Afternoon Activities

Group A - 2021-2022 Lab Schedule

September

• 9:30 - Wildlife Lab - Get Batty! - Who runs the best pest control service in Houston? It might just be our bats! Get to know your neighbors as we learn about bats.

• 11:00 - Jurassic James - What is a Dinosaur? - The objective of this class is to learn the fundamental anatomical features that classify dinosaurs from all other prehistoric life. The second half of class will be a brief journey through the Morian Hall of Paleontology to observe the same features on mounted skeletons. In the Morian Hall of Paleontology, we will use the handout received in class to identify which specimen are dinosaurs and which are not.

October

• 9:30 - Time Lab - Ancient Writing - Explore the evolution of writing from pictograms to phonograms. Then experiment with recreating the tools used by the ancient scribes to create their work.

• 11:00 - Southwestern Energy Earth Science Lab - Volcanoes - Magma or lava? Explosive or effusive? Explore the types of volcanoes and discover some historic eruptions in this class!

November

• 9:30 - ConocoPhillips TechnoScience Lab - Electricity - Explore current, voltage and resistance as you build circuits.

• 11:00 - Wildlife Lab - Tail me About It - Pay attention to de-tails and study colorful, wagging, gripping animal tail adaptations.

January

• 9:30 - Space Mission!

February

• 9:30 - Wildlife Lab - Glorious Galapagos - Giant tortoises are just the start of the incredible flora and fauna of the Galapagos.

• 11:00 - Southwestern Energy Earth Science Labs - Crystallography and Crystal Formation - From salt to snowflakes, crystals are an important part of geology. Discover the importance of crystal structure and how they are formed!

March

• 9:30 - Time Lab - Gallant Gladiators - The truth about gladiators may surprise you! Come uncover the facts about these ancient celebrities as we venture into the arena and meet the characters who fought on the sand.

• 11:00 - Wildlife Lab - Backyard Birding - The Greater Houston area is a wonderful location for birding, much of which you can even do from the comfort of your own home! Learn how to identify your backyard species.\

April

• 9:30 - Wildlife Lab - “Pests” Controlling Pests - They may be ugly (to some), but these animals protect our food and devour vectors of disease. Come to this lab to hear why you should welcome snakes, opossums and more around your home.

• 11:00 - ConocoPhillips TechnoScience Labs - Bridges - Build models and investigate forces to determine what makes a sturdy structure.

May

• 9:30 - Southwestern Energy Earth Science Labs - Hurricanes - It’s hurricane season! Learn about these powerful storms, how they form and how to prepare for them in this whirlwind class.

• 11:00 - Wildlife Lab - Sahara - Discover how wildlife survives, and even thrives, in the world’s largest desert that can reach temperatures over 130°F; and do it all from the comfort of an air conditioned classroom!

Group B - 2021-2022 Lab Schedule

September

• 9:30 - Dissection Labs - The Eyes Have It - Blind spots, color blindness, or myopia a problem? Come find out why as you take an inside look at the eye and see how it functions. Includes eyeball dissection.

• 11:00 - Wildlife Lab - Get Batty! - Who runs the best pest control service in Houston? It might just be our bats! Get to know your neighbors as we learn about bats.

October

• 9:30 - Dissection Labs - Colossal Calamari - Learn about internal and external anatomy of a common cephalopod, the squid through dissection. Learn how the squid differs from other mollusk in this inky dissection. Includes squid dissection

• 11:00 - Time Lab - Ancient Writing - Explore the evolution of writing from pictograms to phonograms. Then experiment with recreating the tools used by the ancient scribes to create their work.

November

• Space Mission!

January

• 9:30 - ConocoPhillips TechnoScience Labs - Soap Science - Investigate bubbles, emulsification, and soap films.

• 11:00 - Dissection Labs - Movers and Shakers - How do you move? In this class you earn about muscle and bone structure and function. Find out what your muscle are made of! Includes chicken foot dissection.

February

• 9:30 - Time Lab - Roman Water - Journey to ancient Rome as we uncover the genius of the Roman aqueducts and what innovate features made them work. Then work in teams to design and create a working model.

• 11:00 - Wildlife Lab - Glorious Galapagos - Giant tortoises are just the start of the incredible flora and fauna of the Galapagos.

March

• 9:30 - Dissection Labs - Legless and Loving It! - Learn about snake adaptations through internal and external exploration. Learn how their body form is adapted to many different environments. Includes snake dissection.

• 11:00 - Time Lab - Gallant Gladiators - The truth about gladiators may surprise you! Come uncover the facts about these ancient celebrities as we venture into the arena and meet the characters who fought on the sand.

April

• 9:30 - Southwestern Energy Earth Science Labs - Compost, What Is It Good For? - Explore what compost is all about! Determine what every compost pile needs to turn food scraps and yard waste into nutrient rich soil!

• 11:00 - Wildlife Lab - “Pests” Controlling Pests - They may be ugly (to some), but these animals protect our food and devour vectors of disease. Come to this lab to hear why you should welcome snakes, opossums and more around your home.

May

• 9:30 - ConocoPhillips TechnoScience Labs - Motion and Machines - Make work easier as you explore gears, levers and other simple and compound machines.

• 11:00 - Jurassic James - Prehistoric Animal Diets: Carnivores, Herbivores, and Omnivores, oh my! - The focus of this class is to study the dentition (teeth) of dinosaurs and other prehistoric life. Determining how and what these prehistoric animals ate is easily derived by modern analogous and morphology of the tooth. Using the handout received in class while in the Morian Hall of Paleontology, we will compare the teeth of each skeletal mount to determine diet.

Group C - 2021-2022 Lab Schedule

September

• 9:30 - ConocoPhillips TechnoScience Labs - Storm Science - Explore weather and the tools we use to measure and predict it.

• 11:00 - Dissection Labs - The Eyes Have It - Blind spots, color blindness, or myopia a problem? Come find out why as you take an inside look at the eye and see how it functions. Includes eyeball dissection.

October

• 9:30 - Time Lab - Ancient Writing - Explore the evolution of writing from pictograms to phonograms. Then experiment with recreating the tools used by the ancient scribes to create their work.

• 11:00 - Dissection Labs - Colossal Calamari - Learn about internal and external anatomy of a common cephalopod, the squid through dissection. Learn how the squid differs from other mollusk in this inky dissection. Includes squid dissection

November

• 9:30 - Jurassic James - Life in the Cretaceous - This class offers a detailed look at the animals of the Cretaceous Period, which include Tyrannosaurus rex, Triceratops, Edmontosaurus, Gorgosaurus, Denversaurus, Acrocanthosaurus, Deinonychus, Mosasaurus, and Quetzalcoatlus. We will discuss these animals and their lifestyles, then see the actual skeletons

January

• 9:30 - Dissection Labs - Movers and Shakers - How do you move? In this class you earn about muscle and bone structure and function. Find out what your muscle are made of! Includes chicken foot dissection.

• 11:00 - Time Lab - Seven Wonders of the Ancient World - Journey with us as we visit the wonders of the ancient world. Then investigate how numismatists helped piece together the story of these amazing creations by creating your own coin

February

• 9:30 - Southwestern Energy Earth Science Labs - Crystallography and Crystal Formation - From salt to snowflakes, crystals are an important part of geology. Discover the importance of crystal structure and how they are formed!

• 11:00 - Time Lab - Roman Water - Journey to ancient Rome as we uncover the genius of the Roman aqueducts and what innovate features made them work. Then work in teams to design and create a working model.

March

• 9:30 - Wildlife Lab - Backyard Birding - The Greater Houston area is a wonderful location for birding, much of which you can even do from the comfort of your own home! Learn how to identify your backyard species.

• 11:00 - Dissection Labs - Legless and Loving It! - Learn about snake adaptations through internal and external exploration. Learn how their body form is adapted to many different environments. Includes snake dissection.

April

• 9:30 - Space Mission!

May

• 9:30 - Dissection Labs - Shark Dissection (Advanced Lab – 2 hours) - An extended lab of older students. Get up close and personal with a real shark specimen. Learn about shark ecology, anatomy, and physiology in this 2 hour advanced lab.