Science & Nature Activity Kit 2022
The Bell Museum is thrilled to provide fun-filled, take-home kits for kids and families to engage in science and nature.
Each kit contains step-by-step instructions and materials for four different activities.
Here we provide brief videos to show you how to do each activity and include suggestions for additional reading and activities that you can do to explore topics more deeply.
Nature Observation
Use all your senses to explore nature throughout the seasons
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Explore More:
- Read Owl Moon by Jane Yolen and Wild Symphony by Dan Brown. Find a library near you to borrow other books about nature observation.
- Download the free app Merlin from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology to identify bird calls and songs.
- Visit the Bell Museum’s exhibition, Seeing Birds, on view through October 2, 2022.
- Become a phenology observer! Join others tracking season changes in plants and animals through Nature’s Notebook.
Sidewalk Solar System
Create a model of the solar system with sidewalk chalk
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Explore More:
- Download this month’s version of the Bell Museum’s Minnesota Skies: Star Map to learn about what you can observe in the night sky near you tonight.
- Learn about Ojibwe, D/Lakota, and other Indigenous star knowledge through maps, videos, and resources from Native Skywatchers.
- Check out the latest news and information about our solar system from NASA Solar System Exploration.
- Find out when the International Space Station will pass overhead at your location. Visible to the naked eye, it looks like a fast-moving plane only much higher and traveling much faster.
- Visit the Bell Museum’s Whitney and Elizabeth MacMillan Planetarium where you can tour the cosmos and beyond!
In My Neighborhood Diorama
Build your own scene of nature near you
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Explore More:
- Use the passes enclosed in your kit to visit the Bell Museum and see nature dioramas representing different habitats in Minnesota.
- Imagine how the nature scene in your diorama might change or look different during another season (for example: summer vs. winter). Write about or sketch your thoughts in your journal.
- Download the free app Seek by iNaturalist to identify the plants and animals all around you and participate in monthly observation challenges.
Birds in Motion
Create an optical illusion of a bird in flight
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Explore More:
- Learn more about optical illusions and how they work from our friends at the American Museum of Natural History.
- Check out this episode of the Wow in the World podcast to learn more about the science of optical illusions and how farmers in Africa are using them to protect their livestock from big cats and other predators.
- Watch a video about a researcher at the Bell Museum who is studying birds in cities and using CT scanning technology to “see” and understand their brains.
Research Story: Bird Brains in the Big City
We want to hear from you!
Submit pictures and share your feedback on the activities by filling out this brief survey.