Camp & Library Workshops

Our hands-on approach and focus teaches kids about the fun of science and helps to spark their imaginations! Mad Science’s in-class interactive workshops are aligned to STEM objectives, curriculum-correlated, and meet state and district requirements.  Workshops can be offered as an "on-site field trip" or as a special programming treat! With professional lesson plans, unique equipment, and animated instructors, Mad Science Workshops are an ideal way to reinforce core science concepts.

Below you will find a list of workshops that pack the most amount of fun into a full hour of hands-on, minds-on learning for children in grades K-6.   Although some of our workshops are targeted towards particular grade ranges - all can be adapted for any grade level. Call us for more information to let us help you select the most appropriate program.

To view programs specially designed for preschool aged children (4-6 years), click HERE

Looking to kick your camp or library program series off with a bang? Check out our amazing Spectacular Science Shows!

Uncover the secrets of chemistry and the effects that acids and bases have on our lives. Learn about the interaction of acids and bases while making a Mad Science “cannon”!

Black and Blue Oceans

Environmental disasters are all too frequent in our modern world. This workshop explores two current pollution issues: oil spills and acid rain. Students devise and test oil spill techniques in a mock oil spill.

Bugs! 

Students will explore the world's most abundant animal! Insect defenses and their role in our ecosystems will be explored in fun, hands-on activities that introduce children to these fascinating creatures! Children will use their knowledge of insects to make their very own bug eye model to take home.

Che-mystery 

Eliminate the mystery in chemistry! Explore one of the most exciting and fundamental sciences as you watch sand float on top of water and experiment with your very own Dynamic Dish!

Current Events 

Take a tour on the electron freeway! Conductors, insulators, transistors, and other elements in the world of circuit electricity introduce themselves to you via the tingle in your fingertips and the twinkle in your eye

Detective Science 

We'll transform the room into a crime lab to collect fingerprints and other clues. Learn how science is used to solve real crimes!

Dinosaurs 

Examine real fossil casts to see the differences in the teeth of herbivorous and carnivorous dinosaurs. Students will participate in a mini dinosaur excavation!

Dry Ice

It's a solid...it's a liquid...it's a gas! Learn about the wonders of sublimation as you see up close how matter moves between it's three states.

Earthworks

Take a voyage to the center of the Earth! We'll investigate the powerful processes that shape the planet and form remarkable rocks, magnificent minerals, and glittering gems! Children will take home sedimentary stackers that they made themselves.

Electricity

Excite some electrons and test various materials for conductivity with space-age plasma balls. Apply your new found skills and knowledge to create a static stick to take home.

Fun-damental Forces 

Gravity... Inertia... Centripetal force... who could ever imagine that an introduction to physics could be so much fun? We’ll experience these awesome forces for ourselves and build some cool devices to watch them at work!

Harnessing Heat 

Learn the properties of heat. Witness an underwater volcano, experiment with thermometers and have a "Sand Blast!"

Kitchen Chemistry 

Cook up a chemical reaction! Blow up a balloon with yeast. Go on a nutrient hunt. Get a glimpse of your guts-in-action with the Digestor Inspector kit.

Lights...Color...Action!

Uncover the hidden components in ordinary light and build your own Technicolor Blender. Find out how refraction can make a rainbow out of sunlight and about the hidden wavelengths of infrared and ultraviolet.

Mad Science Machines

Teams of elementary-age engineers will have so much fun problem-solving, designing and testing that they’ll forget that they’re learning! Children will take home a cool Mad Science Drag Racer they build themselves!

Magnificent Magnets

What makes a magnet magnetic? Can compasses really help you find your way? Discover the answers to these, and many more questions through interactive and hands-on experimentation.

Matter of Fact

Delve into the nuts and bolts of the universe as we explore molecules and how they are held together. Mix up a batch of your very own Mad Science Putty to take home.

Mineral Mania

Recreate a volcano and devise ways to identify and classify rocks and minerals. Experience the thrill of panning for gems; the gems you find can be taken home for further study and identification.

Movie Effects

Sit in the director's chair and learn the science of movie-making! Investigate 3-D images and create amazing special effects.

Optical Illusions

Build your own periscope while learning about optics, reflection and vision. Investigate amazing optical illusions!

Radical Robots 

Get wrapped up in Robotics! See a reading and writing robot. Control an automaton through sound, move a robot through a maze and make a soccer robot score a goal!

Rocket Building

Build your very own model rocket to take home. It’s a great way to investigate space flight and aerodynamics!

Rocket Demo

Discover the dynamics of rocket flight. Take part in a NASA style launching of model rockets which soar into the air and return to earth by parachute!

Science of Magic 

Learn the science behind illusions, read minds, and perform a Houdini-style escape! It's not magic- it's science!

Science of Toys 

Did you know that some of your favorite toys work using scientific principles? Discover the science of motion through fun, hands-on activities.

Slime! 

Slime is serious science! Explore the sticky, slippery polymer in depth as you make and play with your own slime and putty! Then, using the properties of polymers, watch some Magic Muffins Grow without the aid of an oven!

Sonic Sounds 

Surf sonic waves in this “off beat” class. We will explore how sounds are created and transmitted. Discover sound, sound waves and the way household items can be used to create amazing movie effects.

Space...the Final Frontier 

These are the voyages off the USS Mad Science. Our mission: to take an exciting look at planets, moons, comets, and stars, to imagine new life and new civilizations...to boldly go where no Mad Scientists has gone before! (Space Suits not required).

Stunt Planes 

The Wright brothers would be proud as we follow in their footsteps and learn the fundamental principles of flight. Build a “football” glider, learn about control-surfaces and build your very own loop flying stunt plane. You’ll be a Top Gun after this class!

Super Structures 

Discover the hidden strength of triangles, arches and cylinders. Use combinations of shapes to build your own super-structure!

Tantalizing Taste

Explore the chemistry behind your savory sense with this tantalizing class. Be ready to stick out your tongue as you discover the delicious biology behind your taste buds. You’ll be surprised to know what your nose knows.

Under Pressure 

Join Bernoulli and Newton as we take this exciting look at the science behind aerodynamics and the properties of air... under pressure. Use a vortex generator to create air pockets with a punch, and levitate ping-pong balls in defiance of gravity!

Wacky Waves

Water covers more than 3/4 of planet earth, and no life on earth could survive without it. Future Mad Scientists will explore waves, tides, and water pollution in this wet and wild workshop.

Watts Up! 

Learn about electricity, its properties and its role in natural phenomena. Make indoor lightning while conducting hair-raising experiments with our plasma balls.

Where's the Air?

Be amazed at the power of air around us. Use a vortex generator, watch an aluminum can implode, and make your own paper helicopter to take home.