Homeschool Discovery Days at the Air Zoo!
Homeschool Discovery Days are the perfect addition to any homeschool curriculum. The Air Zoo's homeschool programs are designed to fulfill Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) with dynamic, hands-on lesson plans and interactive demonstrations and tours. Prepare for your classes and follow up to reinforce concepts with the pre- and post-lesson activities available on our website!
General Information:
Dates: First Tuesdays (ages 5-14) and first Wednesdays (ages 3-11) of the month, according to schedule.
Times: Check-in/Free time 1:00-1:45 pm
Class/Demonstration/Tour (in rotation by age group) 2:00-4:30 pm
Free time 4:30-5:00 pm
Costs: $11 per participating child (covers admission, classes, tours, and demonstrations), Member discount 10%
$8 per adult (members free)
$7 per non-participating child ages 5 - 18 (members free)
Youth 4 and younger free
Class registration is required for participation. Walk-ins on the day of the event will not be permitted to take a class.
2019-2020 Homeschool Discovery Day Programs
OCTOBER 1 & 2, 2019
DEMONSTRATION: Subzero Science
What is colder than the coldest place on Earth? Liquid nitrogen! Investigate states of matter as we see liquid boil at room temperature and rubber become as brittle as glass. Freeze things, smash stuff, and pick up lots of cool science along the way!
AGES 3-4 Foamy, Fizzy Science
Put on your goggles and prepare for some chemistry fun! Young scientists will experience safe chemistry experiments designed to spark wonder and imagination.
OCTOBER 2 ONLY; CLASS LIMIT 32 STUDENTS
AGES 5-7 Slime Science
Experience chemical changes by creating a variety of “slime” substances in the lab. This messy program includes measuring, the scientific method, and exploring the properties of matter.
OCTOBER 1 & 2; CLASS LIMIT 32 STUDENTS
AGES 8-11 Slime Works
Students investigate the science of polymers while exploring the properties of matter in common household materials. Young chemists discover how changing the ratio of the ingredients affects the outcome.
OCTOBER 1 & 2; CLASS LIMIT 60 STUDENTS
AGES 12-14 Polymer Possibilities
Many of your everyday products are made of plastics (a type of polymer). Students will model atomic and molecular structures and explore conservation of mass in chemical reactions.
OCTOBER 1 ONLY; CLASS LIMIT 32 STUDENTS
NOVEMBER 5-6, 2019
TOUR: Aerospace Through the Ages
Explore the role of aviation in World War II. This tour shows the theories, technologies, and tactics that led to victory, and discusses the training of American military pilots and Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP).
AGES 3-4 Fantastic Flying
Discover how people learned to fly by studying birds and experimenting with kites, gliders, and planes! Young aviators make and bring home their own flying machines.
NOVEMBER 6 ONLY; CLASS LIMIT 32 STUDENTS
AGES 5-7 High Flying Fun
Young aviators explore the forces of flight, compare the shapes and functions of a bird’s body with an airplane, and learn about aircraft construction while making their own take-home flying machines.
NOVEMBER 5 & 6; CLASS LIMIT 32 STUDENTS
AGES 8 - 11 Young Aviators
Students explore the science and history of flight. Young aviators experiment with the four forces of flight and learn how to make their own take-home glider soar!
NOVEMBER 5 & 6; CLASS LIMIT 60 STUDENTS
AGES 12 - 14 Flight School Science
Participants design and build FPG-9 gliders and experiment with the four forces of flight, control surfaces, and Bernoulli’s Principle, in this hands-on experience.
NOVEMBER 5 ONLY; CLASS LIMIT 32 STUDENTS
DECEMBER 3-4, 2019
DEMONSTRATION: Train for the Games
How do athletes train? Investigate the science behind sports success! Continue your own training by experiencing the effects of weightlessness as you practice for a future of sports in space.
AGES 3-4 Creepy Crawly Creatures
We will take a merry, not scary, look at some of the animals that crawl and creep. We’ll watch worms at work, meet a visiting reptile friend, and make a firefly model that glows in the dark.
DECEMBER 4 ONLY; CLASS LIMIT 32 STUDENTS
AGES 5-7 Plant Take Apart
Students will dissect fruits and vegetables to learn how leaves, stems, roots and flowers all contribute to the survival of not just plants, but all living species!
DECEMBER 3 & 4; CLASS LIMIT 32 STUDENTS
AGES 8 - 11 The Eyes Have It
How does light move through the parts of the eye and get processed by the brain? Investigate the sense of sight in this cow eye dissection class that will make you see the light!
DECEMBER 3 & 4; CLASS LIMIT 60 STUDENTS
AGES 12 - 14 The Eyes Have It
How does light move through the parts of the eye and get processed by the brain? Investigate the sense of sight in this cow eye dissection class that will make you see the light!
DECEMBER 3 ONLY; CLASS LIMIT 32 STUDENTS
FEBRUARY 4-5, 2020
TOUR: Reaching for the Galaxy
Discover how science has advanced from the age of Galileo to today’s modern space travel. Investigate how the invention of the rocket has been used in both war and peace, experience the thrills of space programs, and explore life on the International Space Station (ISS).
AGES 3-4 Sun, Stars and Solar System
Look beyond the Earth into the sky. Visit our STARLAB planetarium to learn more about our Sun, the stars and the planets.
FEBRUARY 5 ONLY; CLASS LIMIT 32 STUDENTS
AGES 5-7 Milky Way
The solar system is brought down to Earth as students view the planets in our STARLAB planetarium! Young astronomers act out the movements of the sun, moon, and Earth to describe the patterns of night and day in this out-of-this-world program.
FEBRUARY 4 & 5; CLASS LIMIT 32 STUDENTS
AGES 8 - 11 Seeing Stars
Investigate the sun, stars, and the universe in our STARLAB planetarium! Check out the view from above to observe the patterns of the day and night skies before you come back down to Earth.
FEBRUARY 4 & 5; CLASS LIMIT 60 STUDENTS
AGES 12 - 14 A View from Orbit
Let the planets and stars come to you in our STARLAB planetarium! Students will examine the reasons for the seasons, moon phases, and eclipses while watching the Sun-Earth-Moon system come to life.
FEBRUARY 4 ONLY; CLASS LIMIT 32 STUDENTS
MARCH 3-4, 2020
DEMONSTRATION: Super Science of Superheroes and Super Villains
Would you like to be able to climb walls like Spider-Man? Or maybe you’d rather learn the “attractive” secrets of a super villain like Magneto. With your superpowers, you can make objects disappear like the Invisible Woman and create the perfect Storm to blow away the villains.
AGES 3-4 Magnetic Magic
Discover how much fun learning about magnets can be as you go fishing to determine which items are magnetic, paint with magnets, and count how many paper clips your magnet can hold.
MARCH 4 ONLY; CLASS LIMIT 32 STUDENTS
AGES 5-7 Magnet Busters
Students experiment with natural magnets, man-made magnets, electromagnets, and a magnetic sensor to investigate and collect data on what types of materials a magnetic field will pass through.
MARCH 3 & 4; CLASS LIMIT 32 STUDENTS
AGES 8 - 11 Hot Wired
Students learn the fundamentals of electricity while constructing multiple open and closed circuits, building electromagnets, and relaying messages on a real telegraph!
MARCH 3 & 4; CLASS LIMIT 60 STUDENTS
AGES 12 - 14 High Voltage
Students learn the fundamentals of electricity while constructing multiple open and closed circuits, generating electric currents using magnets, and building real electric motors!
MARCH 3 ONLY; CLASS LIMIT 32 STUDENTS
MAY 5-6, 2020
DEMONSTRATION: All About Air
Air is all around us and is essential to life, but what do we really know about air? Explore the properties of air and experiment with air pressure in this interactive demonstration that will take your breath away.
AGES 3-4 Young Engineers
This class is the blueprint for fun! Young architects will explore shapes and patterns while constructing a variety of structures. Can your houses stand up to the breath of the Big Bad Wolf?
MAY 6 ONLY; CLASS LIMIT 32 STUDENTS
AGES 5-7 Primary STEAM Engineering Challenge
Jump into the story of “The Three Billy Goats Gruff.” Using the engineering design process, young engineers will work in teams to test and then re-engineer a bridge to protect the goats from the troll.
MAY 5 & 6; CLASS LIMIT 32 STUDENTS
AGES 8 - 11 Intermediate STEAM Engineering Challenge
After learning what it takes to build a strong structure in our Imagination Playground, young engineers will work in teams to design, build, test, and redesign a hurricane tower.
MAY 5 & 6; CLASS LIMIT 60 STUDENTS
AGES 12 - 14 Advanced STEAM Engineering Challenge
Budding engineers explore the history and influence of machines and participate in an innovative engineering challenge!
MAY 5 ONLY; CLASS LIMIT 32 STUDENTS
Register online or contact the Air Zoo Events Department at Events@airzoo.org or via phone at (269) 350-2848. All students must be pre-registered in order to participate in a class. No walk-ins for a class on the day of the program will be permitted. Registration closes at 3:00 pm on the Monday before each program.