The Lawrence Hall of Science
The public science center of the University of California, Berkeley.
Wednesday–Sunday 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. Animal Discovery Zone 11:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
We’ll bring our science programs to you.
We partner with school districts to support science learning. We offer district-wide elementary, middle, and high school programs, either virtually or in-person.
We collaborate with a range of partners to innovate in science education. Together, we go further.
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Grades K-8
Tuesday – Friday
60-75 minutes
From circuits to slime, our workshops spark curiosity and strengthen science and engineering practices. Workshops are ideal for groups of 20-28 students, grades K-8.
The Lawrence Hall of Science provides NGSS-aligned science programs directly for students. Our programs engage them in the practices that scientists and engineers use in their work, including problem-solving, communication, collaboration, and arguing from evidence. We interweave the development of these skills with content knowledge to empower young people from all backgrounds to think, work, and live together in a future increasingly shaped by science and technology.
What’s included:
lawrenceinfo@berkeley.edu
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Is slime a solid, a liquid, or something in between? Students consider the differences between these states of matter and discuss their properties, creating a working definition. The young chemists measure and mix liquids, categorize the slimy results, and get to take their colorful concoctions home.
There’s a heat wave, and the cooling fans of Hot Town Elementary School aren’t working very well. Is there a way to make the fans run better to keep the school cool? Through exploration and investigations with circuits, students in this workshop design a solution to wire the building more effectively to transfer energy from its source to fans throughout the school.
“Why does it do that? What would happen if…?” Dry ice inspires students to create their own questions and investigations in this frosty, foggy, and bubbly workshop.
How do squid swim? Catch prey? Eat? Reproduce? Is ink a means to escape predators? These are just some of the questions students will come up with when they observe squid swimming, eating, and reproducing. Through external explorations, observations, and dissection of a fresh squid, students will find evidence to answer their own questions and explain the functions of various structures they find on and in their squid.
Students explore the ups and downs of force and motion through playful investigations with balls and creative building materials. They experiment with how to use the materials to make a ball move, and they become familiar with the engineering design process as they design, build, test, and revise structures to solve a design challenge.
Students engage in problem solving as they make inventions using simple hydraulic systems. They think like engineers as they design, build, test, and redesign their models. Open-ended investigations with specialized materials and tools focus students on cause and effect relationships and inspire them to create innovative solutions.
Students are introduced to engineering and properties of fluids as they envision and build a hydraulic contraption. This experience focuses on students’ defining problems, designing and evaluating solutions, and assessing, discussing, and redesigning their creations.
Students engage in problem-solving as they explore linkages in this hands-on engineering design activity. They design and build moving toys using two-dimensional mechanical linkages and test them for performance.
Students are introduced to engineering as they explore the role of force and motion in designing mechanisms that move in specific ways. Using two dimensional mechanical linkages they create mechanisms with different inputs and outputs, then use what they have learned to design their own.
Workshop Full Rate:
Workshop Title 1 Rate:
Availability:
*The above rates apply to schools, community groups, and nonprofit organizations. For rates and availability for other types of clients, please email our Registration Office at lhsreg@berkeley.edu.
Request a workshop at your site now! Use this form to fill out your preferences, and one of our Registration Specialists will contact you shortly.