnet: Students will understand how electromagnets get their magnetic field from turning on and off the electricity running through the copper wires. 

Hand Battery: Students will understand batteries need two different types of metals and an electrolyte solution to create an imbalance of charge and the voltage. The student will complete the current by placing their hands on the two different metals (Al and Cu). 

Microscopes: Students will understand why we use microscopes and observe different slides provided. 

Recycling: Students will place the different slides provided in the appropriate recycling bins. 

Tree Rings: Students will observe and understand the different layers of a tree. Determining the age of the tree by counting the growth rings in a cross-section of its trunk is called Dendrochronology. 

Laser Harp: Students will have a great time playing our portable Laser Harp, just like the one in the Children's Museum. By blocking the lasers, students can create music using different settings.

Solar Energy: Students will take a closer look at how the Sun can create energy that we can use in our homes, businesses, stores, and more. We also discuss ways in which this energy can be stored for later use when the Sun is no longer in the sky.

Ancient Mammals and Reptiles: Students can observe some of the noticeable, and not so noticeable, differences while sorting ancient reptiles (Dinosaurs) and Ice Age mammals. This hands-on activity can also teach students about different animal classifications that are noticeable in today's species. 

Power Consumption: Students will become familiar with the three basic units of electricity and observe which forms of lighting use the most energy.

Solar System Scale Down: Students will compare the size of the planets to a 10 ft. Sun. Students will become more familiar with the order and size of our Solar System.

Ocean Zones: Students will become familiar with layers of the oceans, different ecosystems, and why light cannot travel to immense depths. 

Molecules in Motion: Students will explore what happens to different objects in a chamber as air is removed. They will become more familiar with why atoms, molecules, and random particles are so spread out in space, and how NASA researchers are studying this phenomenon.

Build a Battery: Chemists study how different materials behave and change, and how materials interact with each other. In this activity, students will get to make a battery by converting chemical energy into electrical energy.

Future Builder: Students will work together (or with parents/facilitator) to build everything your community needs. They will begin to understand how sustainable communities meet the needs of people, the planet, and the economy. 

Water Roll: People need water for many things, but clean water is a limited resource. Students will become familiar with where our freshwater is used most and ways to conserve this valuable, but limited, resource. 

Middle Schools

Atmospheric Pressure: Students will notice that the bag conforms to the bag-person's body. This happens because higher air pressure always wants to move toward regions of lower air pressure. 

Van Der Graff Generator: Students will observe how positive electrons try to escape through them and eventually their hair while their hands are placed on the metal globe. 

Sublimation Bubbles: Chemistry can help us understand our world and learn about how materials behave and change. Students will learn about the chemical process of sublimation while using dry ice. 

Pricing

$550 for 15 stations

$625 for 15 stations and the portable planetarium (seats approximately 30 students in inflates like a bounce house. Requires a space of 30 feet across and 13 feet tall. 

$725 for 15 stations and the portable planetarium (out-of-county price may vary depending on distance)

Science Nights at MOAS

$550 Students, parents, and teachers can plan a night at the Museum as their Science Night. It includes the Lemerand Wing, Children's Museum, Root Family Museum, and planetarium shows. Museum rules and guidelines apply to everyone who is attending the Science Night. 

Contact

Nicole Messervy at nicolem@moas.org or 386-255-0285 ext. 313

Resources