Download a class registration form to print and fill out. You can mail it back to us, or register by phone at (815) 963-6769.
Check out our calendar of events!
Let these hands-on classes enhance your science curriculum studies. Preregistration required. To register, call (815) 963-6769 or drop by the Discovery Center Museum office during normal business hours. Payment must accompany registration.
Class registration starts December 19 for Members and December 21 for the Public. Class fees unless otherwise indicated: $11 Members / $13 Public; ages 7 and up. Registration closes 4:00 p.m. Friday of the week before class.
Please note that admission to and exploration of Discovery Center Museum itself are separate from the Home School Classes.
This semester focuses on matters of scale; how we visualize, construct, and measure on different scales as well as what things exist at each scale.
Click here for a one page printout of home school programming.
Wednesday, January 25
Session 1: 9:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
Session 2: 11:15 a.m. - 12:45 p.m.
Learn how exponents make numbers grow. Figure out the difference between light years and AUs, compare the sizes of stars, and get an inkling if the immensity of the Milky Way. We’ll pop into the planetarium to travel through our solar system, and check out things of astronomical dimensions!
Wednesday, February 22
Session 1: 9:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
Session 2: 11:15 a.m. - 12:45 p.m.
Get your brain ready for planet-sized activities. Explore earthquakes; simulate volcanic eruptions; model plate tectonics; and discover Earthly ties to metric measurements as we focus on planet-sized phenomenon.
Wednesday, March 21
Session 1: 9:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
Session 2: 11:15 a.m. - 12:45 p.m.
Peer through magnifying lenses and microscopes to see the unimaginable in ordinary objects. Examine cells, discover micro-organisms in pond scum, detect the differences in fibers, and more.
Wednesday, April 25
Session 1: 9:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
Session 2: 11:15 a.m. - 12:45 p.m.
Discover how size changes things as we delve into science that deals with things so small they can’t even be seen! Examine red gold, drip some drops on stain-proof fabrics, dabble in heat-sensing crystals, and make your own iridescent page.
Wednesday, March 7
Session 1: 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
Session 2: 11:15 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.
This special day for kids and parents is all about Robotics! Parents and students learn together and explore binary code, create robots that can color, assemble robot parts and test for metal fatigue. In addition to class, plan to stay and visit our latest traveling exhibit “Robots: The Interactive Exhibition” and explore the rest of the museum. Fees include a one-hour classroom experience, admission to Robots and regular museum admission. This class is appropriate for students age 5 and up.
First child plus adult: $7 Members / $17 Public. Each additional child $5 Members / $10 Public. Additional adults: $2 Members / $7 Public
Click here for a one page printout of kids class programming.
3:30 pm – 5:00 pm
10 classes, held each Tuesday from March 13 through May 22; no class April 10
Ages 7 and up
Learn how to construct incredible mechanical systems out of LEGO! We’ll cover the basics from levers & pulleys to gears & axels and combine these parts to build all kinds of crazy contraptions! This class will feature both directed projects and tons of time to tinker!
$150 public; $110 members
3:30 pm – 5:00 pm
8 classes, held each Wednesday from March 21 through May 16; no class April 11
Ages 7 and up
This brand-new science club is for GIRLS ONLY! Join Miss Jaq, Lizzy and other female scientists as we kick off our partnership with the PBS broadcast SciGirls (http://pbskids.org/scigirls/). In science club we will meet with local scientists, perform real science experiments and conduct hands-on problem solving. Topics will include engineering, alternative energy, green science, and more!
$120 public; $90 members
4:15 p.m. - 6:15 p.m.
6 classes, held each Thursday from February 9 through March 15
Ages 11 and up
Join science expert Don Swanson to develop and polish the skills needed to build and program robots. Assemble machines that can walk, draw, and find their own way. Use a computer to program your robot to move, react, make sounds, and solve challenges. First time students work on RCX, repeat students work on NXT. Limited enrollment. Ages 11 to adult. Above grade-level performance for math and science (ISAT/ACT) or instructor approval required. $70 Members / $90 Public
