Thursdays in April

Discovery Time is a weekly science program designed for children ages 3-6 years old and their caregivers. It is said that young children experience the world and express themselves in a “hundred languages.” Discovery Time utilizes a broad array of these learning languages – including music, art, stories, and creative movement – to connect children to science. Children ages 3 to 6 are developing increasingly complex theories about the world, rapidly gaining language, and learning to work with others. Discovery Time activities are designed by early childhood specialists specifically to nurture and challenge the rapid development of preschool-aged children in a fun, safe, and collaborative learning environment. Discovery Time sparks the interest of science education in young children by teaching them how to explore a broad range of topics with a curious mindset. Each March will have a different focus, ranging from oceans, to space, to physics, to human health and anatomy. You never know what you may learn at Discovery Time!

Children ages 3 to 6 are developing quickly and gaining and mastering skills in a wide variety of domains including language, motor, symbolic representation, and concrete operational thinking. Discovery Time is structured around exploring the scientific method: observing, hypothesizing, testing, and discussing the results! Discovery Time provides open-ended activities that are accessible and engaging for children across a spectrum of development, and helps generally prepare them for the more structured learning environments they will encounter in elementary school.

On April 8th, 2024, a solar eclipse will cross over North America, and WonderLab is smack dab in the middle of the path of totality. Join us in the museum all month long as we celebrate this once-in-a-lifetime solar eclipse event! We will cover topics such as planetary orbits, moon phases, and light and shadow. Activities will encourage children to learn about the wondrous, vast world of space and how it relates to our lives here on Earth. Discovery Time is recommended for children aged 3-6, caregivers, and siblings.

Hands-on activities may include

• Learning about light and shadow with flashlights and colanders.
• Building an orrery model with construction paper.
• Creating the phases of the moon out of modeling clay.

5 – 5:30 p.m. EST 

Topic: Solar Eclipse

Location: WonderLab

Masks Optional

Cost: Free with Admission