Jellybots: Underwater Propulsion
EARTH DAY FESTIVAL: New Event at the Montshire
Norwich, Vermont — The Montshire Museum of Science is hosting its first “Earth Day Festival” on Saturday, April 22nd, 2023 from 10:30am to 4:30 pm.
At this special Saturday event we invite visitors to celebrate and protect our planet by learning about home projects that increase biodiversity, tackling hands-on repair and reuse, and expanding mindfulness through nature-based experiences.
Explore the Compost Petting Zoo and learn everything you need to know about home composting from expert Ham Gillett. Create a collage with artist Kris Cairelli, learn to sew with mending experts from the Upper Valley Sew-Op and introduce the kids to gardening for biodiversity with Montshire Executive Director and biologist Lara Litchfield-Kimber.
A special Earth Day raffle features a composting bucket full of Earth Day themed products from the Montshire Museum Store. The store will be packed with earth friendly items, including NOSO repair patches, Hudson Valley Seeds and recycled produce bags from Earthwise.
Event admission is free with regular paid Museum admission. Admission is free for children under the age of two and for members. Free event parking is available at the Museum.
This event is part of Learning Ecosystems Northeast, a network of in- and out-of-school educators funded by NASA’s Science Activation Program led by Gulf of Maine Research Institute.
About The Montshire Museum of Science
The Montshire Museum of Science forges and empowers lifelong learners through engagement with science.
Located in beautiful Norwich, VT, the Montshire Museum of Science is open seven days a week from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. Daily admission is $18 for adults and $15 for children ages 2-17. The Museum is free for members and children under the age of two. Memberships are available. Visit montshire.org or call 802-649-2200 for more information.
The Montshire Museum of Science is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that is supported by admission, membership, grants, and charitable contributions.
Gather with us for an Earth Day celebration at the Montshire!
At this special Saturday event we invite visitors to celebrate and protect our planet by learning about home projects that increase biodiversity, tackling hands-on repair and reuse, and expanding mindfulness through nature-based experiences.
Explore the Compost Petting Zoo and learn everything you need to know about home composting from expert Ham Gillett. Create a collage with artist Kris Cairelli, learn to sew with mending experts from the Upper Valley Sew-Op and introduce the kids to gardening for biodiversity with Montshire Executive Director and biologist Lara Litchfield-Kimber.
A special Earth Day raffle features a composting bucket full of Earth Day themed products from the Montshire Museum Store.
Event admission is free with regular paid Museum admission. Admission is free for children under the age of two and for members. Free event parking is available at the Museum.
Seasonal Visitor Service Associate
The Montshire Museum of Science in Norwich, Vermont seeks an enthusiastic and engaging individual with interest in customer service to join our vibrant Visitor Services team as a seasonal Visitor Service Associate.
Seasonal Visitor Service Associates support the Montshire during its busiest time of year. They are part of the team responsible for greeting and orienting visitors; selling admissions, memberships, and merchandise from the museum store; providing general support for museum operations, and ensuring visitors enjoy their time on the Montshire property.
CLICK HERE to download application instructions and complete position description.
Summer Camp Counselor
The Montshire Museum of Science seeks individuals who are passionate about science and science education to serve as a Camp Counselor. This opportunity is open to new high school graduates (ages 18+), college students, and other educators.
The Montshire Museum of Science is renowned throughout the region for its summer camp experience and is seeking our next cohort of Camp Counselors to join our Education team and help develop and lead camp programs with other camp staff. We will be offering camps for campers in 3 age groups: those entering grades:
- 1 & 2: Outdoor Discovery Camp
- 3 & 4: Explorers and Inventors
- 5 & 6: Makers
CLICK HERE to download application instructions and complete position description.
Summer Explainer
Explainers support our visitors at the Museum and fulfill the Museum’s visitor programming needs in our indoor and outdoor exhibit spaces. Explainers work throughout the Museum with visitors, leading a of hands-on science activities, perform daily exhibit maintenance and upkeep, greet and manage visiting group logistics, and help visitors with exhibit use and other needs. Among the few positions at the Museum that interact directly with every visitor, Explainers are critical members as the Museum’s team.
CLICK HERE to download application instructions and complete position description.
Summer Camp Extended Care Provider
The Montshire Museum of Science seeks individuals who are passionate about science and science education to serve as an Extended Care Provider.
Extended care staff provide a safe and welcoming environment for children to engage in supervised but unstructured play outside of camp hours. Extended care staff are responsible for setting up and taking down free play activities and ensuring that campers are signed in and out of camp properly. Extended care staff meet campers at camp sites and escort them to indoor program spaces at the end of each camp day. They set up activities and supervise campers in small and large groups. Extended Care Camp Staff provide an additional communication link between counselors and parents.
CLICK HERE to download application instructions and complete position description.
Celebrate the science of spring as we delve into the diversity and adaptations of the plant kingdom from flowers to seeds, ferns to trees. We’ll be sorting, identifying, experimenting, and pulling out our microscopes to get a new and up-close look into the biology of botany. We will meet on Tuesdays, April 18, and 25, and May 2.
Chemistry In Action
Get ready to mix things up with some messy hands-on experiments! We’ll be exploring the chemical properties of household items through fun and safe experiments as well as looking closely at some more exotic reactions to better understand the tiny molecules that make up the matter around us.
We’ll explore what makes us feel safe as we read the book “Parachute” by Danny Parker and then make our own miniature parachute to launch off the museum balcony.
The Montshire is proud to be partnering with the Association of Science-Technology Centers and the IF/THEN® Initiative to present This Is What A Scientist Looks Like: Representation in STEM Careers.
Did you know? According to the US Census, women make up half of the work force in the United States, yet comprise only a third of people in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers. This means that we’re missing diverse perspectives and ideas that may help us solve some of today’s most pressing challenges.
Located in our upstairs gallery, this special exhibition is a tribute to today’s women scientists, and its images seek to inspire the next generation of innovators.
“This is What a Scientist Looks Like” is part of a digital library of images provided by the IF/THEN® Collection. For more information, go to ifthenshecan.org. We are grateful to the Association of Science-Technology Centers and the IF/THEN® Initiative for their generous support of this exhibition.
A new activity every day - you may get to examine skulls, test a paper rocket, or meet a live insect up close!
A new activity every afternoon - you may get to experiment with electricity, build a parachute or explore the fossil collection.
Astronomy Day is happening with a twist for 2023!
Join us for opportunities to meet working astronomers and participate in hands-on astronomy activities and demonstrations.
The twist? The Montshire exhibit halls will be staying open late with presentations from astronomers and the New Hampshire Astronomical Society, and we’ll have telescopes outside for viewing the night sky!
Also joining us are speakers from the Cowasuck Band of the Pennacook-Abenaki People. They will be sharing stories and guided activities with visitors.
Students will explore the Montshire’s insect collection to learn about insect diversity, adaptations and life cycles in this VERY hands on workshop series that includes live bugs in every class.
Students will explore the Montshire’s insect collection to learn about insect diversity, adaptations and life cycles in this VERY hands on workshop series that includes live bugs in every class.
It’s an exciting time in space science! Students will get a better understanding of our place in the universe and some of the most incredible discoveries through a series of hands-on experiments and eye-popping demonstrations!
Igloo Build for 2023 has been canceled.
With mud underfoot and no snow in the forecast, we have decided to cancel the build for this year.
We are going to get inspiration from the book “Rollercoaster” by Marla Frazee and work together to build our own marble coasters all across the Montshire classroom.
Enjoy FOUR SUNDAYS of savings in the Museum Store
Choose from the Museum Store’s unique collection of science and nature-related products. You’ll find science kits, puzzles, games, ukuleles, art supplies, nature guides, art calendars, toys, books, journals, jewelry, and great stocking stuffers!
Savings Include:
- 25% savings on all Museum Store purchases for members
- 20% savings on all Museum Store purchases for non-members
- Employees of MBP member companies enjoy 25% savings during MBP Employee Appreciation Day on December 4, 2022
Enter our in-store raffle to win a jumbo plush fox for you or someone on your gift list!
Why does Earth have so many different types of rocks? We’ll explore the rock cycle using the Montshire’s rock collection, comparing igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks and how they can transform from one type of rock into another. We’ll do (some messy) experiments on weathering and erosion; and get to examine some of our special collections of fossils and meteorites.
This program has three required sessions on November 1, 8, & 15 2022.
Focusing in a wholly unique way on how horticulture intersects with our every day world and on women whose work has enriched and expanded these intersections in the last 25 years, The Earth in Her Hands: 75 Extraordinary Women Working in the World of Plants explores and celebrates how the plant world is improved by not only greater representation of women generally but also by diversity amongst those women. The work of these women illustrates how the many challenges of our world - environmental, economic, cultural/societal, individual - can and are being met through cultivating an interdependence with plants.
These paradigm-shifting women range beautifully across race, ethnicity, socio-economic and religious backgrounds, sexual orientation, and age - in a way that transcends preconceived notions of what horticulture/gardening are and what plants people/gardeners look like. These women and their work have profoundly positive impacts on the larger world - aesthetically, environmentally, culturally, and economically - making them joyful and encouraging role models and inspirations for us all.
Have you ever wondered why the Hanover Town Gardens have played such a significant role in the activities of the Hanover Garden Club through the years? Sandra will take you back in time to how the gardens got started and how they have evolved over multiple decades. It is a fascinating story.
After a long career teaching in public schools and volunteering in the community, Sandra Johnson joined the Hanover Garden Club after retiring. It was the beginning of what has become a passion of all things related to gardening. With no formal training in this area, she became more competent thanks to the monthly programs and knowledgeable garden club members. In 2015, she had the privilege of serving as president of the HGC and working as co-chair with Larry Litten to plan for a new greenhouse for the club. After almost 10 years, club members are finally enjoying the work of so many who came together to make the new greenhouse a reality.
This program is produced in partnership with the Montshire Museum of Science, and is free and open to the public.
NORWICH, VERMONT, SEPTEMBER 23, 2022 — The Montshire Museum of Science is pleased to announce a self-curated exhibition of mixed-media art by Montshire staff. I Never Saw It That Way celebrates the many different ways one can interface with science and present those interactions to the world.
This fall, visitors can consider science from fresh perspectives in this original exhibition created by artists, sculptors, photographers, and crafters on the Montshire Museum staff. Through this special collection of works, visitors will be invited to engage in a broad range of subjects from genetics to data visualization, from chemical reactions to arithmetic. Special hands-on workshops and artist talks are planned for the run of the exhibition.
I Never Saw It That Way will be on display at the Montshire Museum of Science from October 7th 2022 to January 2nd 2023.
This exhibition is made possible in part by The Benjamin Schore Art Fund and contributions to The Montshire Fund.
About The Montshire Museum of Science
The Montshire Museum of Science forges and empowers lifelong learners.
The Montshire Museum of Science is open seven days a week from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm Admission is $19 for adults and $16 for children ages 2-17. The Museum is free for members and children under the age of two. Memberships are available. Visit montshire.org or call 802-649-2200 for more information.
This special evening event at the Museum will feature “tricked out” exhibits and live Halloween-themed demonstrations designed especially for families with children through age 12.
The event will also include opportunities to make Potions, build Skeletons, handle Creepy Crawlies, and investigate the Dark. For young guests, there will be a not-so-spooky edition of the Montshire’s new TogetherTime Tales program. The event will conclude with a Grand Finale and trick-or-treating.
Guests are invited to come in costume and participate in costume contest. Prizes will be awarded in several categories, including: Best Family Costume, Best Baby Costume, Most Earth Friendly Costume, Best Science-Themed Costume, and Most Creative Costume.*
The Museum recommends that you purchase tickets in advance as this event will sell out. Ticket price includes museum admission and access to all Spooky Science exhibits, activities, demonstrations, and light refreshments. Tickets to Spooky Science are $10 per person for Montshire Members and $14 for non-members. Admission is free for children under the age of two. Free event parking is available at the Museum.
*Please ensure that costumes are not too scary (no gore, blood, or weapons) and that costume-wearers can move safely around the museum.
This event is made possible with a generous contribution from LCS Controls, Inc.
In this 45-minute program, you will take inspiration from jellyfish to design, build, and test your own JellyBot. This is a bio-inspired engineering activity, led by a museum educator who will guide you through a customized experience allowing you to play with different materials to make a soft, underwater robot that swims under your control. You might get wet!
This event is full. Sign up for the next session on 10/23 here.
Design, build, and test your own underwater propulsion system in this new engineering design challenge. With guidance by a museum educator, visitors will play with water, balloons, and customized 3D-printed parts to build an underwater rocket and complete challenges like spinning through the water or collecting objects from the bottom. You might get wet! Sign up now to reserve a spot. (Program length: 45 minutes)
The Montshire Museum of Science offers unique programs to enrich your family’s homeschool curriculum with opportunities for inquiry-based science learning.
We’ve developed a new program for young children and their grown ups that combines mindfulness, movement, and joy and we can’t wait for you to join us!
This program was developed by Kelly Wieman, Montshire’s Early Learning Specialist and certified yoga instructor for children and adults. We interviewed Kelly to share a bit about this new approach to early learning that helps develop self-regulation skills in young children.
Why Yoga? ”Yoga is a 5,000 year old practice combining breath and movement,” Kelly says. “It’s a way for us to be mindful and present, and to develop empathy with our surroundings, ourselves, and others.”
This is not your typical yoga class, though. “There is a lot more silliness and laughing, especially when you’re trying to move like a moose, a rocket ship, or a bolt of lightning!”
How is the program structured? “We start with 15 minutes of science-themed yoga and then we move into a fine motor activity. Sometimes we create obstacle courses, or share sensory experiences with Montshire-made tools.”
Why is this important at the Montshire? “A child’s wellness needs to be established for them to be able to learn,” Kelly explains. “We’re using our understanding of child psychology and development to give kids the tools and techniques they need to thrive.”
“The last couple of years have been tough on many families. Science Yoga is giving young children and their parents and caregivers a place to go, no matter what they might be experiencing in other parts of their lives,” she says. “Families need community support, and I want families to know that we, the Montshire, are supporting them, too.”
We’ve developed a new program for young children and their grown ups that combines mindfulness, movement, and joy and we can’t wait for you to join us!
This program was developed by Kelly Wieman, Montshire’s Early Learning Specialist and certified yoga instructor for children and adults. We interviewed Kelly to share a bit about this new approach to early learning that helps develop self-regulation skills in young children.
Why Yoga? ”Yoga is a 5,000 year old practice combining breath and movement,” Kelly says. “It’s a way for us to be mindful and present, and to develop empathy with our surroundings, ourselves, and others.”
This is not your typical yoga class, though. “There is a lot more silliness and laughing, especially when you’re trying to move like a moose, a rocket ship, or a bolt of lightning!”
How is the program structured? “We start with 15 minutes of science-themed yoga and then we move into a fine motor activity. Sometimes we create obstacle courses, or share sensory experiences with Montshire-made tools.”
Why is this important at the Montshire? “A child’s wellness needs to be established for them to be able to learn,” Kelly explains. “We’re using our understanding of child psychology and development to give kids the tools and techniques they need to thrive.”
“The last couple of years have been tough on many families. Science Yoga is giving young children and their parents and caregivers a place to go, no matter what they might be experiencing in other parts of their lives,” she says. “Families need community support, and I want families to know that we, the Montshire, are supporting them, too.”
Design, build, and test your own underwater propulsion system in this new engineering design challenge. With guidance by a museum educator, visitors will play with water, balloons, and customized 3D-printed parts to build an underwater rocket and complete challenges like spinning through the water or collecting objects from the bottom. You might get wet! Sign up now to reserve a spot. (Program length: 45 minutes)