Labs and Activity Stations for Science Night Announced!

Homeschool Family Science Night is coming up on Wednesday, January 29! Bring your whole family out to celebrate and explore science and technology! Tickets are still on sale for this big homeschool event!

Kids will be able to “step right up” to hands-on lab and activity stations sponsored by professional science and technology organizations:

  • DNA Extraction: Extract the DNA from wheat germ and take it home. (Presented by the Maryland Science Center)
  • Clangers: Explore the physics of sound with materials such as string, wire, and slinkies. (Presented by the Maryland Science Center)
  • Makey-Makey: Turn everyday objects into touchpads while exploring what common materials conduct electricity. Students will create new computer keys to control a video game. (Presented by the Maryland Science Center)
  • Robotics Demonstration: Test LEGO MINDSTORMS EV3, the latest generation of robots. Learn about graphical programming language and experiment with sound, displays, and recorded voices to make robotics show emotion in a demonstration of the field of Human Robot Interaction (HRI). (Presented by Digital Kidz)
  • Dry Ice & the Gas Laws: Witness how temperature influences the density of gases (Presented by George Mason College of Science)
  • Van Der Graaf Generator: Explore electrons and charge (Presented by George Mason College of Science)
  • Microscopy: Examine “Mother of Thousands Plantlets” (Bryophyllum daigremontianum), fruit flies, and pollen under a high-powered digital microscope. (Presented by George Mason College of Science)
  • Plant Science: Discover conditions influencing the rate of photosynthesis (Presented by George Mason College of Science)
  • Geology and Gems: Explore the chemistry of the rocks beneath us (Presented by George Mason College of Science)
  • Chemical Weathering: Identify how weather changes the earth’s surface (Presented by George Mason College of Science)
  • Snap Circuits: Create unique electrical circuits with modular snap-in components while learning how electrical engineers tackle design issues. (Presented by the Baltimore-Washington Chapter of the Society of Women Engineers)
  • LEGO Construction Zone: The atrium is converted to a construction zone with tens of thousands of LEGO components for young engineers and architects to innovate and engineer.

 

As part of Science Night, don’t miss the Einstein Alive! Show. Learn about physics, the theory of relativity, and Einstein’s contributions and eccentricities through the antics of living history performer and scholar Marc Siegal. Marc will bring Einstein to life in two zany performances with audience participation, demonstrations, songs, and humor!

Students in grades 3-9 are invited to participate in the Compass Science Fair. This is a judged competition, and a good opportunity for a first time science fair project. Younger students in grades K-5 can show off a favorite  science topic, invention, or hobby in the Show-What-You-Know Expo, a fun showcase of students’ STEM interests and hobbies. (Homeschoolers in 3rd, 4th, or 5th grade can participate in either level depending on readiness.) Students do not have to participate in either the science fair or Show-What-You-Know Expo to attend Science Night!

Admission to Homeschool Family Science Night is now on sale! The small entry fee for Science Fair and Show-What-You-Know Expo includes the student’s admission to Science Night. Parents, siblings, and friends of exhibiting Fair and Expo students can purchase separate, general admission to the event. (Note that this event is being handled through the “Store” instead of through class registration.) Online/credit card payments are accepted through PayPal, or by cash/check in person on Wednesdays at Compass.

Exhibitor Logos