Ancient Egypt & Its Art

Students tour the Ancient Egypt Gallery, learn an intricate, age-old metalworking technique, and then create an ancient Egyptian-inspired relief, which they can take home. Includes tour of the Ancient Egypt Gallery.

Layered Experience: Pairs well with Mummies: Secrets of the Pharaohs (Planetarium Show) and Forensic Crime Lab (Class).

Ancient Egypt Gallery Guided Exploration

Includes a 30-minute Guided Tour of the Ancient Egypt Gallery and a related 30-minute hands-on activity. 

The Ptolemaic period (323-30 BC) comes to life in the Ancient Egypt Gallery. Students will learn about the ancient Egyptians’ civilization, beliefs, and customs, and how these people interacted with their Greek and Roman neighbors. Enter a recreated tomb, which houses an authentic 2,300-year-old mummy, learn how modern technology revealed some of this mummy’s secrets, and then explore hieroglyphics and create a replica of an ancient Egyptian artifact.

Layered Experience: Pairs well with Mummies: Secrets of the Pharaohs (Planetarium Show) and Forensic Crime Lab (Class).

Astronomy Guided Exploration

Includes 30-minute Solar System Gallery Guided Tour and a related 30-minute hands-on activity. 

Explore the astronomical history of our universe in the Solar System Gallery. Students will encounter interactive displays that allow them to virtually travel to the Moon, learn about gravity, and more. Then, travel to our Universe Gallery to engage with our state-of-the-art OmniGlobe!

Layered Experience: Pairs well with Dinosaur Passage to Pangaea, Dinosaurs: Giants of Patagonia (Planetarium Show) and all astronomy-themed planetarium shows.

Beetles, Bugs, & Butterflies

This artful approach to science motivates students to explore the amazing world of insects while learning about adaptations, physiology, and the role insects play in their daily lives. Colorful, take-home art projects creatively reinforce scientific concepts.

Layered Experience: Pairs well with The Traveling Trunk Show (Interactive Educational Theater) and Flight of the Butterflies (Planetarium Show).

Forensic Crime Lab

Students analyze and interpret evidence to identify the victim and the perpetrator at a staged crime scene. They reach their conclusions by 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 Guided Exploration

Includes a 30-minute Solar System Gallery Guided Tour and a related 30-minute hands-on activity.

Get hands-on with geological processes and activities in the Solar System Gallery. An exhibition of minerals and fossils, including a 65-million-year-old authentic Triceratops prosus skull, will teach students about our aging planet. 

Layered Experience: Pairs well with Dinosaur Passage to Pangaea and Dinosaurs: Giants of Patagonia (Planetarium Show).

Geometry & Quilts

Through hands-on activities, students will recognize the real-world connections between mathematics and the craft of quilting. Students are introduced to traditional patchwork quilts and participate in art-making that supports geometry standards while reinforcing mathematical understanding.

Updated for 2019-2020!

Investigating the Art Exhibition

Inspired by objects and works of art in the current exhibition, students will explore interdisciplinary connections based on the Louisiana Student Standards. After a participatory tour of the exhibition, they will enjoy hands-on, STEAM-focused activities in a classroom setting. Creative connections that link art with core curriculum content will make learning meaningful, relevant, and memorable. Includes tour of the art exhibition on view.

NEW for 2019-2020!

Journaling: Learning to Look & Looking to Write

As students explore the art in the current exhibition, they are encouraged to look closely and reflect on what they see. Creative writing activities take place in the gallery, using the art on view for inspiration. These activities will sharpen observation skills as students respond to art through writing while exploring opportunities for collaboration and personal reflection. Includes tour of the art exhibition on view.

Mystery Crime Lab

Junior Forensic Scientists investigate and analyze the evidence at a staged crime scene to solve a mystery. Students experiment with blood typing; chromatography; fingerprinting; and other interdisciplinary, hands-on activities. 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) and Mummies: Secrets of the Pharaohs (Planetarium Show).