Engineering: Simple Machines

As they cooperatively problem solve, young engineers will investigate the effects of balanced and unbalanced forces on the motion of objects while building various machines. Fun and exciting hands-on challenges will focus on Newton’s Laws of Motion and the Law of Conservation of Energy. Activities will illustrate the relevance of engineering in daily life as students design and build together.

Layered Experience: Pairs well with Dream Big (Planetarium Show).

Exploring Abstract Art

Works by famous twentieth-century artists such as Picasso are used to introduce the concept of abstraction. Students then enjoy the creative challenge of expressing themselves through self-portraits.

Fall/Winter Exhibition - Lin Emery: A Force of Nature Guided Tour

Lin Emery (b. 1928) is an internationally recognized sculptor based in New Orleans. Inspired by the lyrical beauty she finds in nature, Emery produces sculpture that is constantly in motion, a type of art called kinetic art. Powered by water, wind, or magnetic forces, her elegant abstract forms fashioned from welded aluminum reflect light as they sway and dance and sometimes make music. Students will discuss the various forces of nature from gravity to water and wind, learn about the history of kinetic art, and experience the work of one of Louisiana’s most preeminent sculptors. Exhibition organized by Louisiana Art & Science Museum.

Layered Experience: Pairs well with Beetles, Bugs, and Butterflies (Class), Weatherwise (Interactive Educational Theater), and Secrets of Gravity: In the Footseteps of Albert Einstein (Planetarium Show). 

Flight of the Butterflies

Follow the monarchs’ perilous journey, join hundreds of millions of real butterflies in the remote mountain peaks of Mexico, and discover the compelling true story of an intrepid scientist’s 40-year search to find the monarchs’ secret hideaway in this beautiful scientific adventure.

Layered Experience: Pairs well with Miss Trudy’s Traveling Trunk Show (Interactive Educational Theater) and Beetles, Bugs, & Butterflies (Class).

Forces of Nature

Follow scientists on ground–breaking quests to understand what triggers earthquakes, volcanoes, and tornadoes.

Forensic Crime Lab

Students analyze and interpret evidence to identify the victim and the perpetrator at a staged crime scene. They reach their conclusions using chromatography, forensic entomology, blood typing, skeletal identification, and other means of discovery. This class requires the participation of at least six chaperones willing to serve as “forensic assistants.”

Layered Experience: Pairs well with Ancient Egypt Gallery (Guided Tour or Exploration), Mummies: Secrets of the Pharaohs (Planetarium Show), and Ancient Egypt & Its Art (Class).

Geology Exploration

Get hands-on with geological processes and activities in the Solar System Gallery.

Geometry & Quilts

This class encourages students to recognize real-world connections between mathematics and the craft of quilting. Students are introduced to traditional patchwork quilts and participate in activities that support geometry standards while reinforcing mathematical understanding.

Jean-Michel Cousteau’s Secret Ocean

Jean-Michel Cousteau, son of ocean pioneer Jacques Cousteau, invites you to dive into this whole new world that will leave you in awe of the beauty and diversity of the oceans – the source of all life on our planet. Secret Ocean introduces audiences to over 30 species, illuminating behaviors captured for the first time thanks to new underwater filming tools.

Journaling: Learning to Look & Looking to Write

Unique activities in the art galleries encourage students to investigate original works of art while exploring three types of writing: argumentative, informational/explanatory, and narrative. Students examine primary and secondary sources, learn from one another through thoughtful discussions, and participate in journaling activities.