{"id":4930,"date":"2026-10-14T21:42:20","date_gmt":"2026-10-14T21:42:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/staging.edgerton.org\/?page_id=4930"},"modified":"2026-10-14T21:42:20","modified_gmt":"2026-10-14T21:42:20","slug":"lab-descriptions","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/staging.edgerton.org\/?page_id=4930","title":{"rendered":"Lab Descriptions"},"content":{"rendered":"

Color Mixing <\/h2><\/div>
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Grades Pre-K thru 2nd \u2014 30-45 min<\/strong><\/p>\n

Nothing is more fun for beginning scientists than blending and making things change before their eyes. This lab is all about colors, mixing, pouring, and analysis. Students will get to do their own filling, pouring, and mixing as we start with the primary colors and create the full rainbow spectrum.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

Density Tubes\/Lava Tubes<\/h2><\/div>
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Grades Pre-K and up \u2014 30-45 min<\/strong><\/p>\n

Density is a hard idea to grasp, until you see it in action. We use oil and water to make our own lava lamps. Sealing baby soda bottles, oil, water, and color tabs make this lab colorful and safe. Students can do almost all of it entirely on their own, with a little help from adults.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

Slime<\/h2><\/div>
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\n

Grades K and up \u2014 30 -45 min<\/strong><\/p>\n

Mixing, measuring, and following instructions are foundational parts of chemistry. Students can start to learn these skills (and have some \u2018gross\u2019 fun) by making slime. This glue\/borax slime is guaranteed to be a hit with all ages.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

Grass Heads<\/h2><\/div>
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\n

Grades K and up \u2014 30 – 45min<\/strong><\/p>\n

Dig into biology with this hands-on lab focusing on plants. Each student will make a personalized \u201chead\u201d that grows grass for hair. The fun will continue at home as the students take care of the plant and watch the grass grow into hair.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

Stomp Rockets<\/h2><\/div>
<\/div>
\n

Grades 2nd and up \u201360 min+<\/strong><\/p>\n

Learn about beginning rocketry as we build and launch these simple cardstock rockets. Students will decorate and LAUNCH their rockets, watching the fun fly! After the lab, ask about plans for the launch pad to keep the fun going!<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

Soda Can Catapult<\/h2><\/div>
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\n

Grades 3rd and up \u2014 45-60 min<\/strong><\/p>\n

Construct a soda can and rubber band resistance catapult. Students will learn to follow instructions and engineering as they build these old-fashioned war machines. Afterwards participants divide into warring parties and battle it out!<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

Dino Excavators<\/h2><\/div>
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\n

Grades Pre-K thru 2nd \u2014 30-45 min<\/strong><\/p>\n

Dinosaurs or more specifically their fossils have been fascinating people for years. In this lab, students get to dig their own \u201cdinosaur\u201d out of a baking soda block using vinegar and a popsicle stick. They get to be a paleontologist as they find their own dinosaur that they get to take home.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

Glitter Blood<\/h2><\/div>
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\n

Grades 3rd and up \u2014 30-45 min<\/strong><\/p>\n

Blood, our bodies\u2019 life force is a very interesting fluid. In this lab, we will dissect and discuss the different parts and kinds of blood. For those who are squeamish, no real blood will be spilled in the making of this lab, we will use glitter instead.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

Flashlights<\/h2><\/div>
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\n

Grades 3rd and up \u2014 45-60 min<\/strong><\/p>\n

Basic circuitry can be very simple; power source, LED, and conductor, all built in a closed circle-flowing path. With this lab, students will make a working flashlight out of a popsicle stick, button battery, tin foil or conductive tape, and other office supplies. This is a simple way to see the way a circuit works!<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

Owl Pellet Dissection<\/h2><\/div>
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\n

Grades PK and up \u201330 min<\/strong><\/p>\n

What are owl pellets? They are the regurgitated remains of an owl\u2019s meal, including all the bones of the animals it ate (usually small rodents). Owls usually swallow their food whole, digest the edible parts, and then expel the indigestible parts through their mouth as a pellet. It might sound gross, but dissecting these is a project most kids love!<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

Mallonaut Spacesuit Building<\/h2><\/div>
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\n

Grades 4th and up \u2014 45-60+min<\/strong><\/p>\n

We have a piece of an actual NASA spacesuit; the different layers are imperative to keep astronauts safe in space. With this lab, we will discuss space, vacuums, and spacesuits. Students will then create spacesuits to keep our marshmallow astronauts safe from a vacuum.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

Spectroscopes<\/h2><\/div>
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Grades 4th and up \u2014 45-60 min<\/strong><\/p>\n

Studying the light spectrum and wavelengths? In this lab, students will building their own spectroscope, using a variety of simple materials, that will break visible light down, or defract it, into its various component colors. Students will get to test out their spectroscopes on lights found in the classroom and others light sources. (Not the sun!) Spectroscopes are used by scientists to learn what gases or elements are found in stars and other sources of light.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

Marble Machines<\/h2><\/div>
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\n

Grades 4th and up \u2014 60+ min<\/strong><\/p>\n

Students will get to build marble-powered computers using the puzzle book as their guide as a way to discover and see how computers work on the inside. This lab has several different levels that increase in complexity with each level the students successfully solve. Limit of 30 students.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

Owl Eyesight Lab<\/h2><\/div>
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\n

Grades 1st-3rd \u2014 30-45 min<\/strong><\/p>\n

Did you know that owls have unique eyes? They have something called binocular vision. No wonder they have to turn their heads almost completely around to see the world around them. This unique owl eyesight keeps them from seeing well from side to side. In this lab, students make an owl mask and use it so they can see and understand how binocular vision works.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

Helicopter Lab<\/h2><\/div>
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\n

All Ages\u00a0 30 \u2013 45 minutes<\/strong><\/p>\n

In this lab, students will explore how gravity <\/strong>and air resistance<\/strong> work together to create a graceful, twirling miniature helicopter. Students will be to test their skills by creating a helicopter they will test using a wind tunnel.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

Eagle Wing Building<\/h2><\/div>
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Grades 3rd and up \u2014 45-60 min<\/strong><\/p>\n

A Bald Eagle has a wing span, tip to tip, of up to 7 feet (2.2 meters). Yet an average male Bald Eagle weighs about 9 pounds and an average female weighs about 12 pounds. (Try lifting a 10-pound sack of flour or sugar for comparison.) It is the combination of large wings and fight weight that makes the eagles masters of the air. Learn all about the wing of the Bald Eagle while building a wing on your own.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

Tornado in a Jar<\/h2><\/div>
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\n

In this hands-on lab, students create their own miniature tornado inside a jar. By swirling water, dish soap, and glitter, they observe how a vortex forms\u2014just like the rotating winds of a real tornado. This simple activity makes an abstract weather concept visible and easy to understand.\u00a0 Students explore how tornadoes form by examining the differences in air movement and pressure. The swirling water models the way rotating winds tighten into a funnel, giving a clear demonstration of vortex motion and low-pressure systems in nature.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

Anemometer<\/h2><\/div>
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\n

In this lab, students build a simple anemometer\u2014a tool scientists use to measure wind speed. Using cups, straws, and a central axis, they create a device that spins when air pushes against it. The stronger the wind blows, the faster it spins. This happens because moving air carries energy and exerts force on the cups, transferring that energy into motion. By counting how many times the cups rotate in a set time, kids can estimate wind speed. Through building and testing it, they learn about force, motion, energy transfer, and measurement<\/strong>, while seeing how science tools are designed to observe and record natural forces like the wind.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/div><\/div>

News Paper Towers<\/h2><\/div>
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\n

Grades K and up\u00a0\u2013 25 \u2013 35 minutes<\/strong><\/p>\n

Construction\u00a0and\u00a0engineering\u00a0meet\u00a0competition\u00a0in this\u00a0hands-on\u00a0lab. Students\u00a0compete against each other to build the tallest free stand\u00a0tower out newspapers and tape.\u00a0Not enough planning\u00a0and your tower comes crashing down.\u00a0Built\u00a0too\u00a0strong and you may not be the tallest. It\u2019s a race against time and\u00a0height.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

HVAC<\/h2><\/div>
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Grades 2nd<\/sup>\u00a0and up\u00a0\u2013\u00a025 \u2013 35 minutes<\/strong><\/p>\n

Heating, ventilation, and air\u00a0conditioning\u00a0are\u00a0very important factors\u00a0in our everyday lives.\u00a0In this lab,\u00a0students\u00a0will\u00a0run their own\u00a0HVAC\u00a0ducking\u00a0through\u00a0a floor plan to supply a room.\u00a0The\u00a0challenge,\u00a0have no leaks and\u00a0make the\u00a0fan\u00a0spin\u00a0at the other end.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

Good Foundations<\/h2><\/div>
<\/div>
\n

Grades\u00a02nd<\/sup>\u00a0and up \u2013 30 \u2013 45 minutes\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

A\u00a0solid foundation is a must\u00a0when it comes to building, but will it hold when an earthquake hits?\u00a0Students will be challenged\u00a0to build what they believe is a strong structure.\u00a0The question is\u00a0will their structure\u00a0stand the shaking of an earthquake, or will it come crashing down!<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

Flashlight Simple Circuit<\/h2><\/div>
<\/div>
\n

Grades 3rd and up \u2014 45-60 minutes<\/strong><\/p>\n

Basic circuitry can be very simple; power source, LED, and conductor, all built in a closed circle-flowing path. With this lab, students will make a working flashlight out of a popsicle stick, button battery, tin foil or conductive tape, and other office supplies. This is a simple way to see the way a circuit works!<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

Soda Can Catapult<\/h2><\/div>
<\/div>
\n

Grades 3rd and up \u2014 45-60 minutes<\/strong><\/p>\n

Construct a soda can and rubber band resistance catapult. Students will learn to follow instructions and engineering as they build these old-fashioned war machines. Afterwards participants divide into warring parties and battle it out!<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

Helicopter Lab<\/h2><\/div>
<\/div>
\n

All Ages\u00a0 30 \u2013 45 minutes<\/strong><\/p>\n

In this lab, students will explore how gravity and air resistance work together to create a graceful, twirling miniature helicopter. Students will be to test their skills by creating a helicopter they will test using a wind tunnel.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

Stomp Rockets<\/h2><\/div>
<\/div>
\n

Grades 2nd and up \u2013 60 minutes<\/strong><\/p>\n

Learn about beginning rocketry as we build and launch these simple cardstock rockets. Students will decorate and LAUNCH their rockets, watching the fun fly! After the lab, ask about plans for the launch pad to keep the fun going!<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

Airplane Engineering<\/h2><\/div>
<\/div>
\n

Grades 2nd<\/sup> and up\u00a0\u00a0 30-45 minutes<\/strong><\/p>\n

Discover how aerospace engineers turn ideas into flight! Students design, build, test, and improve their own paper aircraft while exploring the science of flight. Through hands-on experimentation, they learn how engineers use blueprints, testing, and redesign to create better-performing airplanes.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

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