miSci’s Little Edisons program, for kids ages 3 to 5, is fun way to nurture the curiosity of pint-sized future engineers, chemists, and inventors. Sessions are 45 minutes long and feature hands-on activities designed to teach problem solving and to encourage the joy of discovery and STEAM topic exploration.
Tickets for Little Edisons sessions grant entry to the program for a student and parent/guardian. Programs run 10 – 10:45 a.m. on scheduled days. To explore the galleries with your student between 9:30 and 10am, Little Explorers time can be added to a ticket for an additional $5.
School Year 2023-24 Session Pricing:
$15/class Non-Members
$13/class Members
Weekly Pass Discount:
Choose an entire week of programming to get a ticket good for both programs that week.
$26/week Non-Members
$22/week Members
Schedule
MAY
Budding Biologists
Thursday, May 2nd
Today we read What’s Inside a Flower? and Other Questions About Science & Nature by Rachel Ignotofsky, then we make flower suncatchers and learn about all of the different ways that flowers make themselves colorful, and how flowers attract pollinators like bees!
Pot of Gold
Tuesday, May 7th
Ever wonder what’s at the end of a rainbow? This week Little Edisons read Rainbow by Marion Dane Bauer and make our own “walking” rainbows, learning about color transfer and capillary action. Then, we talk about light refraction and why things look colorful in certain lights.
Somewhere Over the Rainbow
Thursday, May 9th
Continuing our exciting rainbow conversation, Little Edisons read What Makes a Rainbow? by Betty Ann Schwartz, then use simple chemical reactions to create their own fizzing rainbows. We talk about chemistry and use our five senses to create scientific hypotheses for our rainbows.
Toy Chemistry
Tuesday, May 14th
We will be reading Solid, Liquid, Gassy by Ashley Spires and making three different kinds of slime today in Little Edisons. A fluffy cloud slime, a jiggly water slime, and a classic rubber slime are all on deck. Then, we compare the ingredients used in each one to see how they end up making very different textures!
Penny For Your Thoughts
Thursday, May 16th
Little Edisons learn about oxidization today, using a simple at-home experiment to unravel the case of the color changing penny. We will read by White Rabbit’s Color Book by Alan Baker and think about other objects in our lives that we see become oxidized, talking about rust, fireworks, apples, and more!
Launching Into Summer
Tuesday, May 21st
Little Edisons will be putting on their physics hats this week! First, we read Newton and Me by Lynne Mayer, then we will use small torsion catapults to demonstrate the basics of movement and force. After, we head outside to use our pump rocket to see how far into the sky we can launch objects.
Slinging Through the Sky
Thursday, May 23rd
Catapults, pump rockets, and slingshots, oh my! Little Edisons read Forces: Physical Science for Kids by Andi Diehn, then craft their own slingshots using various materials. Then, we take them outside to see who can get objects to fly the farthest! What objects fly further: heavier or lighter objects? Then, we come back inside to read a book and talk about our findings.
Build a Boat
Tuesday, May 28th
What sinks? What floats? What makes a good boat? Little Edisons read Boats: Speeding! Sailing! Cruising! By Patricia Hubbell , then use various objects and our scientific thinking skills to build the most water-worthy vessel we can craft. Then, we put them to the test in the water table, seeing if our boats have their sea legs, or if they have to walk the plank.
It’s Getting Hot in Here
Thursday, May 30th
Is anyone else feeling warm? Little Edisons read The Sun is Kind of a Big Deal by Nick Seluk to explore solar heat and learn the sun is an important source of energy for everything on planet Earth. Then, we learn the true power of the sun by making a solar oven and using it to melt marshmallows for S’mores!
JUNE
Under the Sea
Wednesday, June 5th
We will read The Ocean, a touch and feel book, by Stephanie Babin. Students will discover the facts, feel, and functions of marine animals.
Oil Spill Sensory
Friday, June 7th
We will read Digger and the Duck by Joseph Kuefler. Students learn about ocean pollution and how we can help save our seas. We will work together on how to clean oil off feathers in our oil spill activity.
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Wednesday, June 12th
We will start class by reading Curious George Plants a Tree to learn all about recycling and living green. We’ll practice sorting items, and deciding whether we should reduce, reuse, or recycle them.
Garden Sensory Activity: Apples in the Tree/Potatoes in the Ground
Friday, June 14th
Plant It! Grow It! Eat It! We will grow our own food by reusing plant scraps, recycling, and reusing materials to complete this project.
Fruit and Veggies
Wednesday, June 19th
Together we will read My Magical Foods by Becky Cummings, then discuss how the different fruits and vegetables provide our bodies with different vitamins and what our body uses them for.
Yoga Day
Friday, June 21st
Today we will read,You Are a LION! And Other Fun Yoga Poses by Taeeun Yoo and learn how stretching our muscles affects both our mind and body. Guests will be able to enjoy some yoga poses and a veggie snack!
Water: Drop, Plop, Splash
Wednesday, June 26th
This class will read Nature Stories: Little Raindrop and explore nature’s water cycle. Students get to apply what they learned from the reading by making a water cycle in a bag!
Bubbles Go Pop!
Friday, June 28th
We will read The Trouble with Bubbles by Rebecca Antanassova, and learn about what makes bubbles pop. Students will have the chance to make their own bubbles and discover the best type of bubble solution, the one that take longest to POP!
A Note of Thanks
miSci is forever grateful to Elizabeth “Beth” Hudson for founding the Little Edisons program. Beth brought more than 35 years of experience working in special education and a love of teaching pre-school children to miSci. She will be missed, and we wish her well on all her retirement adventures. Thank you, Beth!