Free Public Telescope Viewing

The St. Louis Astronomical Society hosts public Star Parties at the Science Center on the First Friday of each month from January-October. (NOTE:  March program will be on the second Friday; March 13th). Weather permitting, the St. Louis Astronomical Society and the Science Center will set up a number of telescopes and be on hand to answer visitor questions. Regardless of the weather outside, indoor events are scheduled for each Star Party and held inside the Planetarium's Orthwein Starbay. These events feature our popular program "The Sky Tonight" now in its 10th year and periodic special guest lectures on a variety of astronomical topics.

Please be aware that on September 4 special events in the planetarium will not allow for our presentation of "The Sky Tonight". All activities on these evenings will be outside with telescopes, weather permitting.

Night Sky Update, 314.289.4453, toll-free 800.456.SLSC, x4453 for more information.

Camp-Ins

Out of Sight Overnights!

Click Here to See Photos of Past Events

Spend a night at the Saint Louis Science Center! Perfect for families, scout troops, school groups, and more! As a group, you will participate in fun activities, and get to explore the Science Center after it closes to the public. Camp-Ins take place on selected Friday evenings throughout the school year. See schedule below. 

Every Camp-In includes:

• A family-friendly OMNIMAX film
• Live science demonstrations
• Hands-on activity workshops
• Pizza dinner, movie snack, and continental breakfast
• A Space Show in the James S. McDonnell Planetarium
• Souvenir patch
• Sleeping in the galleries

Camp-In Types

• All-Boy Camp-In ~ Only boys and men are allowed to attend. Open to the public
• All-Girl Camp-In ~ Only girls and women are allowed to attend. Open to the public
• Family Camp-In ~ These Camp-Ins are for everyone. Perfect for scouts, school groups, community groups, churches, families and more! These events are open to the public.
• Girl Scout Camp-In ~ These events are private for the area Girl Scout councils as noted in the schedule. Other Girl Scout groups may attend the All Girl Camp-in or any Family or Planetarium Camp-In.
• Homeschool Camp-In ~ Exclusive to homeschool students and their families. Special features include parent-student hands-on inquiry workshops. This Camp-in is only $35, and $32 for Science Center Members.
• Planetarium Camp-In ~ These Camp-Ins are for everyone and feature a special bonus: falling asleep under the stars in the James S. McDonnell Planetarium. Open to the public.
• Webelos Cub Scouts Scientist Badge Camp-In ~ This Camp-In is for Webelos Cub Scouts from any council or district. Webelos will earn their Scientist Badge through hands-on activities and museum exploration. Open to the public.

2009 Camp-In Dates

October 2 - Planetarium Camp-In
November 6 - Family Camp-In
December 4 - Family Camp-In

2010 Camp-In Dates

February 5 - Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri (Private) Juniors Only
March 12 - Girl Scouts of River Bluffs (Private) Any Level
April 2 - Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri (Private) Juniors Only
May 7 - Planetarium Camp-In
June 4 - Family Camp-In

More Camp-In Information

• Check-in begins at 5pm on the dates listed and activities begin around 6:30pm.
• Pick up is at 10am the next morning.
• Sleeping under the stars is only available at James S. McDonnell Planetarium Camp-Ins.
• The activities are designed for children ages 6 and up. We stay up late and get up early. We do not recommend Camp-Ins for children under 6.
• At least one chaperone is required for every five campers.

Camp-In Costs

Regular price is $38; $43 for James S. McDonnell Planetarium Camp-Ins. Private events may have special rates. Contact your scout council or group for more information. Special discounts may apply for groups of 30 or more, seniors and Science Center Members.

For more information or reservations, call Jill at 800.456.SLSC x 4424.

Activities include 3-D demonstrations of human organs and hands-on anatomical dissections in a special, state-of-the-art laboratory. Physicians and educators from the Saint Louis University community and Mid-America Transplant Services will facilitate these educational programs for you and your children, 5th grade and older. Have an unforgettable evening learning about the human body, diseases, and ways to stay healthy! Click herefor more information.

The Science Center offers fun and exciting Holidazed Day Camps for kids from Pre-K to 12 grade.  Read below to learn more about this program and come create, learn, and blast away with us!

2009-2010 Schedule:

Classes are 9am-12pm and 1pm-4pm on the dates listed. Lunchtime supervision included.  Extended care is available daily from 7:30-9:00am and 4:00-6:00pm.

Cost: $25 per half-day session, $20 for members

Extended care is $5 per session

Lunch is not provided or for sale

Get special discounts when you register for a full week of camp over Holiday or Spring Break

February 12

AM - Geology: Get up close and personal with the rocks and minerals that make up our world. Start your own rock collection.

PM - Slimy and Squishy: Get your hands messy with this popular camp. Make slippery slime, fantastic foam, and edible vomit!

Get ready for a prehistoric camping trip! Dreaming with Dinos is an overnight adventure that will transport you back in time to learn about paleontology, and then spend the night inside the Dinosaurs Unearthed exhibition at the Science Center with more than 20 life-sized dinosaurs watching over you. Save your spot before this special sleepover becomes extinct!

Click herefor more information.

The Science Center offers fun and exciting Holidazed Day Camps for kids from Pre-K to 12 grade.  Read below to learn more about this program and come create, learn, and blast away with us!

2009-2010 Schedule:

Classes are 9am-12pm and 1pm-4pm on the dates listed. Lunchtime supervision included.  Extended care is available daily from 7:30-9:00am and 4:00-6:00pm.

Cost: $25 per half-day session, $20 for members

Extended care is $5 per session

Lunch is not provided or for sale

Get special discounts when you register for a full week of camp over Holiday or Spring Break

October 16

AM - Abracadabra: Use Chemistry and Physics to learn tricks of illusion and slight-of-hand. Mystify your friends!

PM - Slimy and Squishy: Get your hands messy with this popular camp. Make slippery slime, fantastic foam, and edible vomit!

October 30

AM - Reflex Remix: Stack, juggle, and spin your way through this fun camp. Learn how your brain and eyes work together.

PM - Master of Disaster: Learn the scienitifc secrets to predicting and surviving diastrous weather phenomena.

November 6

AM - Paleo Plunge: As junior paleontologists, join us as we use the tools of the trade to explore our past, including dinosaurs and ancient Egypt.

PM - Chemistry: Explore acid-base reactions and chemical changes. We might even get to blow something up!

November 25

AM - Stellar Stories: Learn the stories of the constellations as told by the ancient Greeks and Ethopians. Make your own mini-planetarium to take home.

PM - Wacky Weather: Discover the atmosphere from above as you learn about clouds and weather patterns. Make your own weather instrument to take home.

December 21

AM - Simple Science: Learn about the Science Center's giant working ball machine and the simple machines contained within. Identify and use all seven types of simple machines in building challenges.

PM - Spy Science: Become a spy kid as you play with spy gadgets made just for kids. Make your own spy gear, use secret messages, and embark on a top-secret scavenger hunt.

December 22

AM - Nature Creations: Use patterns and materials found in nature to create unique works of art. We'll explore the outdoors to find our building materials.

PM - Sensational Safari: Explore amazing animals found all around the world. Learn about different habitats and the animals that live there.

December 23

AM - What's the Matter?: We'll play with unexpected solids, liquids, and gases as we discover there's much more to matter than meets the eye.

PM - Bodies in Motion: Moving and grooving! Learn about the human body through fun games to make you jump and hop.

December 28

AM - World of Wonders: Learn about fascinating cultures from around the world. Play games and make crafts. Create and learn just like children in other countries.

PM - Trash to Treasures: Help us sort the trash from the treasure, and learn fun new ways to recycle old junk into exciting creations.

December 29

AM - Bio-Facts: Get up close and personal with real animal artifacts. Learn how to identify animals based on their scat and tracks. Make edible scat to take home!

PM - Sweet Science: YUM! Learn how candy is made. Enjoy treats made with chemistry - fizzy sherbet and ice cream.

December 30

AM - Mighty Light: Explore the coherent and non-coherent light with fun and safe laser games. Learn how the human eye processes light and color.

PM - Physics Phun: Learn how matter and energy work together to move our world - literally! We'll challenge you to create your own roller coaster.

December 31

AM - Ecology in a Jar: Create your own take-home ecosystem, complete with a worm! This will help you to learn about the way plants and animals work together within their environments

PM - Electrify Me: Play with currents and switches as you make your own circuit. See a VanDeGraaf generator up close.

January 4

AM - Game ON!: Explore puzzles, games, and sports from around the world. Engage your body and brain in the science of play.

PM - Science of Sound: Learn about vibration, tone, and pitch by making your own simple instruments from everyday materials.

January 18

AM - Grossology: Explore all things nasty! Dissect an owl pellet to identify what it ate. Learn how to create fake scars that look real.

PM - Structures: Build your own structures from different materials as you learn about arches and bridges.

February 12

AM - Geology: Get up close and personal with the rocks and minerals that make up our world. Start your own rock collection.

PM - Slimy and Squishy: Get your hands messy with this popular camp. Make slippery slime, fantastic foam, and edible vomit!

February 15

AM - Robots, Jr: Learn the basics of programming and engineering as you explore robots first hand.

PM - Plantastics: Explore the wide world of plants, and discover new things about the way we use plants everyday.

March 15

AM - Master of Disaster: Learn the scienitifc secrets to predicting and surviving diastrous weather phenomena.

PM - Learn the stories of the constellations as told by the ancient Greeks and Ethopians. Make your own mini-planetarium to take home.

March 16

AM - Simple Science: Learn about the Science Center's giant working ball machine and the simple machines contained within. Identify and use all seven types of simple machines in building challenges.

PM - Spy Science: Become a spy kid as you play with spy gadgets made just for kids. Make your own spy gear, use secret messages, and embark on a top-secret scavenger hunt.

March 17

AM - Wacky Weather: Discover the atmosphere from above as you learn about clouds and weather patterns. Make your own weather instrument to take home.

PM - Chemistry: Explore acid-base reactions and chemical changes. We might even get to blow something up!

March 18

AM - Nature Creations: Use patterns and materials found in nature to create unique works of art. We'll explore the outdoors to find our building materials.

PM - What's the Matter?: We'll play with unexpected solids, liquids, and gases as we discover there's much more to matter than meets the eye.

March 19

AM - Sweet Science: YUM! Learn how candy is made. Enjoy treats made with chemistry - fizzy sherbet and ice cream.

PM - All About Air: Air is everywhere around us, and can do amazing things. Learn all about pressure with these fun games.

March 22

AM - Bio-Facts: Get up close and personal with real animal artifacts. Learn how to identify animals based on their scat and tracks. Make edible scat to take home!

PM - Electrify Me: Play with currents and switches as you make your own circuit. See a VanDeGraaf generator up close.

March 23

AM - Simple Science: Learn about the Science Center's giant working ball machine and the simple machines contained within. Identify and use all seven types of simple machines in building challenges.

PM - Spy Science: Become a spy kid as you play with spy gadgets made just for kids. Make your own spy gear, use secret messages, and embark on a top-secret scavenger hunt.

March 24

AM - Wacky Weather: Discover the atmosphere from above as you learn about clouds and weather patterns. Make your own weather instrument to take home.

PM - Chemistry: Explore acid-base reactions and chemical changes. We might even get to blow something up!

March 25

AM - Nature Creations: Use patterns and materials found in nature to create unique works of art. We'll explore the outdoors to find our building materials.

PM - What's the Matter?: We'll play with unexpected solids, liquids, and gases as we discover there's much more to matter than meets the eye.

March 26

AM - Sensational Safari: Explore amazing animals found all around the world. Learn about different habitats and the animals that live there.

PM - World of Wonders: Learn about fascinating cultures from around the world. Play games and make crafts, just like children in other countries.

April 2

AM - CodeBreakers: Learn and use codes to read and write secret messages. We'll make invisible ink, and learn a few words from other languages.

PM - CSI, Jr: Learn some techniques of solving mysteries, like fingerprinting and DNA analysis. Finish by solving a mysterious scavenger hunt inside the Science Center.

April 5

AM - Science Slueth: Learn about some of the mysterious ways that science works. Can you make a rope from toilet paper? Can you separate salt and pepper? We'll show you how!

PM - Magnetic Marvels: Explore the ways that magnets rule our world. Build your own electromagnet and directional compass

Call Jill at 314-289-4439 or Click Here if you are interested in registering for Holidazed Day Camps or to learn more about this program and other exciting programs the Saint Louis Science Center offers.

What do scientific issues in the news mean to you? Find out through honest dialogue with those in the know about the most intriguing and controversial subjects of our time. Sit, relax, listen and question. We provide the experts - you bring an open mind.

These events are free and take place at Herbie's Restaurant, (formerly Balaban's) at 405 North Euclid Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63108. Seating is limited.  Beverages and food will be available for purchase before and after the speaker's presentation. Program begins promptly at 7pm.

February 16 - Mapping Neotropical Plant Diversity: Challenges and Progress

Despite centuries of work, biologists don?t yet understand geographic variation in plant diversity. Much of the problem stems from difficulties in describing basic patterns of plant diversity. Through their work in Central and South America, as well as in Madagascar, scientists with the Missouri Botanical Garden are starting to unveil patterns of diversity that seem to challenge long-standing ideas about plant diversity.  Dr. Ivan Jimenez will discuss his work focused on confronting ideas about geographic variation in plant diversity against data emerging from decades of exploration by botanists of the Missouri Botanical Garden across the Neotropics, one of the most biologically diverse regions on Earth.

Presenter: Ivan Jimenz, Ph.D. Assistant Curator Center for Conservation and Sustainable Development Missouri Botanical Garden.

HomeSchool Days is a program designed to expand opportunities in math, science, and technology curriculum for students (and their families). Activities may differ per grade level. These one-hour sessions provide related follow-up activities for immediately after the session. HomeSchool Days are offered the third Tuesday of each month from 1:00 - 2:30 pm. Please see dates and topics listed below.

2010 Home School Program

January 19:  Geology
Rocks rock! You?ll quickly discover that the earth under our feet is fascinating.  We?ll snap open a geode and explore other types of rocks and crystals along the way.  Learn easy ways to identify certain types of rocks.

February 16:  Science of Sound
Use more than just your ears as you explore the science of sound.  Discover the ways that sound waves travel, how changes in vibration change the sound we hear, and make your own musical instrument to keep.

March 16:  Magnetics
There is a force in nature we experience every day - Magnetism. In this session, we will investigate magnetism and all the surprising places we find magnetic things.  Extract iron from cereal and explore mystery boxes!

April 20:  Spy Science
Have you ever wished you could use your own cool gadgets to embark on your own secret mission?  You will become a spy kid yourself as you play with and inspect spy gadgets, secret messages, all the while solving problems and mysteries.  Embark on a top-secret scavenger hunt and use all the tricks of the trade.

May 18:  Nature Creations
Show off your creative side as we use materials found in nature to create unique works of art.  We?ll do activities based on patterns and structures found in the natural environment around the Science Center.

June 15:  Grossology
The human body can be pretty gross sometimes. But boogers, scabs and spit all have a purpose. We?ll explore the icky, yucky and disgusting things our bodies do and make a gross (but edible) treat to take home.

July 20:  Bio-Facts
We?ll learn all about the wide world of animals, and how they live and work together.  Explore symbiosis, predation, and speciation while learning about animal behavior and communication.

August 17:  Physics Phun
Explore the world of forces and motion using challenge-based activities.  We?ll learn about the way energy and matter work together to move our world, literally!  Investigate hands-on how gravity, machines, and physics work.

September 21:  Hungry Scientist
Even a scientist has to eat, but not before experimenting with his food. Light up lollipops, naked eggs and bubbly root beer! We?ll test, explore and learn about our food.

October 19:  Code Breakers
Explore the world of secret languages as we make and break our own codes.  Learn binary code, make invisible ink, and more as you learn to communicate in secretive ways.

November 16:  Nano-Tech
What the heck is nano-tech? As you?ll soon find out, it?s not such a small thing.  Learn how the world works on the smallest scale as you explore the components of matter on a nano-sized scale.

December 21:  Sensational Safari
What would happen to lizards at the North Pole?  What about polar bears in the rainforest?  Come learn all about the amazing world of animals and how they are suited to their environments.  We?ll explore places like the mysterious ocean, dazzling grasslands, and towering forests and the creatures that inhabit them.

Movie and a Workshop:
Under the Sea & Water and Soil Conservation for Bear Cub Scouts

Once each month, we will be highlighting one of our OMNIMAX films, and partnering it with a Boy or Girl Scout badge workshop. Scouts will complete all requirements for a given badge, unless noted otherwise. Scout tickets are $10 (include the film ticket and admission to the workshop) and chaperone tickets are $5 (include the film ticket and admission to the workshop).

Advance reservations are strongly recommended as workshops are likely to sell out. Please call 314.289.4424 at least 24 hours in advance.

The Greater St. Louis Dental Society will celebrate National Children?s Dental Health Month with our ?17th? Annual ?Dinosaur Doings? at the Saint Louis Science Center.

Saturday, February 20, 2010
12:00 noon to 3:00 pm

? Learn about teeth and taking good care of them
? Visit with Sam the Smilosaurus, Tooth Fairy, Magical Dragon, Dr. Ted E. Bear and Delta Dental PANDA Bear
? FREE TOOTHBRUSH EXCHANGE?Kids, bring us your OLD toothbrush and get a NEW LIGHT UP toothbrush!
? Face Painting
? Healthy Snack Games}
? Guess how many bristles on our Giant Toothbrush and WIN A PRIZE!
? Tooth Wizard Show
? Educational activities and movies to watch
? Carnival Games
? Cake Walk
? Brushing/Flossing demonstration

Parents?don?t forget your cameras!

FOR INFORMATION CONTACT
January 2010 Dr. Mark Fernandez
314-822-2764 office
314-569-0444 alternate
laura@gslds.org

As a group, your scouts will have fun learning science and completing badge requirements. Workshops are available for all levels of Boy Scouts.

As a group, your scouts will have fun learning science and completing badge requirements. Workshops are available for all levels of Boy Scouts.