The Exploratorium

In this long-term activity, learners make a home for a colorful community of microorganisms.

In this activity, two groups of learners create two separate landform models out of clay (mountains and valleys).

Making liquids of different densities to perfectly lay on top of each other can be a frustrating exercise. The Exploratorium created this activity as a fool proof way of making a density column.

In this optics activity, learners examine how polarized light can reveal stress patterns in clear plastic.

In this activity, learners will use a compact disc to build an air puck that can glide across a smooth tabletop. The puck glides with almost no friction on a cushion of air escaping from a balloon.

This activity provides instructions for using cornstarch and water to make an ooze which has the properties of both a solid and liquid.

In this activity, learners separate the components of Gatorade using a home-made affinity column.

Known as the waterfall effect, this activity demonstrates adaptation in our visual system.

In this activity, learners discover how to rotate a flat shape into the third dimension. Learners draw and cut out a shape that has at least one straight edge on an index card.

In this activity about light and perception, learners discover how a flash of light can create a lingering image called an "afterimage" on the retina of the eye.