New programs are added regularly!

Jr. Explorers is a hands-on hour of games, crafts, and music designed specifically to help young students learn through play. This program draws inspiration from Montessori methods, Kindermusik methods, and sensorimotor programs to help build strong foundational skills that will last a lifetime. All Jr. Explorers programs are included with general admission.

Kids' Programs

New programs are added regularly!

• October 12th, 2024: Jr. Explorers: Autumn
• Program hours:
       10:00 am to 11:00 am
  Tickets:
       Included with general admission
  Details:
       Jr. Explorers is an educational hour designed to teach young students through hands-on imaginative play. This week's theme is Autumn! We will warm-up with an interactive song about leaves. We will then go through a simple obstacle course by picking up our leaves and carrying them across a balance beam while holding the leaves above our heads like trees. From the balance beam, we will work on our hand-eye coordination by tossing a bean bag into a bucket from a distance. We will cool-down with the book Watson and the Case of the Missing Acorn by Katherine Stano, and end our program with a fine motor fall craft! Recommended for ages 3-8.
  
  

• October 19th, 2024: Jr. Explorers: Dinosaurs
• Program hours:
       10:00 am to 11:00 am
  Tickets:
       Included with general admission
  Details:
       Jr. Explorers is an educational hour designed to teach young students through hands-on imaginative play. This week's theme is dinosaurs! We will warm up with an interactive dinosaur chant. We will then move through a simple obstacle course together (vestibular/balancing activity). After navigating through the "jungle," we will work in pairs to deliver the "dinosaur bones" to the lab (proprioception/teamwork activity)! We will celebrate with the Dinosaur Hokey Pokey dance (balance activity). Then we will climb inside a dinosaur nest full of eggs and pass them around, being careful not to drop them (hand-eye coordination activity)! Our cool down will be a story called How do Dinosaurs Learn to Read? by Jane Yolen, and we will wrap up our program with a fine-motor dinosaur craft. Recommended for ages 3-8.
  
  

• October 24th, 2024: Homeschool Days
• Program hours:
       1:00 pm to 2:30 pm
  Cost:
       Included with regular admission
  Details:
       A detailed introduction to the kids archaeology simulator will start our homeschool day. Perfect for families studying archaeology, geology, and/or history, this is sure to be the ideal accompaniment to the curriculum! After the 10-minute introduction, students will spend approximately 20-30 minutes digging in our non-sensitive dig pit, using real archaeology tools and sifting for artifacts.
       Jr. Explorers is an educational hour designed to teach young students through hands-on imaginative play. This week's theme is pumpkins! Our warm-up activity will be an interactive poem about pumpkins. Next we will exercise the vestibular system (sense of balance) by taking turns crossing the room, "picking" a paper pumpkin from the vine, and following the locomotor skill written/drawn on it back to the group (for example: walk backwards, bunny hop, crab walk, etc). Afterward we will gather in a circle and pass around real gourds of all different shapes and sizes, and we will discuss what makes each one unique. We will then work on our balance by carrying a ball across a balance beam and tossing it into a pumpkin bucket! To work on our hand-eye coordination, we will toss pumpkin balloons to each other while listening to fun halloween songs. For our cool-down we will read Pumpkin Head by Wendell Minor to the group. We will end the day with a pumpkin craft to hone our fine motor skills! Recommended for ages 3-8.
  
  

• October 26, 2024: Jr. Explorers: Halloween
• Program hours:
       11:00 am to 12:00 pm
  Tickets:
       Included with general admission
  Details:
       Jr. Explorers is an educational hour designed to teach young students through hands-on imaginative play. This week's theme is Halloween! Our warm-up activity will be an interactive poem about pumpkins. Next we will exercise the vestibular system (sense of balance) by taking turns crossing the room, "picking" a paper pumpkin from the vine, and following the locomotor skill written/drawn on it back to the group (for example: walk backwards, bunny hop, crab walk, etc). Afterward we will gather in a circle and pass around real gourds of all different shapes and sizes, and we will discuss what makes each one unique. We will then work on our balance by carrying a ball across a balance beam and tossing it into a pumpkin bucket! To work on our hand-eye coordination, we will toss pumpkin balloons to each other while listening to fun halloween songs. For our cool-down we will read Pumpkin Head by Wendell Minor to the group and talk about some fun Halloween traditions. We will end the day with a Halloween craft to hone our fine motor skills! Recommended for ages 3-8.