Discovery Activities
Discovery-based, hands-on learning experiences at the Science Learning Center
A visit to Brookhaven's Science Learning Center will excite and engage students. Young scientists can enjoy discovery-based, hands-on learning experiences centered on a variety of scientific principles.
Session Information
- Field trip sessions are offered on a first-come, first-served basis.
- Contact us to schedule your field trip.
- In-person sessions
- Tuesday - Friday, 10 - 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 - 2 p.m.
- Activities are pre-selected based on grade level.
- Up to two classes per session, maximum 30 students/class
- Virtual sessions
- Tuesday - Friday, 10 - 10:30 a.m., 11:15 - 11:45 a.m., and 12:30 - 1 p.m.
- Select one activity
- Up to two classes per session
- Teachers will receive a detailed Teacher Notes guide upon booking.
- Secure link to Zoom.gov videoconferencing platform will be provided.
Programs
- Intro to Measurement
(In-person only) Use various materials to measure the length of an object to understand the need for a standard unit of measure.
- Seeing the Light
(In-person or Virtual) Explore the various properties of light.
- Sounds Around
(In-person or Virtual) Learn how sound is produced and travels through different forms of matter.
- Animal Tracking
(In-person or Virtual) Utilize observational skills to identify the characteristics of an unnamed animal as each species has its own track.
- Engineering with Gravity
(In-person or Virtual) Design and build a structure that demonstrates gravitational pull.
- Properties of Matter
(In-person only) Use measuring tools to identify the correct sample material by understanding it's properties.
- Conductors & Insulators
(In-person only) Create a simple circuit to determine what materials are good conductors and insulators.
- Magnets
(In-person or Virtual) Learn the properties of magnets and determine which materials are magnetic.
- Observing Nano in Nature
(In-person or Virtual) Learn about nanotechnology in nature through scientific observation.
- Collisions
(In-person or Virtual) Use marbles to simulate particle collisions to learn about energy transfer.
- Potential & Kinetic Energy
(In-person or Virtual) Collect and analyze data from a vehicle traveling down a ramp to understand potential and kinetic energy.
- Series & Parallel Circuits
(In-person only) Create both series and parallel circuits that are powered by a hand-crank generator.
- Magnetic Levitation
(In-person only) Use magnets and math to design and test the efficiency of a MagLev train.
- Spectroscopy
(In-Person or Virtual) Identify chemical elements through spectra produced by diffraction.
- Static Electricity
(In-person or Virtual) Transfer electrons from the Van de Graaff generator to make objects repel each other.
