A battery's current flows in one direction. Clever arrangement of switches can reverse that direction. Construct a controller with a battery, motor and ultralight buggy which can go forward or backward. Learn wiring logic, precision, and troubleshooting. Test and play, experiment and investigate.

Each child will build a display box to sort and test 7 rocks and minerals brought to the Museum from across Connecticut. Each sample will have different properties. Students will learn how rocks are formed as well as the categories and characteristics that distinguish each type. They will learn how to identify the rocks they will categorize.

Every student will learn to use and will take home a handheld magnifying lens and mini light.

Inspired by Leonardo Da Vinci’s self propelled cart design in 1478, students construct cars powered by rubber bands and measure their performance. They will test their cars, make alterations and predictions. Students will gain lively insights into the mechanics, measurement and math of motion. Force and Motion, experimentation, and design all come together to make new discoveries. Great for a followup program on creative elaboration. Exploration and problem solving become obvious when a student has to question why someone's car went further or faster.

Energize a sunflower with solar panels that students will connect to a motor and test. Decorate and bring your flower to life with color and movement. Learn how solar power works and creates clean renewable energy with its infinite possibilities.

The power of machines guides and eases work. The screws, threads, levers and pulleys of this machine organize effort into power you can feel. Students assemble interchangeable parts and invent a personality for their machine while experimenting with all Simple Machines and testing them first hand.

Build a windmill with adjustable vanes. You will discover that in order to make it work, the vanes have to be adjusted just right to turn fast enough to work. Then apply that wind power to make it work. How? By making it lift weight, you can observe just how much power output it can produce. You will discover the problem of scale and its limitations but the potential is there.

Throughout history, Puzzles have been a source of fun and a way to strengthen memory skills, along with the ability to plan and test ideas. Puzzles help children of all ages recall shapes, colors along with honing problem solving tactics and strategic design.

Tangrams were invented in China in the late 1700’s. They consist of 7 pieces, 2 small triangles, 1 medium triangle, 2 larger triangles, a rhomboid, and a square.

Become a puzzle creator

The legacy of the Museum begins in 1798 When Eli Whitney first chose a site on the Mill River to build his Armory. Chosen for its access to a strong current of water, Whitney intended to use this as a power source for the machines he would use to produce the parts of his contract musket. Whitney, however, was not the first to see the potential of this site as a grist mill had been located on the grounds previously. Over time the site has taken on new residencies and has physically changed as well.

Playfully experiment with a figure that tumbles down a slope. Decorate and experiment, test your acrobat with a friends, try variations and learn from trial and error while playing with this amusing project.

Construct a two string instrument and a bow. Devise experiments to modify pitch and tone and volume. Consider the variables of materials, tension, touch and your own dexterity... all experiments measured by ear. Use the violin to describe patterns of waves in terms of amplitude and wavelength, and that waves can cause objects to move. View the sound waves on an Oscilloscope to see their amplitude and length. Experiment with water and tuning to "see" the sound.