Grades 3-5

Are you naturally curious about the world around you? Do you dream of digging up dinos, walking with penguins or diving with sharks? Are your pockets filled with rocks, shells and bugs?

If you answered yes to any of these, then you are a Junior Scientist!

Come on in for exclusive lessons taught by the Academy’s awesome scientists and savvy educators. Meet other kids who share your passion for science and natural history. Check out rare specimens, learn more about your favorite topics or discover something brand-new. Get exclusive access to the Academy’s world-renowned research and collections, further enhanced by hands-on projects. Workshop themes change every month and feature natural science lessons led by real scientists. We’ll bring the supplies, you bring your love of science and nature. For more information about this program, please contact Mary Bailey, youth and family programs developer, at mvb45@drexel.edu.

We can’t wait to meet the next generation of scientists!

Registering more than one child per family? Book by calling 215-299-1060 to receive an exclusive discount on your registration.

Have You Been Living Under a Rock?
Saturday, March 19
10 a.m.–12 p.m.

$35 child/$25 member child per workshop; additional children per family can be registered for $10 each

Space is limited; register here register here by Thursday, March 17 at 5 p.m.

Bugs might bug us, but aren’t they part of a healthy ecosystem? The answer can be found in the water, floating on the surface or hanging out under the rocks! Learn about the invertebrates and plants that indicate if a stream is healthy and how their unique adaptations give them a chance to survive in their watery habitats. Discover the ways in which these living things are connected and how everything in nature connects back to us. Make a splash with some hands-on water activities. Practice taking a look at the smallest species for the biggest clues, and explore real solutions to keep our waterways clean and safe.

This workshop is part of the Academy’s Water Year. Find out why we need to protect this resource and how you can help.

Please bring a small snack and a filled reusable water bottle. Feel free to bring a natural history specimen from your own collection to show off, and we will provide everything else. Drop-off and check-in begin at 9:45 a.m. at the Academy’s 19th Street entrance. Please contact Mary Bailey, youth and family programs developer, at mvb45@drexel.edu.

How Does a River Flex Its Mussels?
Saturday, April 9
10 a.m.–12 p.m.

$25 child/$15 member child per workshop; additional children per family can be registered for $10 each

Space is limited; register here register here by Thursday, April 7 at 5 p.m.

Mussels might be a familiar sight at the seaside, but how do they keep a freshwater river flowing? These bivalves are a filtering force of nature. Discover how mussels up and down our waterways are critical to the health of river systems. Examine specimens from our Patrick Center for Environmental Research and learn how the Academy is partnering around the region to restore mussel populations. Meet some baby mussels and try out a few filter feeding activities to see how hard these amazing animals work.

This workshop is part of the Academy’s Water Year. Find out why we need to protect this resource and how you can help.

Please bring a small snack and a filled reusable water bottle. Feel free to bring some shells or other natural history specimens from your own collection to show off, and we will provide everything else. Drop-off and check-in begin at 9:45 a.m. at the Academy’s 19th Street entrance. Please contact Mary Bailey, youth and family programs developer, if you have any questions at mvb45@drexel.edu.

What’s So Mighty About a Diatom?
Saturday, May 14
10 a.m.–12 p.m.

$25 child/$15 member child per workshop; additional children per family can be registered for $10 each

Space is limited; register here register here by Thursday, May 12 at 5 p.m.

The plants and animals you see by a stream might tell you a story about the ecosystem, but do the organisms you can’t see paint an even bigger picture? Microscopic, single-celled diatoms are the information powerhouses of our waterways. Get a rare glimpse of the Academy’s incredible Diatom Collection and find out how we pioneered water research across the planet. Discover how diatoms have inspired scientists to invent special tools, and create beautiful art and take home your own daring diatom design. Learn why the Academy’s Diatom Collection has the biggest impact on the world even though it has some of the tiniest specimens.

This workshop is part of the Academy’s Water Year. Find out why we need to protect this resource and how you can help.

Please bring a small snack and a filled reusable water bottle. Feel free to bring a natural history specimen from your own collection to show off, and we will provide everything else. Drop-off and check-in begin at 9:45 a.m. at the Academy’s 19th Street entrance. Please contact Mary Bailey, youth and family programs developer, at mvb45@drexel.edu.

Are There Adventures in the Archives?
Saturday, June 4
10 a.m.–12 p.m.

$25 child/$15 member child per workshop; additional children per family can be registered for $7 each

Space is limited; register here by Thursday, June 2 at 5 p.m.

Scientists sure do know a lot, but how do they discover so much great stuff from around the world? For over 200 years, Academy researchers have gone on magnificent expeditions to share observations with future generations. And when they returned to the museum, these researchers filed their photographs, notes and other fantastic findings in the Library and Archives.

Imagine what it was like to travel to the ends of the earth to make new discoveries as you uncover the Academy’s rich past. Examine some of the Academy’s coolest, oldest specimens and the real, on-paper notes that describe them. Practice your skills of nature observation and identification and make your own field journal.

Please bring a small snack and a filled reusable water bottle. Feel free to bring your personal field journal or other natural history specimens from your own collection to show off, and we will provide everything else. Drop-off and check-in begin at 9:45 a.m. at the Academy’s 19th Street entrance. Please contact Mary Bailey, youth and family programs developer, if you have any questions at mvb45@drexel.edu.