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Tinkering Tuesday

The Museum’s Tinkering Tuesday program encourages children to do what they do best – let their curiosity take over! Explore the world of engineering by building machines and creating processes, and then explore what happens when you make changes or do things differently. Programming takes place approximately every other Tuesday from 2:30 – 3:30 p.m. on the Museum’s STEAM Cart at announced locations in the Museum exhibits. Photo courtesy of Anixter

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July 9, July 23: Which Shape is the Strongest?

Figure out which 3D shape is the strongest by building a tall tower with cubes, pyramids, and cylinder shapes in this engineering challenge.

August 6 - August 20: Build Your Own Bird Feeder

Build a bird feeder and fill it with seeds and berries for the birds in our neighborhood.

September 17: Construction and Tools

Put your construction hats on and tinker with child-safe tools in this engineering activity.

Lesson Plans:

  • A-Maze-Ing Magnets Lesson: Build a maze and test it out using a magnet to move your car through its twists & turns.
  • Buoy, Oh Buoyancy! Lesson: Put your engineer caps on and help us test different materials to design a boat that stays afloat.
  • Graphite Circuits Lesson: Circuits don’t have to be hard wired. You can draw your own! Use pencils to explore how you create a circuit to power a light.
  • Paper Bridges Lesson: Help get our animal friends across the rivers safely by constructing paper bridges and testing the strength of your design.
  • Scribble Bots Lesson: Construct a vibrating scribble machine and watch it bounce, spin, and bump on paper making a unique colorful design.