CKM OUTREACH DELIVERS THE SPIRIT OF OUR MUSEUM TO YOUR:

• CLASSROOM
• GYMNASIUM
• LIBRARY
• FESTIVAL
• FAMILY REUNION
• FAMILY NIGHT AT SCHOOL
• SUMMER REC. PROGRAM
• BLOCK PARTIES
• EMPLOYEE PICNIC
• BIRTHDAY PARTY

Hands-on, interactive programs which meet or supplement elementary school objectives and provide educational fun.

We provide hands-on, interactive programs that meet or supplement curriculum objectives and provide educational fun.

Our activities can be customized for ages 1-100 and groups of any size.

Sampler programs can be of any theme or mix and match to best meet your needs.

If you can't come to the museum, let the museum come to you!

For more information or to book an Outreach Program, contact the Museum at 269-983-2543 ext. 3309. We look forward to learning with you soon!

WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO LEARN ABOUT?

DINOSAURS - Paleo-students piece together the puzzles of dinosaurs. Date strata; dig fossils; build skeletons...add feathers? Contrast the idea slow, doomed monsters to new views of clever, colorful creatures. Line up species in order from great extinction that allowed room for their rise, to the catastrophes that buried them. Erupt a volcano, follow footprints, and meet their living neighbors.

MINERALS & ROCKS - From the molten pool of magma, through the sea floor and the crust of dry land, to the tops of the mountains, they are useful, beautiful, empowering, and even edible. How much of our houses, schools and us are made of them? How old are rocks? Measure how hard or how soft they are? Identify how rare they are. Move land on a globe of young Earth to now and in to the future. Dig for gems and pan for gold.

MULTI-CULTURAL - Traditional clothing, artifacts, foods, products, toys and musical instruments from Africa, Europe, Japan and original New Worlders are provided to be explored. Authentic items and some representative. What is different about us, and what connects us as all?

RAIN FOREST - What makes a forest a rainforest ? Compare rainfall and temperatures to those of deserts and Polar Regions. Count plants, insects, birds, reptiles and mammals. Handle authentic artifacts and hand-woven fabrics. Feel hardwoods, identify products by smell, and hear rainforest sounds. Connect food-chain links. Learn about rainforest animals and the many layers of the rainforest.

SIMPLE MACHINES - Does this make my work easier, or get more work done for me? Discover simple machines as common tools, toys and kitchenware- not for what they are, but how we use them. Meet the lever, ramp, wedge, pulleys, gears, and wheel and axle by making them work. Lift a classmate without effort. Win a tug of war against any two big kids. 

WEATHER - Do more than talk about it! Prove air is here by measuring its speed and weight. We live in a bubble of air: wet, dry, hot or cold? Make a weather prediction map. Rediscover electricity through lightning. Follow the water cycle and the many shapes of H20. Name basic cloud formations. Weather creates climates; compare how animals and we adapt to all of them.

NATIVE AMERICAN – Learn about Native American history and culture through engaging interaction with Native American artifacts, tools, foods, and stories. Authentic items and some representative. The perfect introduction to, supplement to, or highlight of any Native American study unit.

EGYPT – Learn about animals, ancient cultural symbols and hieroglyphs, customs, and the pyramids. Why do camels have humps? Can you interpret ancient writings? What does the sphinx represent? Authentic and representative items are included.

STARLAB - Star Lab, a portable planetarium, presents the night sky, from the North Star and it's constellations of the Zodiac, as seen by five ancient cultures, and includes a slide show of NASA images, bridging myth with science. Star Lab requires 20'x20' floor space, a 11' ceiling, and a power outlet. Price includes set up, which begins up to two hours before the program start time. Cost: $145 for the first hour, $45 for each additional hour. Up to 25 learners fit inside for one 45-minute presentation or two groups of 25 can each enjoy a twenty-three minute presentation.

STARLAB DELUXE - Includes Star Lab plus several tables of hands-on activities relating to stars, moon phases, seasons and planets. The Star Lab Deluxe requires 20'x20' floor space, a 11' ceiling, and a power outlet for Star Lab, and 3-4 tables and 2 volunteers for the activities. Price includes set up, which begins up to two hours before the program start time. Cost: $165 for the first hour, $45 for each additional hour. Up to 25 learners fit inside for one 45-minute presentation or two groups of 25 can each enjoy a twenty-three minute presentation. Activities outside of Star Lab can accommodate up to approximately 25 learners and can be occurring simultaneously with Star Lab presentations.

HOW LARGE OR SMALL OF A PROGRAM WOULD YOU LIKE?

MINI-SAMPLER - Our popular Bubble Chamber (inside), or Bubble Tub activities (outdoors), plus face paints and one table of exhibits plus a related make & take activity. This sampler requires two tables and 1-2 volunteers. Price includes set up, which begins one hour before the program start time. Cost: $75 for the first hour, $25 for each additional hour. This program can accommodate up to approximately 25 learners at one time.

LIBRARY SAMPLER – Select one of our programs or mix & match activities from our program selections to create a custom designed sampler to best meet your needs. Bubble Chamber and face paints can also be included. This program requires 4-6 tables and 2-3 volunteers. Price includes set up, which begins one hour before the program start time. Cost: $100 for the first hour, $45 for each additional hour. This program can accommodate up to approximately 45 learners at one time.

GYMNASIUM SAMPLER – Create a custom designed sampler that offers the best of everything! This program can include Bubble Chamber, face paints and the Star Lab. A great choice for family nights, large events, or to treat your school to one grade at a time. This sampler requires 8 - 10 tables or 6 tables with Star Lab and 4-6 volunteers. Price includes set up, which begins up to two hours before the program start time (if Star Lab is included). Cost: $200 for the first hour, $50 for each additional hour. This program can accommodate approximately 60-75 learners at one time.

Special Needs or Requests? Outreach can adapt to your educational curriculum or theme and develop specific hands-on units, science activities, or crafts, if given advance notice when you schedule. Please call in advance and Outreach staff can work with you to accomplish your curriculum goals or program needs.

Enhance your Outreach Program with live animals related to learning objectives from your sampler! WildTracks provides live animals to infuse additional interest and learning into any Outreach Program. Please call 269-983-2543 ext. 3309 for more details and pricing information.

OUTREACH “SCIENCE STATION” CLASSROOM WORKSHOPS

CKM offers exciting classroom workshops to schools in Southwest Michigan, Northeastern Indiana, and some schools in outlying areas. Museum staff will set up six to eight stations in a classroom. After a brief introduction, the students will freely explore the hands-on activities for approximately 45 minutes. Each classroom topic includes a unique museum quality collection combined with hands-on activities and experiments. Every topic has a central question that can be answered with the information provided at all complementing stations. Reward your students for a job well done, let an outside “expert” introduce a new unit, or simply save yourself the time, money and effort to coordinate and facilitate hands-on science experiments to meet your classroom's needs by utilizing our staff and expertise.

You can also save money and maximize your school, library, club, festival or church resources by scheduling an entire grade level or the whole school for a whole or half day. Each program costs $75 for the first hour and $25 for each additional hour. These programs can accommodate up to approximately 25 learners at one time.

PROGRAMS INCLUDE:

DRAWING - Step by step instruction to draw a super-hero-you. Create an alter ego comic book character and discover skills within yourself.

MOLECULE MAGIC – What are molecules? How do they interact with each other? Can molecules make things move? How do they contribute to surface tension? Why don't water and oil mix? Do you know which molecule is this month's “molecule of them month” and why it's so important? Why are molecules so important to our everyday lives?

MAGNETS - Are mysterious magnets from space, made in the lab, or found in nature? Rediscover magnetite. Do they stick to more than refrigerators? Can you block their power? Do all parts of a magnet pull? Can they also push? How many things in our lives use magnets? How do they power our world and protect our planet from total extinction?

Last year was an outstanding year for the Museum's Outreach Program. Curious Kids' Museum gratefully sends a Thank You to all who made it possible for approximately 10,000 children to learn while having fun. A special thank you to the Berrien Community Foundation for PALS program funding for programs serving disadvantaged children.

Curious Kids' goes on the road!

Scroll down to learn more about Curious Classroom Science Units!

For Fun & Educational Learning in a classroom envirmonent-

Curious Classroom Science Units

Curious Classroom Science Units are a brand new concept for the 2005-2006 school year. We currently have 3 units available-Light/Color, Sound and Electricity. These units are developed using the State Standards and Benchmarks for Kindergarten through 5th grade. The units can be taught at your school or on-site at the Museum. Contact the Museum at (269) 983-2543 for more information.

"Sound" or "Light' Classes

In a two-hour class at the Museum, your students will receive a general introduction to Light or Sound. After information and instruction by our certified, experienced teacher, Chris McQuillan, students will work with 5-8 different stations hosting a wide variety of Hands-On activities and experiments to understand your class level's objectives in Sound or Light. Students then utilize the Museum exhibits on 2 floors to make science predictions, try experiments and figure out why this exhibit works. Examples for Sound include but are not limited to: the Tubephone, Bottle Rocket, Pipes of Pan, Volcano eruption, drums & more. Exhibits used in Light units include: Bubble Chamber, Bubble Ballet, Holograms, Light Table and more.

What You'll Do:

• Utilize Museum exhibits and Hands-on exercises in depth to understand the objectives
• Describe sounds in terms of their properties
• Explain how sound travels through different media
• Explain how sounds are made
• Explain how echoes occur and how they are used
• Use prisms and filters with light sources to produce various colors of light
• Explain how shadows are made
• Identify forms of energy associated with common phenomena
• Learn & do experiments at over 5 stations set up in each topic
• Experiment with light concepts using student kits
• Learn how light energy can be transformed
• Develop and understanding of how the Eye & Ear really work
• Make learning memorable by adding hands-on experiments not found in the classroom.