Area science museums host special programs of interest to budding scientists and their families
Science in Toyland
Children's everyday playthings can inspire learning about scientific principles. Science in Toyland is an interactive exhibit that develops scientific reasoning and research skills as students build bridges, construct houses, run a tournament of tops and use roller coasters.
Cranbrook Institute of Science, 39221 Woodward Ave., Bloomfield Hills, 248-645-3200. Museum is open Saturday through Thursday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Friday, 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Exhibit free with regular admission.
For more information, go to http://science.cranbrook.edu/common/news_detail.asp? newsid=411297&L1=2&L2=4&L3=.
First Impression Room
The First Impression Room invites exploration and discovery for children ages 1-4. Activities involving magnets, light, gears, sand and water play are combined with social and language development activities. Younger scientists (infants and crawlers) are provided a protected space that assures a safe, stimulating environment. Also available is a quiet reading area complete with nonfiction science books, classic children's titles in English and Spanish, and resource books on child development.
Impression 5 Museum, 200 Museum Drive, Lansing, 517-485-8116. Museum is open Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sunday, 1 p.m.-5 p.m.; workshops are from 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
For more information go to www.impression5.org.
National Engineers Week
National Engineers Week is an opportunity for students and teachers to gain hands-on experiences in math and science. The 2008 theme is Engineers Make a World of Difference. According to museum officials, activities will include Hoop Gliders, designed to engineer flight, and Paper Towers, in which participants build a tower that will support a golf ball using only one sheet of newspaper.
Feb. 18 through Feb. 22 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum, 220 E. Ann St., Ann Arbor, 734-995-5439. Museum is open Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sunday, 12 p.m.-5 p.m.
For more information, go to www.aahom.org/exhibits/index.html.
Mummies: Secrets of the Pharaohs
This IMAX documentary, narrated by horror film veteran Christopher Lee, combines original and historical footage, period recreations, computer-generated graphics and interviews with prominent Egyptologists. "Mummies" examines the techniques used to embalm and preserve the bodies, as well as the history of the rediscovery of their ancient tombs.
The New Detroit Science Center, 5020 John R St., Detroit, 313-577-8400. Center is open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.; Saturday 10:30 a.m.-6 p.m.; and Sunday, 12 p.m.-6 p.m. Tickets include general admission to the museum and are $11.95 for adults; $10.95 for children and senior citizens.
For more information go to www.detroitsciencecenter.org/theaters/IMAX.htm.