Students will discover the differences between rocks and minerals, learn the significance of minerals in their lives, and identify and test a variety of Arizona minerals.

Learn about the greatest machine in the world: the human body! Students will explore the digestive system through a hands-on experiment and also learn what components comprise blood.

Participants discover the basic principles of electricity through the use of energy balls, the Van de Graaff generator, and hands-on challenges with insulators and conductors, and circuit boards.

Students encounter fundamental chemical principles as they investigate the mysterious changes that occur when various solids, liquids, and gases are combined.

Participants work in teams with building materials to create structures that introduce them to architectural and engineering principles.

Students will discover how many millions of signals their bodies give off every day, and how scientists are using those signals to build a “lab-on-a-chip” that could be used in the near future to diagnose and detect illnesses in patients before symptoms appear on a macro level. Students will even get the chance to use their very own “lab-on-a-chip” to test and diagnose a patient and experience how useful this tiny technology will be in the future.

Invention, design, and exploration adventure! Students will work together while designing and inventing functional gizmos and gadgets. Topics covered: simple machines, energy conservation, and/or forces.

Learn all about the most important tools used for observation: your eyes! Students will discuss the basic anatomy of the eye and investigate how different parts of the eye function. They will then become junior biologists and participate in the dissection of cows’ eyes with real lab utensils.

Students will conduct fun hands-on science investigations to learn about human biochemistry, technology, and how essential organizing and interpreting data is in science as they explore how a technique called “expression profiling” on a microarray chip can help scientists study cells, organize data, and prescribe medications for illnesses.

Dive in as we explore the science behind one of the coolest chemicals on the planet: WATER! Students will learn about the quantity and quality of water while discovering the answers to questions like “Where does the water at my house come from?” and “How much water is there on the planet?” from start to finish, this program is sure to make a splash in your classroom!

Using plastic bottles, water, and compressed air, students learn about aerodynamics as they design, test, modify, and launch rockets to altitudes of 100 feet and higher.

Invite the heavens into your classroom. Identify constellations, hear stories about the sky, and learn about the planets in our solar system. This presentation is done in an inflated planetarium dome.

In order to survive, our bodies need specific chemicals - chemicals which give us energy to think, move, grow and live! Hands-on chemistry experiments teach students about human biochemistry and what essential macromolecules our bodies require to function as they explore the science of food as a supplier of energy.

Students are entertained as they learn some “sound” science principles. Various musical instruments and household objects will be used to demonstrate sound waves, frequency, and pitch.

Become a doctor for the day! Students will meet their patients, collect clues, explore the human body, and use medical equipment at ten different stations - food, eyesight, bones, breath flow, skin, lice, temperature, teeth, heart rate, and urine. The doctors will then make diagnosis and solve the medical mystery.

Take a cool break from the Arizona heat and learn the amazing things that happen to solids, liquids, and gases when they are introduced to temperatures approaching –320°F.

Put your brain to use. Explore hands-on activities and puzzles that focus on different parts of your brain.

Family Engineering increases public understanding and appreciation of the role engineering plays in everyday life. It promotes creative problem solving, teamwork, and communication, as well as introduces families to the variety of exciting careers available in engineering.

Get ready for the flight of a lifetime. Enjoy fun interactive experiments that assist families in exploring physics in new ways. From Bernoulli’s Principle to our one-person hovercraft, this Festival guarantees fun and learning for the entire family.

Come along with us for an exciting adventure to outer space! Using a rich scientific vocabulary, your class will design, build, and launch their rockets! With recycled materials, water, and compressed air we will master the science of soda bottle rocketry and participate in an engaging, thought-provoking experience.

Let’s get popping! Explore the scientific thinking process using bubbles. These are crucial steps in preparing them for their life-long learning career. Children will observe the attributes and actions of bubbles, create their own scientifically engineered bubble wands, and experiment with bubble solutions that they get to take home.

Soothing atmosphere blue. Vibrant sunshine yellow. Rich crimson. Your class will explore the primary and secondary hues in this ‘colorful’ preschool experience. They will acquire rich adjectives to describe colors, invent and name their own color of paint, understand the colors in our everyday world, and explore how the human eye perceives them.

Explore the fun world of paleontology as your preschool class becomes paleontologists for the day to learn all about dinosaurs. We will excavate fossils, examine dinosaur eggs and construct dinosaur models. Learn how dinosaurs once lived and what they ate for dinner by putting together puzzle pieces from the past.

Using mathematics, students will become fully immersed in the interesting process through which ice cream is crafted. They will invent their own flavors, mix ingredients, use a scientific freezing process, and explore the textures and tastes of their new design. Science is just as tasty as it is educational!

How important is it to exhibit proper hygiene? Children will meet Betsy Bookworm and listen to the tale of how she got a nasty case of worm germ. We will look at germs on our hands under special scientific lights, play the germ fighter game, study with microscopes, and practice washing our hands the preventative way.

Introduce your preschool class to the fascinating characteristics of light and shadow. We will discover their properties using overhead light projectors. We will also compare and contrast the properties of translucent, transparent, and opaque materials. Your class will participate in a literacy-rich shadow theater and gain a unique perspective through kaleidoscopes that they get to take home.

Performing Arts are being cut in elementary schools, but early childhood educators know that music and movement is a very important part of a preschooler’s developing body. Children will work with many diverse instruments and learn how to create a beat and rhythm using unique supplies. Children will learn how to describe their feelings about the tunes which supports healthy social-emotional growth. Please, don’t stop the music!

Imagine that delectable fragrance of warm baking dough, savory melted butter, and sweet tantalizing cinnamon that wafts from the pretzel kiosk in the mall. Children will captivate their senses as they engage their ears in a story about a baker, maneuver their sense of touch in measuring liquids and solids, and use their sight to observe the effects of heat on their dough. Children will shape their own pretzels and use their sense of taste to enjoy them!

Your class will explore the scientific relationship between gravity, force and motion in these hands-on physics experiments. Children will practice architectural work by designing and building a ramp using science materials. They will create theories about movement, test them in action, examine the effects of force, and create their own marbles to take home!

Implementing both Spanish and English scientific vocabulary, this program inspires your class with new bilingual cooking ideas. They will learn to accurately measure ingredients and describe their actions using Spanish words. Children will flatten their own tortillas and exercise their gross motor functions in a game called “Tortilla Toss” before experiencing the textures and flavors of their multi-cultural creation.