Explore It! events are back – virtually!

Our Explore It! events are going virtual this year. Meet up with our educators online as they lead live, hands-on activities that you can do with items found around your home. These events are free for members, and $9 (per household) for non members – but everyone needs to register. We’ll send you a Zoom link a few days before the event – all you need to do is join us!

Explore it! Paper Machines

Saturday, December 12, 2020 | 10:00 – 11:30 a.m.

Design and build your own machines that can move – using paper!

Materials to have on hand:

  • Paper (cardstock or construction paper works best)
  • Cardboard
  • Brass fasteners/brads or pipe cleaners
  • Tape or glue
  • Scissors
  • Drawing tools (crayons/markers/colored pencils)
  • Popsicle sticks (optional)
Register

Explore it! Cardboard Creations

Saturday, January 9, 2021 | 10:00 – 11:30 a.m.

Save your leftover boxes from holiday presents this year. We’ll teach you the basics of cardboard construction so that you can build whatever your imagination comes up with!

Materials to have on hand:

  • Cardboard boxes (assorted sizes)
  • Scissors
  • Butter knife
  • Box cutter (if an adult will be joining)
  • Tape (masking tape, duct tape, or packaging tape work best)
  • Markers
  • Pipe cleaners (optional)
  • Brass fasteners/brads (optional)
Register

Explore it! Paper Engineering: Pop-Up Cards

Saturday, February 13, 2021 | 10:00 – 11:30 a.m.
Just in time for Valentine’s Day! We’ll teach you how to make your own pop-up cards that you can send to friends and family.

Materials to have on hand:

  • Paper – Multiple Colors (cardstock or construction paper work best)
  • Scissors
  • Tape or glue
  • Pencil/Markers/Crayons
  • Stickers and other decorations (optional)
Register

Explore it! Rube Goldberg Contraptions

Saturday, March 13, 2021 | 10:00 – 11:30 a.m.

Explore the physics of chain reactions as we build our own Rube Goldberg style machines. The possibilities are endless!

Materials to have on hand:
One of the wonderful things about Rube Goldberg Machines is that you can make them with almost anything. Below are some potential ideas, but don’t worry if you don’t have all of these things, and feel free to add other elements!

  • Small ball or marble (golf ball, ping pong ball, gumball, round game pieces, etc.)
  • Cardboard tubes (toilet paper, paper towel, wrapping paper, etc.)
  • Cups/bowls
  • Cardboard boxes
  • Plastic Silverware
  • Balloons
  • String/yarn/ribbon
  • Dominos
  • Blocks/Legos
  • Toy race car tracks
  • Books
  • Paper
  • Tape
  • Rubber Bands (or hair binders!)
  • Pipe cleaners
Register

Enjoy photos of selected past Explore It! days:

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Thank You to Our Past Partners:

Three Rivers Park District
3M Visiting Wizards
Austin Granger
National Weather Service
Beth Korth and Rob Stenzinger, Game Dev Day Organizers
University of Minnesota’s Student Chapter of the Society of Automotive Engineers
Minnesota Center for Book Arts
MathCEP of the University of Minnesota
The Home Depot
Eastman Nature Center of Three Rivers Park
LASER Classroom
YOXO Toys
Playful Learning Lab from the University of St.Thomas
Engineering Instructor Bob Zbikowski
MNDOT Office of Aeronautics
American Workshop
GoSolar!
Minnesota Section of the American Chemical Society
Hennepin County Fix-It Clinics

Have an idea for a special visitor or activity you’d love to see at The Works Museum? We’d love to hear from you! Please share your idea on our
Facebook page or send us and e-mail at info@theworks.org.