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How to Choose Your Program
- PreK
Never underestimate the power of a surprise. Students investigate the five senses and then apply their knowledge to discover a surprise.
Features:
Imagery
Physical Science
Inquiry
Cooperative Learning - PreK
All around us there are shapes and colors. Looking at works of art you see how artists use these shapes and colors in their creations. Students will experiment with color theory and explore works of artists such as Mondrian, Chagall, and Mother Nature, then use what they learn to create a special take-home project.
Features:
Sort and Graph
Classify
Color Recognition
Shapes
- PreK
Explore the changing seasons. Students learn about each season and the forces behind how they change.
Features:
Inquiry
Environment awareness
Patterns
Science - PreK
Discover many secrets about underwater living. Students discuss habitats by comparing freshwater and saltwater fish. Students create a special fish craft to learn about fish anatomy.
Features:
Inquiry
Color Recognition
Comparing and Contrasting
Group Collaboration
Earth Science - PreK
Enjoy making bubbles using everyday objects, then practice popping them with your body. Preschool students try different bubble experiments and learn a catchy bubble tune.
Features:
Discovery
Physical Science
Shapes
Inquiry
Fine Motor Skill Development
Gross Motor Skill Development
- PreK
Join us for a preschool adventure as we learn about bears in preparation for a sensory hunt. We will ford rivers, brave snowstorms, and tiptoe through caves while never leaving the safety of the kidscommons classroom.
Features:
Phonological Awareness
Exploration and Participation
Fine Motor Skill Development
Gross Motor Skill Development - PreK
Grab your hardhats as junior civil engineers. Students will build with bricks and mortar, create bridges for elephants and send wrecking balls through cup towers. Students will take home mini construction kits to continue their STEM learning at home.
Features:
Group Collaboration
Numeracy and Measurement
Dramatic Play
Engineering Design - PreK
Are you as swift as a gazelle or as flexible as a snake? Students walk and talk like animals while stretching their muscles through yoga. kidscommons resident animals will make a special visit.
Features:
Life Science
Fine Motor Skill Development
Large Motor Skill Development
- PreK
Become a performer under the big top. Students practice balancing acts and perform an illusion.
Features:
Inquiry
Color Recognition
Comparing and Contrasting
Group Collaboration
Fine Motor Skill Development
Large Motor Skill Development - PreK
Recycling Program
Recycled Lunch
When lunch is done, we begin the fun. Students sort through a brown bag lunch to figure out what items can be recycled, composted or thrown in a landfill. How could we have packed this lunch with items that can be recycled, reduced and reused? Students conclude their visit with a tour of the Columbus Recycling Center and bioswale.
Features:
Classify
Cooperative Learning
DiscoveryThis program is offered FREE to all Bartholomew County schools through a sponsorship by the Bartholomew County Solid Waste Management District. Transportation is at no cost when using BCSC or FRHC school buses. Reimbursements will only be made to the Transportation Department.
Out of county schools may also schedule this program. Fees are consistent with all other program offerings.
Recycling programs are offered year-round. Maximum number per program is 50 students.
- PreK
Kidscommons offers three choices for Bugology. Preschool students are encouraged to identify and classify many different insects along with a focus option:
The Life of Honeybees
Digging through layers of the Earth’s surface
Metamorphosis of the ButterflyFeatures:
Classify
Sort and Graph
Discovery
Life Science
- K
Experiments have little hands and minds working as scientists to discover how penguins stay warm in the Antarctic. Students apply this knowledge to the “cooler challenge” where they decide how to keep heat out and insulate an ice cube.
Supports Nature of Science and Next Generation of Science Standards (K)
Indiana State Standards
Science Standards:
K.LS.2 Describe and compare the physical features of common living plants and animals.
K.PS.1 Plan and conduct an investigation using all senses to describe and classify different kinds of objects by their composition and physical properties. Explain these choices to others and generate questions about the objects.Math Standards:
K.M.1 Make direct comparisons of the length, capacity, weight, and temperature of objects, and recognize which objects is shorter, longer, taller, heavier, warmer, cooler, or holds more.
K.DA.1 Identify, sort, and classify objects by size, number, and other attributes. Identify objects that do not belong to a particular group and explain the reasoning used. - K
This engaging, hands-on program introduces kindergarten students to magnetism. Students explore the usefulness of magnets and compare the properties of gravity. This exciting program requires predicting, problem solving, observation, data collection, and cooperative learning.
Indiana State Standards
Science Standards:
K.PS.1 Plan and conduct an investigation using all senses to describe and classify different kinds of objects by their composition and physical properties. Explain these choices to others and generate questions about the objects.
K.PS.2 Identify and explain possible uses for an object based on its properties and compare these uses with other students’ ideas.
K.PS.3 Plan and conduct an investigation to compare the effects of different strengths or different directions of pushes and pulls on the motion of an object.
K.PS.4 Analyze data to determine if a design solution works as intended to change the speed or direction of an object with a push or a pull. Math Standards:
K.NS.7 Identify whether the number of objects in one group is greater than, less than, or equal to the number of objects in another group.
K.NS.9 Use correctly the words for comparison, including: one and many; none, some and all; more and less; most and least; and equal to, more than and less than.
K.DA.1 Identify, sort,, and classify objects by size, number, and other attributes. Identify objects that do not belong to a particular group and explain the reasoning used. - K
Weather affects many of the choices we make each day- how to dress, what to eat, which activities to participate in, and choice of transportation. Students will conduct experiments with temperature, cloud formation and meteorology.
Indiana State Standards
Science Standards:
K.ESS.3 Investigate the local weather conditions to describe patterns over time.Math Standards:
K.CA.2 Solve real-world problems that involve addition and subtraction within 10 (e.g., by using objects or drawings to represent the problem).
K.M.1 Make direct comparisons of the length, capacity, weight, and temperature of objects, and recognize which object is shorter, longer, taller, lighter, heavier, warmer, cooler, or holds more.
- 12
The health of our ecosystem depends on future generations! Students act as civil engineers to create model pipelines to transport resources long distances without harming the environment. Oil spill cleanup will also be featured in this hands-on lab.
Indiana State Standards
Science Standards:
K.ESS.4 Communicate solutions that will reduce the impact of humans on the land, water, air, and/or other living things in the local environment.
K-2.E.3 Analyze data from the investigation of two objects constructed to solve the same problem to compare the strengths and weaknesses of how each performs. - K12
Students become bubble scientists through experimentation with shape, size and color of bubbles while learning about the scientific method. As Bubble-ologists, students conduct hands-on experiments to answer a number of questions about the nature of bubbles. They learn to shake hands through a bubble window, place things inside bubbles and much more!
Supports Nature of Science & Next Generation of Science Standards (K-2)
Indiana State Standards
Science Standards:
K.PS.1 Plan and conduct an investigation using all senses to describe and classify different kinds of objects by their composition and physical properties. Explain these choices to others and generate questions about the objects.
1.PS.1 Characterize materials as solid, liquid, or gas and investigate their properties, record observations and explain the choices to others based on evidence (i.e., physical properties).Math Standards:
1.M.1 Use direct comparison or a nonstandard unit to compare and order
objects according to length, area, capacity, weight, and temperature.
1.G.1 Identify objects as two-dimensional or three-dimensional. Classify and sort two-dimensional and three-dimensional objects by shape, size, roundness and other attributes. Describe how two-dimensional shapes make up the faces of three-dimensional objects.
1.G.2 Distinguish between defining attributes of two– and three– dimensional shapes versus non defining attributes. Create and draw two dimensional shapes defining attributes.Language Arts Standards:
1.SL.3.1 Ask and answer questions about key details in a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media.
1.SL.4.3 Give and follow three- and four-step directions. - K12
The word “architecture” brings to mind human-made buildings and structures of various sizes and shapes. However, animals are some of the best architects around! Students explore the concept of habitats by exploring different animal homes and architecture examples. They then apply what they have learned about human and nature-made materials to make their own animal habitat.
Indiana State Standards
Science Standards:
1.LS.3 Make observations of plants and animals to compare the diversity of life in different habitats.
1.LS.4 Use a model to represent the relationship between the needs of different plants and animals (including humans) and the places they live.
K-2.E.2 Develop a simple sketch, drawing, or physical model to illustrate and investigate how the shape of an object helps it function as needed to solve an identified problem.
- K12
Who stole Detective Daring’s snacks from the locked safe? Students investigate the mysterious disappearance of tasty treats and the tools used in the crime. Was it Mr. Beaver with his sharp teeth, or Bubbles the Chimpanzee with his sharpened stick? After solving the mystery students will design a tool to solve a specific problem.
Indiana State Standards
Science Standards:
2.PS.4 Analyze data obtained from testing different materials to determine which materials have the properties that are best suited for an intended purpose.
2.LS.3 Classify living organisms according to variations in specific physical features (i.e. body coverings, appendages) and describe how those features may provide an advantage for survival in different environments.
K-2.E.1 Pose questions, make observations, and obtain information about a situation people want to change. Use this data to define a simple problem that can be solved through the construction of a new or improved object or tool.
K-2.E.2 Develop a simple sketch, drawing, or physical model to illustrate and investigate how the shape of an object helps it function as needed to solve an identified problem. - 1234
Have you ever wanted to be an astronaut? Come and join the staff of kidscommons for an adventure to outer space! Students will learn about the planets in the solar system and their distance from the sun as well as the many phases of the moon.
Indiana State Standards
Science Standards:1.PS.4 Make observations to collect evidence and explain that objects can be seen only when illuminated.
1.ESS.1 Use observations of the sun, moon, and stars to describe patterns that can be predicted.
4.ESS.1 Investigate how the moon appears to move through the sky and it changes day to day, emphasizing the importance of how the moon impacts the Earth, the rising and setting times, and solar and lunar eclipses.Math Standards:
1.M.1 Use direct comparison or a nonstandard unit to compare and order objects according to length, area, capacity, weight, and temperature.
1.G.4 Partition circles and rectangles into two and four equal parts; describe the parts using the words halves, fourths, and quarters; and use the phrases half of, fourth of, and quarter of. Describe the whole as two of, or four of, the parts. Understand for partitioning circles and rectangles into two and four equal parts that decomposing into equal parts creates smaller parts. - 123
Students discover what causes sounds and how sounds interact with different materials. They see and hear vibrations, as well as construct sound makers of their own. Students explore a series of questions about the nature of sound and how it affects the world around us.
Indiana State Standards
Science Standards:
1.PS.3 Plan and conduct investigations to provide evidence that vibrating materials can make sound and that sound can make materials vibrate.
3.PS.3 Generate sound energy using a variety of materials and techniques, and recognize that it passes through solids, liquids, and gases (i.e. air).
3.PS.4 Investigate and recognize properties of sound that include pitch, loudness (amplitude), and vibration as determined by the physical properties of the object making the sound.
- 234
Children explore what can be found in a bucket of pond water. Using tools to examine these specimens, they count and classify baby insects that nest in the algae. In addition, they discover that life comes in all sizes, but all life needs food, water and air to survive. (Only available Fall and Spring)
Indiana State Standards
Science Standards:
2.LS.1 Determine patterns and behavior (adaptations) of parents and offspring which help offspring to survive.
2.LS.2 Compare and contrast details of body plans and structures within the life cycles of plants and animals.
2.LS.3 Classify living organisms according to variations in specific physical features (i.e. body coverings, appendages) and describe how those features may provide an advantage for survival in different environments.
4.LS.1 Observe, analyze, and interpret how offspring are very much, but not exactly, like their parents or one another. Describe how these differences in physical characteristics among individuals in a population may be advantageous for survival and reproduction. - 23
This program includes a pirate map used to review map grid, map key, cardinal and intermediate directions. Students discuss continents and relate latitude on a large map roll to the map grid on a pirate map. Groups of students participate in a tour of the culture and location of world cities found on approximately the same parallel as Columbus. Final activities include an examination of the world map, clues to help them organize the seven continents on a floor map and an introduction to the concept of hemispheres.
Indiana State Standards
Social Studies-Geography Standards:
2.3.1 Use a compass to identify cardinal and intermediate directions and to locate places on maps and places in the classroom, school and community.
2.3.2 Locate the equator and the poles on a globe and identify the local community, state and the United States on maps.
2.3.6 Identify and describe cultural or human features on a map using map symbols.
3.3.4 Identify the northern, southern, eastern and western hemispheres, cardinal and intermediate directions; and determine the direction and distance from one place to another. - 23
This program starts with a discussion of maps by looking at a pirate map to review map grid, map key, cardinal and intermediate directions. Students engage in activities to locate Indiana within the United States and work in groups to identify the states within regions of the US. The final challenge for students is to use an Indiana travel map and map skills to create a bicycle tour of Indiana.
Indiana State Standards
Social Studies-Geography Standards:
2.3.1 Use a compass rose to identify cardinal and intermediate directions and to locate places on maps and places in the classroom, school and community.
2.3.2 Locate the equator and the poles on a globe and identify the local community, state and the United States on maps.
2.3.6 Identify and describe cultural or human features on a map using map symbols.
3.3.1 Use labels and symbols to locate and identify physical and political features on maps and globes.
3.3.2 Label a map of the Midwest, identifying states, major rivers, lakes and the Great Lakes.
3.3.3 Locate Indiana and other Midwestern states on maps using simple grid systems.
3.3.5 Explain that regions are areas that have similar physical and cultural characteristics. Identify Indiana and the local community as part of a specific region.
- 23
Students explore maps using an Indiana state map to locate Bartholomew and surrounding counties. As well as reviewing cardinal and intermediate directions, each class will break into smaller groups to identify and place town landmarks (natural and manmade) in their correct location on a giant map of Columbus aided by clues and compass directions. The program culminates with students using Columbus maps to locate their school, kidscommons, the four main rivers and Mill Race Park. Students are encouraged to design a key for their Columbus map.
Indiana State Standards
Social Studies-Geography Standards:
2.3.1 Use a compass rose to identify cardinal and intermediate directions and to locate places on maps and places in the classroom, school and community.
2.3.2 Locate the equator and the poles on a globe and identify the local community, state and the United States on maps.
2.3.5 On a map, identify physical features of the local community.
2.3.6 Identify and describe cultural or human features on a map using map symbols.
3.1.6 Use a variety of resources to gather information about your region’s communities; identify factors that make the region unique, including cultural diversity, industry, the arts and architecture. - 23
This program challenges students to locate and identify major bodies of water such as Lake Michigan, smaller lakes in Central Indiana and the Ohio River as the Southern border of Indiana. Discussion includes the importance of major waterways to trade and placement of cities. Students are challenged to create a river scenario where they consider location of infrastructure. Discussion also includes branching patterns in trees, roads and rivers. Each team gathers around maps of the U.S., Indiana and Bartholomew County to trace the paths of waterways from smallest to largest and discuss the significance of the Columbus location where four rivers flow through the town.
Indiana State Standards
Social Studies-Geography Standards:
2.3.3 Compare neighborhoods in your community and explain how physical features of the community affect people living there.
2.3.8 Identify ways that recreational opportunities influence human activity in the community.
3.3.1 Use labels and symbols to locate and identify physical and political features on maps and globes.
3.3.2 Label a map of the Midwest, identifying states, major rivers, lakes and the Great Lakes.
3.3.5 Explain that regions are areas that have similar physical and cultural characteristics. Identify Indiana and the local community as part of a specific region.
3.3.13 Identify and describe how human systems and physical systems have impacted the local environment. - 3
Students work to identify what architecture is and its uniqueness in Columbus. After defining architectural “footprint” as the amount of space a building takes up on the ground, students work in teams to design their own building’s footprint. Discussion includes ideas about what buildings are essential to a community. Experiments with building materials and weight distribution add to the fun.
(An architecture tour to supplement your program may be booked. Contact kidscommons educator for more information.)Indiana State Standards
Social Studies-Geography:
3.1.6 Use a variety of resources to gather information about your region’s communities; identify factors that make the region unique, including cultural diversity, industry, the arts and architecture.Fine Arts: Visual Arts:
3.8.2 Create artwork utilizing concepts, subject matter, or the sign systems of other disciplines.Mathematics:
2.M.3 Understand that the length of an object does not change regardless of the units used. Measure the length of an object twice using length units of different lengths for the two measurements. Describe how the two measurements relate to the size of the unit chosen.
3.G.1 Identify and describe the following: cube, sphere, prism, pyramid, cone, and cylinder.
3.G.3 Identify, describe and draw points, lines and line segments using appropriate tools (e.g., ruler, straightedge, and technology), and use these terms when describing two-dimensional shapes.
- 2345
Students will love learning the scientific process by solving a mystery! As crime investigators, students will perform chemical tests on a powder and a liquid to discover unknown substances by comparing their chemical reactions. Students record their observations on a chart and each test brings them closer to solving the question, “Who stole the secret recipe for chocolate chip cookies?”
Supports Nature of Science & Next Generation of Science Standards (3-5 grade)
Indiana State Standards
Science Standards:
2.PS.1 Plan and conduct an investigation to describe and classify different kinds of materials by their observable properties.
2.PS.2 Predict the result of combining solids and liquids in pairs. Mix, observe, gather, record, and discuss evidence of whether the result may have different properties than the original materials. - 3
Students discover the work of paleontologists as they analyze and classify fossils. Discussion concludes with students replicating fossilization processes by making their own fossil casts.
Indiana State Standards
Science Standards:
3.ESS.4 Determine how fossils are formed, discovered, layered over time, and used to provide evidence of the organisms and the environments in which they lived long ago.Next Generation of Science Standards
3-L S4-1 Analyze and interpret data from fossils to provide evidence of the organisms and the environments in which they lived long ago. - 3
Students do the work of geologists identifying rocks and minerals and classifying them according to various characteristics. They perform experiments to understand the rock cycle and identify the three different groups of rocks and minerals: sedimentary, metamorphic and igneous. Students then identify specific minerals and match them to products in which they are found.
Indiana State Standards
Science Standards:
3.ESS.3 Observe the detailed characteristics of rocks and minerals. Identify and classify rocks as being composed of different combinations of minerals.
- 34
This program introduces a basic knowledge of forces and works through a variety of activities and problem solving scenarios. Students are asked to draw conclusions as they examine the way many simple machines make work easier and measure the force of gravity.
Indiana State Standards
Science Standards:
3.PS.2 Identify types of simple machines and their uses. Investigate and build simple machines to understand how they are used.
4.PS.3 Investigate how multiple simple machines work together to perform everyday tasks. - 345
Have you ever wondered what future modes of transportation will be like? This program investigates modes of transportation traveling via land, water, air and space to better understand lift, drag, thrust and gravity. Through the creation of model hover crafts, airplanes, helicopters and boats, students investigate laws of motion and engage in engineering challenges.
Indiana State Standards
Science Standards:
4.PS.1 Investigate transportation systems and devices that operate on or in land, water, air and space and recognize the forces (lift, drag, friction, thrust and gravity) that affect their motion.
4.PS.2 Investigate the relationship of the speed of an object to the energy of that object.
3-5.E.1 Identify a simple problem with the design of an object that reflects a need or want. Include criteria for success and constraints on materials, time, or cost. - 345
A trip to the moon is a once in a lifetime opportunity! Students will prepare for a fictional trip by calculating the weight of their supplies and compare it with the mass. What they discover will be out of this world!
Supports Nature of Science & Next Generation of Science Standards (3-5)
Indiana State Standards
Science Standards:
5.PS.1 Describe and measure the volume and mass of a sample of a given material.
5.PS.2 Demonstrate that regardless of how parts of an object are assembled the mass of the whole object is identical to the sum of the mass of the parts; however, the volume can differ from the sum of the volumes. (Law of Conservation of Mass)
5.PS.4 Describe the difference between weight being dependent on gravity and mass comprised of the amount of matter in a given substance or material.
3-5.E.2 Construct and compare multiple plausible solutions to a problem based on how well each is likely to meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.
- 345
Every day tasks are made easier by the science of robotics. Students will explore the musculoskeletal system of the human body and technology used in our exhibit, KidsClawmans, to guide them in designing a robotic arm. Our Lego Mindstorms robot, Snatcherbot, will also make a visit.
Indiana State Standards
Science Standards:
3-5.E.1 Identify a simple problem with the design of an object that reflects a need or a want. Include criteria for success and constraints on materials, time, or cost.
3-5.E.2 Construct and compare multiple plausible solutions to a problem based on how well each is likely to meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.
3-5.E.3 Construct and perform fair investigations in which variables are controlled and failure points are considered to identify aspects of a model or prototype that can be improved. - 34567
Students work in forensic teams to gather and organize evidence. Deductive reasoning is used to solve one of two mysteries:
The Case of the Stolen Bridge: A valuable piece of artwork has been stolen right off the wall at kidscommons, and it may be an inside job! Learn how crime scene detectives use the tools of the trade to determine which kidscommons employee is guilty.
Supports Nature of Science & Next Generation of Science Standards (3-7).
- 34567
Students work in forensic teams to gather and organize evidence. Deductive reasoning is used to solve one of two mysteries:
The Case of the Baby Swap: Oh no! The identity of two recently born babies have been mixed up in the nursery at the hospital. Learn about genetic traits, DNA comparison and extracting DNA from organic matter! With the evidence, you can help the nurse correctly match babies with their families.
Supports Nature of Science & Next Generation of Science Standards (3-7)
- 4
Students discover properties of electricity through a series of energized electrical investigations. Hands-on investigation includes: conductivity, parallel and series circuits, switches, LEDs and resistors. Students then apply this knowledge to operate a series of electrical games and toys.
Indiana State Standards
Science Standards:
4.PS.4 Describe and investigate the different ways in which energy can be generated and/or converted from one form of energy to another form of energy.
4.PS.5 Make observations to provide evidence that energy can be transferred from place to place by sound, light, heat, and electric currents. - 6
Lasers are more than subjects of science fiction movies. They help us scan groceries and aid doctors in surgeries. At kidscommons you will find them in our laser harp exhibit. What are lasers? How do they work? Students explore these concepts, as well as the science of optics, through inquiry-based experiments and activities.
Indiana State Standards
Science Standards:
6.PS.4 Investigate the properties of light, sound, and other energy waves and how they are reflected, absorbed, and transmitted through materials and space. - 6
Physics comes to life using ordinary objects and simple experimentation. By measuring mass and speed, students examine the way in which some forces work together and others work against one another. Through different types of data collection, students learn to graph data and organize it into charts, make predictions and use the scientific process.
Indiana State Standards
Science Standards:
6.PS.1 Distinguish between the terms position, distance, and displacement, as well as the terms speed and velocity.
6.PS.2 Describe the motion of an object graphically showing the relationship between time and position.
6.PS.3 Describe how potential and kinetic energy can be transferred from one form to another.
