Updates & Events
Resources for Teachers
The Museum of Natural Science offers a variety of docent-led activities to enhance your students' learning of various science topics in the Utah core curriculum. The activities (intended to be about 15 minutes) are usually presented in conjunction with the Ott Planetarium field trips for school groups. School groups are usually split with half attending the Planetarium show while the other half attends a rotation of three activities - after 50 minutes, the groups switch. Contact the Planetarium to schedule both programs, contact Jodie or Jami at 626-6160 if you want to schedule only a museum program ($15 fee) (two week notice usually required). Fee waivers and support for travel costs are available for schools in the Weber and Ogden school districts. Activities are available on Monday, Wednesday, and Fridays from 10:00 until 2:30, Spring Semester 2009.
Self-guided museum programs:
Grade 2-4 museum visit (Grade 2-4 museum visit KEY)
Grade 5-6 museum visit (Grade 5-6 museum visit KEY)
Museum Discoveries (a simple scavenger hunt)
Docent activities include:
Adaptation and the Bird Beak Activity
The Movement of the Earth and the Moon
Adaptation and the Bird Beak Activity (15 minutes or more)
5th Grade Science Standard 5 Objective 2
Fun interactive lesson for students about adaptation using Charles Darwin’s Finch Birds. Students will learn how some characteristics could give a species a survival advantage in a particular environment, through adaptation and mutations. Includes a game where students experiment with different bird beaks (tools) in order to survive.
Indian Pictograph Activity (15 minutes or more)
4th Grade Social Studies Standard 2 Objective 1
Students will learn about past Indian life through pictographs. They will learn that this is the way Indians recorded events in their history through the writings on the wall and how it contributed to the development of Utah’s culture. Students will identify pictographs we use today and the ones that Indians used then. They will also be able to decipher sentences using pictographs and come up with their own as well.
Magnetism Presentation (15 minutes or more)
5th Grade Science Standard 3 and 4
Students will come to understand that magnetism can be observed when there is an interaction between the magnetic fields of magnets. Students will explore the properties of magnets and how we use them in our everyday lives. They will learn how computers process information using magnets and binary code. Includes an activity where the students will create their own electromagnet.
Reasons for the Seasons (15 minutes or more)
6th Grade Science Standard 2
This presentation will hopefully dispel some common misconceptions of why we experience different seasons here on Earth. Students will understand how the Earth’s tilt on its axis changes the length of daylight and creates the seasons. Students will learn hands-on how the Earth revolves around the Sun and why the tilt of the Earth causes the seasons. They may also explore day/night and seasons on other planets.
DNA Extraction (15 minutes or more)
5th Grade Science Standard 5
This exciting activity will allow the students to extract DNA stands out of strawberries using household items. The clumps of DNA strands will appear right before their eyes as they do the experiment. They will learn some fun facts about DNA and how it determines who we are.
Spectral Activity (15 minutes or more)
6th Grade Science Standard 6
This is an activity that shows how different atoms (substances) give off different colors of light. This is one of the main ways that scientists can tell what is in outer space, and if there is life on other planets.
Weather Activity (15 minutes or more)
4th Grade Science Objective 1 & 2
Students will learn about weather through identifying cloud types and what comes with them. We will teach the students that by looking at the clouds in the sky they will be able to identify what types of weather are coming their way.
The Movement of the Earth and the Moon (15 minutes or more)
3rd Grade Standard 1 Objective 2 Part B
Students will learn the movement of the Earth and the moon through hands on activities. They will also learn about the different phases of the moon and how it is affected by the sun’s light.
Experimenting with colors (10-15 minutes)
Kindergarten
A fun activity for students to experiment and mix colors. This experiment uses vanilla frosting, food coloring, and pretzels.
Experimenting with Liquids (10-15 minutes)
Kindergarten
Students will learn about what shape water is, and how because it is a liquid it takes on the shape of whatever container it is in.
Kindergarten
Students will learn what objects float or sink in water, and the concept behind it all.
Barge Building (an outside activity 15-20 minutes)
1st grade and above
Students will use a 15x15 cm of foil to build a boat. The purpose of this activity is to construct a barge using aluminum foil that can support a cargo of the largest number of objects without getting them wet.
Paper Cutting Trick (5-10 minutes)
3rd grade and above
You can bet a friend that you can put your
head through a hole in an 8.5x11 inch paper—and win! The
secret to this trick comes from a branch of mathematics called
topology. It teaches that figures can be stretched without
changing their area.
Mystery Architecture (20-30 minutes)
6th grade and above
Students will work in groups of 2 and they will be given a bag of building materials and instructions for designing and building a device that can be tested.
It’s About Time (15-30 minutes)
7th grade and above
Students will work in groups of 2 and they will be given materials to make a non-electrical device, which measures time intervals between 10 and 300 seconds.
Sound of Music (20-30 minutes)
7th grade and above
Students will work in groups of 2 or 3 and they will be given materials to make a musical instrument that they can play.