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From the Executive Director
Spring into STEM
March is full of opportunities for family learning in Northern Virginia. We are lucky in our area to have so many businesses and professionals with STEM expertise to share.
Stop by our booth at either of these events and check-out our new bio-plastics activity. Thank you in advance to all those volunteers who are sharing their time to help us at these community events!
We want to keep the STEM learning going and encourage families to come visit the Lab this month as well. Check out the special offer below for those that are attending Maker Faire and/or STEM Symposium.
We look forward to seeing you and hope you'll spring into STEM with us!
Adalene "Nene" Spivy
Executive Director
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Out and About!
Taking Our Mission on the Road
The Children's Science Center will be at the
Maker Faire NoVA, Sunday, March 19th from 11:00 am - 5:00 pm,
South Lakes High School and Hughes Middle School Joint Campus, 11400 South Lakes Drive, Reston, VA.
Join us at the
2017 K-12 STEM Symposium
, Saturday, March 25th from 9:00 am - 3:00 pm,
The Nysmith School, 13625 EDS Drive, Herndon, VA. This year's theme is "Explore Careers in STEM" and Nene Spivy, executive director of the Children's Science Center are among the list of guest speakers. Read more...
Tickets are free to attend. Reserve yours today!
Save your ticket or proof of purchase (email confirmation) from either event and receive $2 off when you visit the Children's Science Center Lab through April 3.
This offer is for on-site General Admission only and cannot be combined with other specials or promotions.
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This Month at the Lab!
Check your calendar
Every month there is a new hands-on activity added to the menu! This month, join us in the Tinker Shop for "Virus By Design."
Then, head over to the Experiment Bar and order Ocean Chemistry. Create a model ocean in a cup and learn about ocean acidification.
Pi Day Fun!
Join us at the Lab on
Tuesday, March 14
from 1:00 to 6:00 pm for this fun day all about Pi with some fun ways to learn the significance of this day and why it is so special! Don't forget, the After School Special will get you in that day for half the price.
Engineering Adventures -- Single Day Camp, March 24
School's out but STEM is in! Keep the routine and learning, while adding fun to the day. This one day camp is from 9 am - 3 pm and includes entrance to the Lab making it a great way to end the day together. Visit our
website
for more information and registration.
Check out the
calendar of events
for all of our extended hours this month. E
very month, t
he Children's Science Center Lab offers a different experiment on the menu at the
Experiment Bar and a new challenge in the Tinker Shop!
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Engineering Day Highlights
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Members of Team Geared UP! with Mike Tillman, General Manager of the Lab
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Big Thanks to Team Geared UP!
The Children's Science Center kicked off Engineering Week on President's Day last month with a day of design challenges and robotics demonstrations.
Team Geared UP!, a robotics team and part of
Ashburn Robotics
, a group of FIRST Lego League (FLL) and FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) teams from Loudoun County, Virginia, brought several robots with them to share with our visitors.
Guests enjoyed the design challenges of the day: Build your favorite presidential monument out of Keva Planks or design your own track for a Maglev Train.
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| March Family Workshops
Every Saturday Morning
Bubble, Fizz, and Foam!
Every child is a natural born scientist! Encourage their curiosity through hands-on explorations of the physical sciences at the Children's Science Center Lab. Children will engage in a variety of science experiments that utilize color, foam, square bubbles, and fizzing reactions using harmless household products. Science is all around us and in our everyday lives, making this an exciting workshop for inquisitive young minds! "Bubble, Fizz, and Foam!" provides budding scientists with a vocabulary for discussing these fun outcomes, and better equips them for understanding what is happening in the world around them.
$25 per child/adult pair
For children in Grades Pre-K to 1
Saturday, March 18, 10:30 am - 11:30 am
Stop Motion Animation
Debunk the mechanics of how movie making happens in this family-style workshop for children in grades 2-5! Discover
how stop motion animation works
, and challenge your creative side with this simple, hands-on technology. Easily achievable for both younger and older children, stop motion animation encourages problem solving through the
creative constraint of the medium
, necessitates
project planning, iteration, and experimentation
through
trial and error, and supports storytelling and narration as a means of scientific learning. Families will narrate and create their own stop motion animation movie using their own portable, handheld smart device. Devices must be Internet capable.
$25 per child/adult pair
For children in Grades 2-5
Saturday, March 25, 10:30 am - 11:30 am
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2017-18 School Programs
Now Taking Applications
Family Science Night
Family Science Night is an evening program for elementary schools designed for parents to self-guide their students through twelve engaging, hands-on STEM activities. The activities are aligned with the Virginia Standards of Science Learning. Learn more about this fantastic program -
Family Science Night Overview
Discovery Days
Discovery Days at the Lab brings students from Title I elementary schools in Northern Virginia to the Children's Science Center Lab for a field trip at no cost to the school.
In this program, an entire grade of elementary school students from a Title I school and their chaperones will visit the Lab in a fully funded field trip for a hands-on learning experience of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).
The program includes the cost of Lab admission and bus transportation for approximately 150 students per school.
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Every Saturday Morning
Sewing Circuits
Experiment with a battery, conductive thread, conductive tape, and an LED light to learn how to connect a circuit, and design a unique, artistically crafted item, like a pillow, a stuffed bear, or even a superhero's shield! Tools such as pliers, scissors, and sewing needles will help to affix the necessary components together, and a metal snap will connect the circuit in order to light up your creation!
$25 per child/adult pair
For children ages 6 and up
Saturday, April 1, 10:30 am - 11:30 am
Saturday, April 22, 10:30 am - 11:30 am
Science Magic!
Be amazed by feats of hydro-magic steeped in science! This hands-on family workshop is full of activities and experiments dedicated to water, color mixing, and superabsorbent polymers. Make water disappear, engineer a leak-proof cup, make ice cubes vanish, and experiment with test tube rainbows! "Science Magic!" provides budding scientists with scientific explanations for outcomes that seem as mystifying as magic.
$25 per child/adult pair
For children ages preK - grade 2
Saturday, April 8, 10:30 am - 11:30 am
Saturday, April 29, 10:30 am - 11:30 am
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Imagine Their Future
You're Invited!
Imagine Tours are one-hour small group programs where we invite the community to join us in imagining the future of children who are inspired in STEM learning. It's a great opportunity to learn more about the science center's current work and plans for the future. The event is intended share the mission and vision of the Children's Science Center and get the word out in the community. We welcome our guest's advice and feedback.
We host tours at the Lab, and we bring the tour on the road. For example, last month, we hosted an Imagine Their Future Tour at the Broadlands Nature Center in Loudoun County. Please join us at an upcoming tour and learn more about the Children's Science Center!
- May 16, 8:30am - 9:30am, Children's Science Center Lab at Fair Oaks Mall
- June 6, 10:30am - 11:30am, SpringHill Suites Ashburn, near One Loudoun
Let us know if you're coming and email our Development Office
today to RSVP or with any questions. Feel free to bring your neighbors, friends, or co-workers who may be interested.
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Try It At Home
Blowing Wind
Have you ever noticed what a windy month March is?
Perfect for flying kites, and perfect for trying out a weather vane. Make your own weather vane and then make some weather observations!
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The Children's Science Center is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization and your gifts directly support our mission and programs.
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The Children's Science Center Lab is Northern Virginia's first interactive museum where children, families and school groups can explore science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) concepts through fun, engaging hands-on exhibits, activities and programs. In addition to four experience zones with changing exhibits and activities, the Lab includes a flex-space "Garage" for camps, classes, workshops, parties and mini expositions to showcase regional STEM talent in-action among area youth and families. The Children's Science Center's mission is to instill a love of learning STEM in all children by providing unique opportunities to explore, create and be inspired. The Children's Science Center is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization.
Children's Science Center Lab | LOCATED AT FAIR OAKS MALL
OPEN 7 days a week, 10:00 am - 6:00 pm
See our website for extended hours on select Friday and Saturday evenings!
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