Join CuriOdyssey to dig into the science of the world around us. How long can a top spin? How do we keep CuriOdyssey’s wildlife engaged with their surroundings? How can a structure be engineered to withstand an earthquake? These are some of the questions that our individual workshops will be trying to answer. Register now for this up close and personal science education program designed to inspire enthusiasm for science and passion for life long learning.

Workshops have recommended ages. Except where noted parents/caregivers can drop off their child(ren) off for the workshop at 10:30am, and pick them up at 12:00pm. All workshops require pre-registration.

Tops & Yo-Yos

January 21, 2012   10:30am – 12:00pm     
Recommended for adults and children ages 6-11 years old.
It’s time to do science with toys! Participants will make tops and yo-yos from everyday materials, learn about the fundamental physics of angular momentum (why a top spins), and experiment, gather data, and draw conclusions to their own inquiries. Let’s build some momentum with this over the “top” workshop. This workshop is for both the parent/caregiver and child(ren) to work together.

Fee:    Member: $20 (one adult and one child)
           Non-Member: $25 (one adult and one child)
           $10 for each additional child or adult

Animal Enrichment

February 18, 2012   10:30am – 12:00pm     
Recommended for children ages 6-11 years old.
Ever wonder why the coyote has a cereal box in her enclosure or why the keepers hang paper grocery bags with the bobcats? It’s not trash but rather what zoo keepers call “enrichment” and it helps stimulate and engage the senses of CuriOdyssey’s resident animals. Make an enrichment package, get up-close with a live animal, and observe how our non-releasable animals interact with your creation. Puzzle boxes for the ravens, twisty containers for the raccoons, and scent bags for the bobcats are all items that look like trash to us, but are treasures to the animals. This workshop is for children ages 6-11 years old.

Fee:    Member: $20/child
           Non-Member: $25/child

CuriOdyssey Chemistry

March 17, 2012   10:30am – 12:00pm     
Recommended for children ages 6-11 years old.
What happens when you mix baking soda and vinegar? How do you make disappearing ink? Join us for this reactive workshop where we look at acids & bases, surprising solutions, and interesting indicators. Make ink that will disappear, mix acids and bases, and experience first hand the science that binds us. Aspiring chemists won’t want to miss this workshop. This workshop is recommended for children ages 6-11 years old.

Fee:    Member: $20/child
           Non-Member: $25/child

Tool Time

April 14, 2012   10:30am – 12:00pm     
Recommended for adults and children ages 6-11 years old.
Do you have old appliances lying around the house? Bring them to CuriOdyssey’s Tool Time workshop and learn how to use common tools such as a hand saw, screw driver, and drill to deconstruct, repurpose, and reconstruct a creation of your own using the internal components of your old appliance. Dig up that broken VCR and discover with your child the inner workings of this “ancient” technology. This workshop is for both the parent/caregiver and child(ren) to work together.

Fee:    Member: $20 (one adult and one child)
           Non-Member: $25 (one adult and one child)
           $10 for each additional child or adult

Earthquake Engineering

May 12, 2012   10:30am – 12:00pm     
Recommended for children ages 6-11 years old.
San Andreas, Hayward, and Loma Prieta are not just names of towns, but earthquake faults which continue to shake the Bay Area today. This workshop will explore how/why the earth shakes, what engineers do to build earthquake resistant structures, and other earthquake related phenomena such as liquefaction, tsunamis, and landslides. Let’s shake, rattle and roll in this earth moving workshop.

Fee:    Member: $20/child
           Non-Member: $25/child