Innovation Station
The Innovation Station is a platform to engage children and families in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) through innovative, hands-on learning experiences. It is a space where kids create, make, discover, investigate, and invent. The space gives kids a chance to apply problem-solving skills, test and revise their ideas, experiment, collaborate, and have fun.
Innovation Station Hours
MakerSpace hours:
Sunday: 2 - 4 p.m.
Instructor-led STEAM Programming:
Saturday: 10 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Self-Guided STEAM Activities:
Always available
STEAM Challenge Workshops
STEAM Challenge Workshops
STEAM Challenge Workshops offer parents and children an opportunity to engage in hands-on STEAM based learning and exploration together. Each program consists of instructor led discussion of STEAM principles and various STEAM challenges that parent/child pairs will work together to solve!
Participants are required to wear a mask for the entirety of the program. Classes will be limited to 5 adult/student pairs. Each program will need a minimum of 2 adult/student pairs to run. Programs are designed for a child and a caregiver to attend and enjoy making something together.
Ages: Children in grades K-5 and adult
Time: 6-8 p.m.
Cost: $36 Members / Museums for All
$41 Non-Members
| Date | Theme | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Friday, Feb. 4 | Periodic Table Chemistry Challenge | Explore materials, the periodic table, and the properties of Earth’s different elements by exploring the properties of polymers and inventing your own slime recipe. |
| Friday, March 4 | Light Challenge | Learn about the phenomenon of light and how materials impact where and how it shines. How can you use light to create something beautiful? |
| Friday, April 1 | Water Runoff Challenge | Learn about water runoff issues in our community and how we can work to fix these problems. Flooding, water contamination, and loss of topsoil are all issues we see when we have heavy rains. Can you practice your civil engineering skills to try and fix these problems? |
| Friday, May 6 | Earthquake Challenge | Learn the history of the Richter scale and how it has impacted earthquake preparedness, design and build your own structure and see if it withstands a simulated earthquake. |
Physics Days
ISU Faculty, Dr. Jay Ansher and students will provide hands-on demonstrations, experiments and more on new topics each month! Time: 10 a.m.-Noon
Cost: FREE with paid museum admission
| Date | Topic | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Thursday, Jan. 20 | Magnetism | What makes a magnet a magnet?? Why are some stronger than others? Learn how magnets work, and how they can be used to help you find your way in the wilderness as well! Join the ISU Physics Club as they demonstrate the strange properties of magnetism on Physics Day! |
| Thursday, Feb. 17 | Projectiles | The ISU Physics Club will present the science behind throwing things into the air! Whether fired from a gun, thrown by your arm, or dropped off a cliff, projectiles will always follow a few simple laws, and the law of gravity is only one of them! |
MakerSpace
The Innovation Station consists of a science lab and a maker space. What is a maker space? The Maker Space allows children and families to use real tools and materials to design, make, tinker and create projects on their own. Kids can take stuff apart and learn the inner workings of machines, build and make cool things, and just experiment and explore.