Virtual STEM Workshops

Join us for a fun, engaging, and hands-on virtual learning experience! The Museum offers interactive, live, 100% online workshops your students can attend from the classroom or from the comfort and the safety of their own homes. Through hands-on science and/or engineering builds, your students will put into practice concepts taught in the classroom and will uncover how these concepts relate to real-world applications in the airline industry.

The Museum prides itself in offering programs that are aligned with TEKS, NGSS, and 21^st Century Skills. All our workshops include some degree of hands-on participation and follow best practices in STEM education. For a list of TEKS covered for each workshop, please contact us at [email protected].

The cost for each live session is $95 and can accommodate up to 35 students. You will receive an invoice alongside your confirmation email. Payment is due within 30 days of services rendered.

It takes a considerable amount of energy to move a plane which can weigh well over 130,000 lbs. through the air! In this 45-to-60-minute program, students will briefly review the forces involved in flight as well as basic concepts of potential and kinetic energy. They will then be challenged to design, build, test, and improve a 3D plane prototype powered by using the energy stored inside a rubber band. Through their trials, they will gain important understanding of the law of conservation of energy as well as the role played by various parts of an aircraft.

Basic materials required: Index cards and/or cardstock, recyclables, tape, scissors, rubber bands.

Get ready for a “full throttle” thrust challenge! It In this 60-minute workshop, students will explore the science behind jet propulsion and will engineer a 3D plane fuselage powered by the air inside a balloon. Through the engineering process, they will uncover Newton’s 3rd law of motion and will gain understanding of the effect of mass on motion.

Basic Materials Required: Index cards/cardstock, recyclables, tape, scissors, skewers (2 X Student), straws (2-3Xstudent), Balloons (2-3 X Student).

Other suggested materials: 4 bottle caps, toothpicks, ruler, digital scale (optional).

What does an airplane carry? You might be surprised to learn what could be under your seat the next time you fly. In this 45 to 60-minute workshop students will investigate cargo science and will discover how the center of mass is a key concept at the heart of all flight operations. Through a series of fun, hands-on activities, students will step into the shoes of an aircraft pilot and will be making critical decisions regarding whether their aircraft is safe for take-off. A fun and relevant way to integrate math and science skills into real-life inspired scenarios!

Basic Materials Suggested: Dollar bill, coin, 2 metal forks, toothpicks (2), soda can or water bottle, glass.

Other suggested materials: wire hangar, 2 potatoes of similar size

Get ready for take-off! In this 60-minute workshop students will learn about the importance of STEM in aviation and how concepts they learn in the classroom are applied in the airline industry. They will uncover fascinating information about careers such as pilot, flight attendant, aircraft mechanic, and engineer and will even get to try their hands at some real-life training exercises.

Basic Materials Suggested: coins, stuffed animal (or pillow), 12 straws, tape.

Other suggested materials: aluminum foil (small square), 3V coin battery, 3V LED diode.

What does a typical workshop look like?

Each workshop is unique, but all lessons follow a similar format. Students will engage in live chats, will view a few short, pre-recorded videos, and will participate in live, hands-on activities. Most workshops (apart from the Airline Careers workshop) follow a 6E lesson plan (Engage, Explore/Engineer, Explain, Elaborate, Evaluate) model.  A “student guide” will be provided for students where they will be able to get more in-depth explanations of the concepts explored and which will also suggest optional “Elaborate” and “Evaluate” type activities to complete after the workshop.

Which broadcast platform are you using?

The Museum is broadcasting through the Zoom portal. Students will need to use a registered email address and will need to enter their full name in order to access the meeting room (screenshot instructions will be sent to teachers for student distribution). Please check the Zoom FAQ page for more information about this platform. If students are using a mobile or tablet device, we recommend downloading the Zoom app to each device prior to the workshop.

How do you ensure the safety of children during the workshop?

The Museum has set up a “Waiting Room” where students will be waiting until they have been cleared by the Museum educator. Each teacher will need to provide a list of all the students registered for the workshop a minimum of 48 hours prior to the broadcast. Only students whose names appear on the roster will be let in the Zoom meeting room. Once the broadcast has started, the meeting room will be locked. In addition, many functions such as chat, screen sharing, etc. will be disabled and/or controlled by the Museum educator. All participants are muted upon entry. Any attendee who disrupts class will be automatically removed from the broadcast.

How will my students join the workshop?

We will provide teachers with a meeting link that he/she will be able to share with the students. Remember that only students on the participation roster will be let into the meeting room. Unapproved guests and/or unregistered participants will not be allowed entry into the meeting room. We recommend asking students to log in 5-10 minutes before the workshop time to allow enough time to be cleared from the waiting room.

How do I make sure my students have the material they need for the workshop?

We have tried our best to create workshops which require only simple materials. A list of materials is included in the workshop description. Some schools have decided to create “kits” for their students while others have opted to let students gather their own supplies. Although we strongly encourage you to make sure students have the recommended supplies so the workshop can be as interactive as possible, students with limited materials should still be able to participate in most of the experience. Try giving your students some time to prepare for the workshop and to gather materials. Asking them to collect recyclable items such as empty boxes, snack cups, disposable water bottles, toilet paper tubes, etc. will allow them more flexibility in their engineering build and will increase their level of engagement.

We are a home-school group, can we still book a workshop?

Absolutely! There is no minimum number of participants required. Make sure to let us know what grade level your students are in so we can best suit their needs.

We are doing in-person classroom instruction, can we still book a workshop?

Yes! We have a few different options for schools who would like to organize a broadcast for in-person students. If each student has its own computer, then we can proceed with the regular program. If you would like to organize a broadcast where the feed from 1 computer is projected to an entire classroom, we can certainly make some adjustments. Send us an email with the details of your situation and we will do our best to accommodate your classroom needs.