We offer Members of all ages and interests a variety of fantastic things to do and create! Bring the whole family to the museum to explore some of our most popular demonstrations, or take to the outdoors with excursions that let you see a different side of hands-on science. Enjoy brand-new events tailored to adult audiences, whether it’s a sustainable architecture tour or a workshop that uses science to inspire artistic creativity—plus much more!
Excursions:
Join Exploratorium educator Ken Finn for Exploratorium-style learning and fun out and about in San Francisco. Excursions are $15 per person and for Members only, and preregistration is required. Please note! Because our excursions take place in public locations, children are not permitted to attend without a participating adult. Adult chaperones must be active, paying participants in the excursion curriculum.
Black Sand Treasure Hunt at Ocean Beach
Saturday, September 11, 10:30 a.m.
This excursion is full. To place
your name on the wait list, please e-mail
memberprograms@exploratorium.edu
Join Exploratorium educator Ken Finn in search of elusive “black sand” (aka the magnetic mineral magnetite) at Ocean Beach. Tools and materials will be provided, and we’ll send you home with black sand, magnets, and an activity sheet so you can make your own miniature Black Sand exhibit—just like the very popular exhibit at the Exploratorium. Meet us at Taraval Street and the Great Highway.
San Francisco’s Water: a Special Hike in the PUC Watershed
Saturday, October 9, 10:30 a.m.
You’ve probably seen Crystal Springs reservoir from Highway 280, but did you know that that’s where San Francisco’s drinking water resides, or that it sits right on the San Andreas fault? Come along on this special hike through the Public Utilities Commission watershed, along a path through old growth Douglas fir and other environmental marvels, accessible only by permit (which we’ll take care of for you!). A PUC trail guide will show us the reservoir system that serves 2.4 million Bay Area residents, and the Civil War-era dams that withstood the ’06 quake. And we’ll keep an eye out for rare and endangered species, which thrive here on land that's been protected and pristine since California was settled. The hike will be approximately 4 miles along fairly easy inclines. Hikers will meet at a trailhead near Crystal Springs Reservoir off Highway 280, and will receive an e-mail with directions before the hike. Limited to 18 registered participants.
Seismic San Francisco: Geology Walk and Talk
Saturday, November 6, 10:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
The ground under our San Franciscan feet is constantly on the move. On this 2-hour walk with Exploratorium educator Ken Finn and writer Robin Marks, we’ll visit some spots around town where exposed rocks and city views reveal the tale of an active earth. Touch the stuff of the earth’s crust, visit million-year-old microbes, and enjoy some edible, hands-on activities along the way. The walk is 2–3 miles with some hills. Wear comfortable walking shoes. Meet at the south end of Dolores Park, near 20th and Church.
Family Investigation Workshops:
Get ready to be hands-on and minds-on with your family; we’re bringing back our most popular family investigations from last year! You may have seen our popular cow’s eye and heart dissections at the museum; now you and your family are invited behind the scenes to do these same hands-on explorations with us. Each family workshop will feature one of the activities from our award-winning Exploratopia publication and will focus on practicing the “Tools for Exploration” found in the book. These tools can be used anywhere, anytime, to actively explore the world.
Open to families with children ages 7 and up. Limited to 2 children per adult. Prices are per family of up to 4 people. $15 for each additional family member.
Workshop only: $55
Workshop and a copy of Exploratopia: $75
Cow’s Eye Dissection
Saturday, November 13, 2:00–4:00 p.m.
Saturday, November 20, 2:00–4:00 p.m.
You have probably seen the famous cow’s eye dissection—this is your chance to go behind the scenes with the lead Explainers to dissect one yourself and experience the wonder of an eye first-hand. Explainers will demonstrate cuts so that parents can help out younger children. Through both the dissection and other activities, this workshop will focus on noticing the details of the eye and talking about the function of each part.
Check back soon for the registration form
Heart Dissection
Saturday, February 5, 2:00–4:00 p.m.
Saturday, February 12, 2:00–4:00 p.m
What better way to celebrate Valentine’s Day then by learning about the organ associated with love? Save the date now for this class, in which each family will dissect a pig’s or cow’s heart. Explainers will demonstrate cuts so that parents can help out younger children. Through both the dissection and other activities, this class will focus on noticing the details of the heart and talking about the function of each part.
Check back soon for the registration form
Adult Programs:
Connections Art Workshops
Connections workshops use science to inspire you to create a piece of art. Begin by delving into a topic in science using museum exhibits and quick experiments. Pause to reflect on observations, personal associations, and reactions. Then it’s your turn to respond by making art, be it conceptual, literal, or anywhere in between. Learn basic techniques for using an alternative art material then let your creative engines roar. Led by an art educator, these workshops give you time to find a personal connection with science and enjoy creating a work of art.
Connections adult art workshops are appropriate for all levels of science and art experience. Preregistration is required.
$25 Members, $35 Nonmembers
Plankton Properties
Sunday, October 10, 9:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Thursday, October 21, 9:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Our ocean waters teem with microscopic life called plankton. Though tiny, their vast numbers mean they have a huge influence on our planet. Using recycled plastic, you’ll create a sculpture sparked by your exploration of the museum’s Living Systems’ plankton exhibits. Investigate concepts such as mobility, impact, and diversity in your art. Leave with a tabletop-sized translucent sculpture and a newfound understanding of our San Francisco Bay.
Illuminating Time
Sunday, November 14, 9:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Thursday, November 18, 9:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Explore how an open camera lens records light using exhibits in the museum’s Seeing collection. Using a technique called light painting, create images using lights in conjunction with movement and objects. Consider what gets burned into memory, how time affects perception, and how one moment impacts the next. Leave with light painting photo prints and a heightened sense of space and time.
Marbling with Physics
Sunday, December 12, 9:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Thursday, December 16, 9:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Leverage surface tension and fluid dynamics to create beautiful marbled paper. Suminagashi, also known as floating ink paper marbling, gives you the opportunity to freeze ink flow by absorbing it with paper. Explore exhibits from the museum’s Matter World area before moving ink through water employing ink, brushes, sticks, agitation, dispersant – and even your breath. Embrace the element of chance and enjoy the quiet focus this process instills. Develop an intuitive understanding of fluid dynamics and leave with one-of-a-kind paper, perfect for cards, wrapping, drawing, or as stand-alone works of art.
Sustainable Architecture Tour Series
The Bay Area is home to many outstanding examples of sustainable architecture. Local architects and engineers are pushing design boundaries to achieve improvements in the places we live, work, learn, and play. This new series of educational excursions will take us behind the scenes to learn about exceptional buildings that exemplify the goals of sustainability in the built environment. This fall, we’ll visit two impressive places of learning where architecture supports and infuses academic life.
Tours are limited to 20 participants, and preregistration is required.
Members $20, Nonmembers $25
Marin Country Day School
Saturday, October 16, 10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
5221 Paradise Drive
Corte Madera, CA 94925-2107
When Marin Country Day School (MCDS) embarked on a long-range visioning process six years ago, the organization made a commitment to sustainability. That commitment led to a physical and intellectual transformation of the campus in its architecture, curriculum, and workplace practice. MCDS recently completed the second phase of its long-range master plan. The completed building project—designed by San Francisco-based EHDD Architecture as the largest zero energy classroom complex in North America—is now also LEED for Schools Platinum certified. It includes a 29,000 square-foot Learning Resource Center with art studios, technology labs, project rooms, a library, and high-performance classrooms.
Join Alice Moore, MCDS Director of Environmental Sustainability, for a tour and discussion of this exceptional learning environment.
California College of the Arts
Thursday, October 28, 5:30–7:30 p.m
San Francisco campus
1111 Eighth Street (at 16th and Wisconsin)
San Francisco CA 94107-2247
Sustainability is a cross-disciplinary topic at California College of the Arts, and an integral part of the college's philosophy and academic curriculum.
Join CCA Director of Research and Planning David Meckel on a walking tour and discussion of CCA’s inspiring educational facility in San Francisco. Meckel will discuss the main campus building’s many innovative sustainable features and how they contribute to, and exemplify, the forward-looking art and design efforts happening throughout the school.
CCA was founded in 1907 in Oakland and established a presence in San Francisco in the 1980s. In 1996 it opened a permanent campus in the Potrero Hill neighborhood, which continues to grow. The main building was designed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill LLC in 1951 as a Greyhound Bus maintenance facility.
The building integrates new systems, sustainable materials, and innovative structural elements to achieve maximum functional efficiency and design impact with minimum resources. It is among the largest solar-heated facilities in Northern California and was designated one of the country’s top-10 green buildings by the American Institute of Architects, Committee on the Environment. A solar-heated hydronic system (radiant floor) heats its 51,000 square feet of studio and classroom spaces, allowing retention of existing glazing and maximizing daylight access. Recycled-content cellulose insulation also provides acoustical benefits.
Excursions, Family Investigation Workshops, and Adult Programs are an exclusive benefit available only to current Members of the Exploratorium.
Members receive free admission every day, along with many other benefits!
Purchase a Membership online.
Find out more.
