Birthday Parties at the Museum | Nature Fun for the Very Young
Family Science Investigations

Make this year’s birthday your child’s best ever with a Museum celebration. Hands-on programs feature live animals, crafts, and games for ages 3–10 with themes from ferocious dinosaurs to furry marsupials. Parties are available on Saturdays and Sundays.
Birthday Party Information

Join Museum educators for a morning of parent and child discovery of the wonders of nature. Each session encourages safe, fun exploration of the natural world with live animals, artifacts, plants, stories and crafts. Registration required. Each child must be accompanied by an adult. For more information, call 919.733.7450, ext. 555.

Registration Form

FEE: $6 PER PARENT/CHILD PAIR ($5 FOR FRIENDS OF THE MUSEUM)
GROUP SIZE: 8 PAIRS
AGES: 2–3 YEARS (Each child must be accompanied by an adult)
LOCATION: museum classroom

WHO Said That?

Monday, April 7
10–10:45 AM
Animals make lots of different sounds. Some sing, some buzz, some grunt. Come listen to the animals and see if you can make the sounds they make.

What's for Lunch?

Monday, May 5
10–10:45 AM
Bugs and slugs for breakfast? How about dirt for lunch? Come and find out what different animals eat and try out some of their foods. Don't worry, we won't eat bugs.

Animal Tails

Monday, June 9
10–10:45 AM
Meet animals with tails for swimming, tails for climbing, tails for hanging, and tails for protecting yourself. Hear a tale about tails, learn who has the longest tail in the world, and make a tail for yourself!

This innovative program offers families an opportunity to participate together in monthly science classes related to Museum research, including topics in ecology, paleontology, geology and biology. These classes are especially useful for parents of "tracked out" students, homeschoolers looking for additional reinforcement to curriculum goals, or any family group that simply enjoys learning together! Registration required. For more information, call 919.733.7450, ext. 555.

Registration Form

FEE: $3 PER PERSON
GROUP SIZE: 24 participants

DINOSAURS TODAY

MONDAY, April 21
session i: 10–11:30 AM (6–9 years old)
session ii: 12:30–2 pm (10 and older)
In this class, we will learn the methods paleontologists use to unearth a fossil, identify it and tell its story; find out how to distinguish a dinosaur from other ancient reptiles that roamed the earth; and try to determine if all dinosaurs really became extinct. You may be surprised at what you discover!

SLICE OF PI

Tuesday, April 22
10–11:30 am (10 and older)
So much of nature is round, from sand dollars to tree trunks to owl eggs. Scientists often need to determine the diameter, area and volume of these rounded natural objects and the number Pi (3.14) is usually at the heart of such measurements. In this class we will learn the amazing history and the scientific application of this very important number through hands-on activities.

SIGNS OF NATURE

MONDAY, May 19
session i: 10–11:30 AM (6–9 years old)
session ii: 12:30–2 pm (10 and older)
Animals in nature are often secretive and hard to find. But quite often they leave behind clues of their passing. In this class, we will learn to distinguish over-wintering signs, feeding signs, travel signs and other clues left behind by a mystery animal. We will learn how to preserve the tracks of animals to use as a reference and we will meet a couple of live animals!

BACKYARD BEEKEEPING

Tuesday, May 20
10 am–1 pm (6 and older)
Nervous around honeybees but still find them fascinating? With knowledge, practice and a gentle approach you will find a confidence around these amazing insects you never knew you had. Here you will learn how to build a low-cost backyard honeybee hive, how to handle live bees, and how to harvest honey all under the guidance of knowledgeable beekeepers. All protective equipment is provided.

Arthropods Rule

MONDAY, June 16
session i: 10–11:30 AM (6–9 years old)
session ii: 12:30–2 pm (10 and older)
Arthropods, especially insects, are a part of our everyday life. We paint with them, we dye our food with them and we even enlist some insects to make clothing for us! During this class, we will look at the economic impact that insects and other arthropods have made on the human world. We will look at some of the most beautiful arthropods and some of the most dangerous.

Birds of a Feather

MONDAY, July 14
session i: 10–11:30 AM (6–9 years old)
session ii: 12:30–2 pm (10 and older)
What an amazing creature a bird is. But what makes a bird a bird goes far beyond flight and song. What is a feather made of, and how does it really work? Why does one bird have a blue egg and another speckled? Why do they build so many different kinds of nests? These questions and many more will be answered in this class on basic bird biology.

Freshwater World

MONDAY, August 11
10–1 pm (6 and older)
Life in freshwater can be a rollercoaster ride of riffles, rapids and waterfalls, or a quieter, slower-paced world like that found in a farm pond. But each of these freshwater environments hosts a real-life drama of predator versus prey. During this class we conduct a stream sampling to collect live aquatic invertebrates and then identify them using field keys and a stereoscope.