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Exploratorium
Exploratorium
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  • Tinkering at Home

    Try this collection of prompts for tinkering at home.

  • Learning Toolbox: Engage in activities about the science of coronavirus and explore our online resources for learning at home.

  • Explore water's crucial role in food and cooking.

    Science of Water: Food   Explore water's crucial role in food and cooking.

  • Shadow Box exhibit

    Browse our growing online collection of interactive exhibits.

  • Global Climate Change Explorer • Discover how researchers study climate change and examine the latest scientific data.

  • Science Snacks

    Low-cost, teacher-tested activities for the classroom and the curious.

  • Wired Pier Environmental Field Station • Explore weather, air quality, and water conditions from San Francisco Bay

Explore, Play, Discover: Websites, Activities, and More

Dive into websites, activities, apps, and more.

Science of Coffee
Science of Coffee

What's in that cup of coffee anyway? Find out about the history and chemistry of coffee.

Organ Builders

Get to know the grandfather of all instruments: the pipe organ.

Scratch Film (pdf)
Scratch Film (pdf)

Scratch Film, also known as Direct Animation, is the process of drawing and scratching designs directly onto film.

Sound Uncovered App
Sound Uncovered App

Explore the surprising side of sound

Total Solar Eclipse Zambia 2001
Total Solar Eclipse Zambia 2001
Molecular Meat
Molecular Meat

What happens to meat when you cook it?

Made for Movies: Star Wars I, II, and III

Go inside the Industrial Light & Magic model shop.

Pájaro en una jaula
Pájaro en una jaula
Science of Gardening: Bloom
Science of Gardening: Bloom

The brightest buds get all the glory – but they're not just for show.

Resonance

Go back to the roots of Resonance, our evening music series.

Garden Variety
Garden Variety

Discover the uncommon stories behind the most common fruits and vegetables.

Exploring Space
Exploring Space
Bird in a Cage: Do the experiment

Do you have a staring problem?

Film Canister Farming
Film Canister Farming

Experiment with water, temperature, and light to see what makes a seed come out of its shell.

The Amazing Water Trick
The Amazing Water Trick

Do hot water and cold water mix?

Altamont Wind Farms

Visit the otherworldly wind turbines of the Altamont Pass.

Divided Attention exhibit on Exploratorium Island in Second Life
Divided Attention Exhibit on Exploratorium Island: Porting a Museum Exhibit to 2D and 3D Web

by Rob Rothfarb • May 3, 2010

Bubble Bomb
Bubble Bomb

Using baking soda and vinegar, you can pop a plastic bag with the power of fizz.

Blind Men and Elephant
Adaptive Work

by Josh Bacigalupi • February 22, 2017

Adaptive Work is understanding in the face of Complexity.

Journey to Mars
Journey to Mars

Learn about the rovers that have been exploring Mars since 2004, and view the amazing images they've taken.

Language Families
Language Families

Where do all the different languages in the world come from?

Bubbularium
Bubbularium

Make an observatory to see the amazing colors in bubbles!

Turning Point Activity
Turning Point Activity

When you ride a bike in a straight line, you must make many minor corrections in order to stay upright.

Science of Hockey
Science of Hockey

The Science of Hockey takes you inside the sport and explains the science behind the world's fastest game. The site contains RealVideo interviews with scientists and NHL players and coaches.

Frames & Materials
Frames & Materials

What are the best materials for frames? What are the best designs?

Feeling Pressured

Feel the weight of the atmosphere—plus a little extra.

Transit of Venus: The Rarest Eclipse
Transit of Venus 2012 & 2004

Watch Venus travel in front of the sun. 

Testing the Mars Rover Curiosity

See how engineers prepare Curiosity for its work on Mars.

Desvanecimiento del punto

Si mira fijamente este punto por algunos momentos, éste desaparece.

Science of Sharing Educator Activities
Science of Sharing Educator Activities

Explore the ideas behind Science of Sharing with these Activities.

The Secret Lives of Flowers
The Secret Lives of Flowers

Take a peek at the colorful world of plant sex.

Landing Night!

Relive the excitement of the Mars rover landing.

The Blob That Might Ruin Christmas

by Kevin Boyd • November 10, 2015

A giant blob of warm water means no crab for Christmas.

Bird Call Quiz
Bird Call Quiz

Listen to bird songs and try to figure out which are songs, which are companion calls, and which are alarms.

Remote Control Roller
Remote Control Roller

Rub a balloon on your head, then watch a soda can race across the floor!

Ancient Observatories
Ancient Observatories

Journey into Chaco Canyon, where ancient people built monuments to the cosmos. Journey to Chichén Itzá, where the Maya built monuments to the sun.

Monster Mallows
Monster Mallows

Grow marshmallows to monstrous proportions!

How Old Is It?
How Old Is It?

How do scientists establish the age of artifacts, rocks, and settlements?

Diving into the Gene Pool
Diving into the Gene Pool

A multifaceted exhibition that explored genetics and the Human Genome Project from a variety of perspectives from April 8 to September 4, 1995.

The Wheel
The Wheel

Why do road bikes have thin tires, while mountain bikes have fat tires?

Icebergs
Icebergs

They're a menace to ships, but life thrives in these frozen oases.

The Tinkering Studio
The Tinkering Studio

Activities and workshops for playful invention, investigation, and collaboration

A How-To Guide for Viewing Eclipses
How to View an Eclipse
The Heart of the Matter: Inside CERN
The Heart of the Matter: Inside CERN

Visit the European Organization for Nuclear Research, known as CERN, which studies what the universe is made of and how the universe works.

How fast are you?
How fast are you?

You can measure your reaction time with just a yardstick and some help from a friend.

Image of algae
Warm Water and Poisoned Clams: What’s Happening off our Coast?

by Shannon Eliot • July 13, 2015

Wondering why we've been seeing sharks in Santa Cruz? Heard about the massive toxic algal bloom off the West Coast?

Why Save Seeds?
Why Save Seeds?

Find out why biodiversity benefits plants and people alike.

Overview of MSL and Curiosity
Flash back to the early days of the Curiosity rover.
UN Plaza LIZ Takes Shape

by Eileen Campbell • May 19, 2016

Sound Commons,  a new SPS installation, is taking shape in UN Plaza.

Listen to the Softest Sound
Listen to the Softest Sound

What's the quietest sound you can find – and how can you find it? Download listening tips.

The Nobel Prize: 100 Years of Creativity
The Nobel Prize: 100 Years of Creativity

Nobel Laureate Symposium

Why are bubbles round?
Why are bubbles round?

Bubbles are round when they float free through air. But what happens when you pack bubbles together?

Lost and Found
Dig up the truth about archaeology in the Presidio.
Auroras
Auroras

Your guide to the Northern and Southern Lights (also in 'Observatory')

Finger Test for Doneness
Finger Test for Doneness

Your thumb and index finger can help you test a steak's degree of doneness.

Iron Science Teacher
Iron Science Teacher

Each webcast, the Exploratorium staff and teachers demonstrate their science projects and compete for the title of IRON SCIENCE TEACHER!

The Scientific Capabilities of the Mars Rover Curiosity

See what's on the Curiosity rover's tool belt.

Organ Builders

Get to know the grandfather of all instruments: the pipe organ.

Dime Tic-Tac-Toe
Dime Tic-Tac-Toe

This new version of an old game will bend your brain.

Science of Gardening: Control
Science of Gardening: Control

Make it grow . . . bigger, lusher, juicier.

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