Hands-on in-class field trips
All Mad Science in-class field trips are 35 minutes to one hour of hands-on
exciting experiments. Students will get to see, touch, and try out different
experiments designed around the topic of your choice. With dozens of different
topics to choose from, we are sure to have something to get your students
excited about science!
Cost depends on the number of programs booked, as outlined below. Please call
301-593-4777 or email [email protected] for more information.
SCHOOL-AGED WORKSHOPS (30 KIDS MAX)
# programs per day
1
2-3
4 or more
1-2 dates
Cost per program
$240
$175
$165
3-4 dates
Cost per program
$235
$170
$160
5 or more dates
Cost per program
$225
$165
$155
30-35 minute mini-workshops
# programs/day
1
2-3
4 or more
1-2 dates
Cost per program
$235
$160
$150
3-4 dates
Cost per program
$230
$155
$145
5 or more dates
Cost per program
$225
$145
$140
Available topics
Acids and Bases: Uncover the secrets of chemistry and the effects that acids and bases have on our lives. Learn about the
interaction of acids and bases while making a Mad Science “cannon”!
Agent Undercover: Calling all agents, calling all agents! Get into gear with Agent Undercover and learn what it takes to be
successful in the spy world. With the Undercover Observer that students make and take home, they will step into the shoes of
a spy in action. The viewer allows them to observe visually- a key skill for agents undercover!
All About Animals: What do animals have in common? Let’s use classification to find out. Students will have the opportunity
to explore the ways animals have adapted to protect themselves from predators, including camouflage. We’ll all become
animal detectives when we investigate various animal tracks, and more!
Atmosphere & Beyond: We're on a mission to explore the atmosphere on Earth, and beyond! Travel to the end of the rainbow
and make a sunset! Mix up various planetary atmospheres, one molecule at a time! Discover how stars would look in space,
and see what makes stars twinkle using your very own Shimmering Stars!
Black and Blue Oceans: Examine ocean habitats and environmental crisis in the oceans. Learn the effects of oil spills on
water-based ecosystems and brave the clean up process as we tackle the aftermath of a big spill.
Body Basics: Explore your body! Jump on the blood vessel freeway as we stop at the respiratory, digestive, skeletal, and
nervous systems. Discover how these systems work to keep you healthy. Learn how each of these systems operate without the operation!
Bubbling Potions: Find out what a real Mad Scientist has inside those beakers and flasks! Learn the secret behind dry ice as
we explore carbon dioxide, sublimation, and the three states of matter. This workshop is guaranteed to be a gas!
Bugs: Creepy, crawly critters that are everywhere in our day to day lives... how they walk, how they see, how many legs they
have and the unique shapes to their bodies. What do these little creatures eat and how do they survive in a world of giants?
Cells: What do you have in common with a dinosaur, amoeba, and a tree? Cells! Explore the tiniest machines in your body.
Not only will the students explore cellular structures, but they will also make their own model cell in this fun introduction to the
cellular sciences.
Che-Mystery: Explore the world of physical and chemical change. Eliminate the mystery in chemistry! Explore one of the
most exciting and fundamental sciences as you learn how to handle labware while you grow a crazy crystal garden and
concoct your own “chemical” soda pop!
Chem in a Flash: Hop on board the chemistry express for a high-speed science experience! Perform instantaneous
experiments in this fast-paced class on split-second reactions that go like mad! Pick up an Action Flask and have a blast!
Crazy Lasers: Explore the intriguing world of LASERs (Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation). Learn how
they work and who uses them! NASA...Star Wars...and more!
Crime Lab: Got clues? Analyze clues and get hot on the trail of a culprit with the Crime Lab program. With the Spynoculars
take home, students safely observe clues from afar. The build-your-own binoculars are used to test the limits of magnified
observation and are a diverting way to use observational skills.
Current Events: Apply your knowledge and help build an electronic game! Try to beat your teammates. Take a tour on the
electron freeway! Conductors, insulators, transistors, and other elements in the world of circuit electricity introduce
themselves to you via the tingle in your fingertips and the twinkle in your eye.
Decomposers: Let’s keep our composure as we learn about decomposers! Learn about the importance of decomposition and
it’s vital role in the food chain and in our environment. The students will explore both plant and animal decomposers. It will be
“icky” and interesting!
Detective Science: Discover how science is used to solve real crimes. Watch as the classroom is transformed into a crime
lab for this exploration into the fundamentals of forensics. Become a science sleuth as we discover how police use chemistry,
and the 5 senses to “clue in” at a crime scene…so much fun, it’s criminal!
Dinosaurs: Future paleontologists will discover the unique science of excavating fossils. Kids will make a study of our
dinosaur friends as we learn about fossilization, carnivores, herbivores and many other “Jurassic” explorations.
Discover Detection: Step into the shoes of a detective—uncover the science involved in evidence gathering and analysis.
Students will create, collect, and analyze evidence and discover what skills are necessary as a crime scene lab technician.
Whodunit? Students will find out by using their Fingerprint Finder to place and identify UV prints.
Dry Ice Capades: Manipulate matter in all of its three states! Melt metal in boiling water and freeze water with just a breath
of dry ice! Use your Thermocolor Cup to test the temperature of liquid matter in your home!
Earthworks: Discover your planet! Learn about geodes, the chemistry of crystal formation and metamorphic geology. Unlock
the mysteries of Earth’s composition and specific geological processes. Explore tectonic plates and make your own
sedimentary stacker!
Ecosystem Explorations: Explore the fascinating world of ecosystems. Learn the inter-relationships that exist between all the
living things, and how ecosystems stay in balance. Discover what happens when one of the components tips the scale in
their favor.
Electricity: Don’t insulate yourself from this electrifying class! Visit the circuit circus and discover the positives and
negatives of series and parallel circuits while building them both! See electricity at your fingertips and interact like Benjamin
Franklin!
Energy Burst: The challenging topics of kinetic and potential energy will be explored in a very entertaining way as we explore
the principles behind the energy of motion using some common and beloved toys.
Fun-damental Forces: Gravity...Inertia...Centripetal Force... who could ever imagine that an introduction to physics could be
so much fun? We’ll experience these awesome forces for ourselves and build some cool devices to watch them at work!
Funky Forensics: Figure out the science of forensics in this hands-on look at crime scenes. Evidence collection and puzzle
making will lead them to understand why forensic scientists like to understand the complete picture before they make
decisions. Students will use their Case Stamper take home to probe the science of tracking—they will stamp out a scenario
on a case card according to a pre-determined story.
Glow Show: Discover amazing things that glow in the dark and come to light! Probe the properties of light and explore
unusual applications of glow-in-the-dark tech! Use your Blacklight Writer to make secret messages that only you can see!
Good Vibrations: Surf sound waves and explore the properties of amplification, vibration and acoustics. Catch some sound
waves, play a super-sonic banger, and compose a Mad Science Symphony.
Harnessing Heat: Participants will build a thermometer, and see an underwater volcano erupt. We’ll change the states of
matter, and cap off this workshop with a taste bud pleasing demonstration of heat at work, transforming solid sugar crystal
into cotton candy!
Jr. Detectives: Are detectives really scientists in disguise? Discover what it takes to be a detective in this hands-on look at
detective science. Using powers of observations and the Inspecti-kit, our young scientists will have all they need to get started
on their detective adventure.
Junior Reactors: Create a tiny world of atoms with your very own set of Atomic Coins! Learn to recognize chemical reactions
and mix up a few reactive ingredients for some sensational results
Kitchen Chemistry: Search for starches, sugars, and fats in our foods. Find out how baking soda makes our cakes fluffy.
Learn why we need vitamins and minerals, and how our bodies obtain them from food.
Lab Works: Use your hands as a real Mad Scientist in this whirlwind class on how a lab works! Learn to manipulate
laboratory equipment at your personal lab bench, and take home your very own Graduated Gear to continue your research!
Life in the Sea: Become a deep-sea diver as we discover ocean habitats by experimenting with seawater and its unique
properties. We’ll explore the creatures that inhabit our oceans and some of their features that allow them to adapt to a watery
life.
Lights... Color... Action: Uncover the hidden components in ordinary light and build a Newton color wheel or make a
chromatography bookmark to prove it. Learn about how we see color and what how colors and paint can be mixed for new
and surprising results! Discover black lights and dance to the stroboscope. This program promises to be enlightening!
Living in Space: Experience the life of an astronaut as you suit up for space flight! Use teamwork to complete an important
space mission, build a model space station and make your very own Cosmic Chronometer watch to measure the time here on
Earth!
Mad Science Machines: Test your skills as an engineer. Apply the concepts of work, force, and friction to designing and
building simple machines with wheels, axles, gears, and levers. Make a catapult, or for $60 materials surcharge per class,
make a cool rocket car!
Magnificent Magnets: Experience the pull of magnetism! Ever been an atom in a magnet? Don’t be repelled! Visit the North
and South Poles and frolic in invisible fields. Build magnificent magnet chains and play with some of the wildest forces in the
universe!
Matter of Fact: Take a closer look at the 3 states of matter and molecules... the nuts and bolts of the universe. We’ll build,
touch and explore molecules and create wacky-wild molecular concoctions.
Mineral Mania: The earth can be pretty crusty. Peek beneath it’s rough exterior and uncover what it’s made of. Explore the
process of rock formation and learn how scientists classify and identify rocks and minerals. All kids will get to pan for gems to
take home with them.
Tantalizing Taste: Explore your savory sense and stick out your tongue for this lip-smacking investigation. See what role your
sniffer plays as you put your taste buds to the test. All kids will get to taste different flavors of soda in a blind taste test.
Moving Motion: We’ll discover the science behind movement. How do planes, trains, and automobiles move? How does
friction, inertia, and other physical forces effect movement? We’ll use everyday materials to create our own forces kits to take
home. Buckle yourself in for a fun time!!
Optical Illusions: The “Eyes” have it in this visionary workshop! Students will be introduced to the concepts of refraction, the
science of optics, and the biology of eyes. Kids will get to examine mirages and build their own periscopes. ($60 materials
surcharge per class)
pH Phactor: Slide down the colorful pH scale and dip into the world of acids and bases! Explore pH extremes with a Reaction
Tube that is sure-to-be a popping experience! Discover whether liquids found in your home are acids or bases
Photosynthesis: Does a plant have a nose and mouth? So how do they eat or breathe? Students will learn about the chemical
processes at work in plant respiration and photosynthesis. Discover the place that plants have in the food chain, and use
microscopes to look at plant cells.
Planets & Moons: Explore the farthest reaches of our solar system and create a lunar eclipse in the “mad” planetary tour!
Learn how the planets stack up. Build and take home Kepler's Cube- a fun and educational 3-D solar system puzzle!
Rocket Science: This is your chance to be a rocket scientist! Investigate the four forces of flight with the help of a Unique
Flying Object! Explore the science involved in rocket construction as you build your own Skyblazer II Rocket that you can take
home! ($4 per child materials fee)
Science of Art: What do art and science have in common? We’ll discover how art forgeries are detected through the use of
chemistry and physics. Techniques using density and friction will be employed to create works of art just like the great
masters!
Science of Magic: Magic? No ~ it’s science! Find out the secrets of Houdini in this fantastic class. You’ll learn the secrets
behind famous magic tricks that you can recreate for yourself. Even create your own magic trick to play on your family.
Seeking Our Senses: Use your common sense and learn about our senses. Learn about sight, sound, touch and taste. Kids
will get to explore their senses and how what we smell and see can effect our perception of taste.
Slippery Science: Giant molecule chains called Polymers are vital to modern civilization, and to life itself. Learn what makes
these maverick molecules so unique, and so very important. Explore, create, and play with a polymer you may already
know...SLIME!
Sleuths on the Scene: Suspects, schematics, and sleuths... oh my! Connect the dots using science to help solve a crime in
this hands-on investigation at the science of sleuthing. Students continue their sleuthing at home using their Scene Solver take
home to reconstruct the scene of a crime with family and friends.
Sonic Sounds: This class introduces students to transmission of sound waves, and allows them to experience digital voice
reproduction and sound effects just like in the movies. Using electronic technology, young Mad Scientists will have a soundwarping adventure.
Space Technology: Discover technology designed for outer space! Steer a laser beam through a laser maze, find hidden
mountains using the principles of radar technology and discover everyday objects originally designed for use in space! Take
home a Lightning Launcher that will light up the sky!
Space Travel: Learn what it takes to be a true globetrotter! Race a balloon rocket and design your own car engine as you
learn about thrust. See the principles of propulsion at work in a reach rocket launch, and build your very own Shuttle Copter to
fly to the skies!
Space Phenomena: Probe the mysteries of meteors and bounce around satellite light in this phenomenal program on space
events! See comets up close as one is formed before your eyes, and take home your very own Catch-a-Comet!
Spy Academy: Look out 007—the Mad Science Spy Academy is in session! From edible messages and decoding clues,
students will have the opportunity to check out the skills that spies have in this hands-on journey into the world of espionage.
Students will make and take home their own Secret Code Breaker to communicate stealthily at home, like real spies.
Stunt Planes: The Wright brothers would be proud as we follow in their footsteps and learn the fundamental principles of
flight. Build a “football” glider, learn about control-surfaces and build your very own loop flying stunt plane. You’ll be a Top Gun
after this class. ($40 materials surcharge per class)
Sun & Stars: This stellar program is your ticket to the stars! Watch stardust burn, and journey through a soapy galaxy as you
investigate the life cycle of stars! Use your Bead Dipper to create a 3-dimensional glow-in-the-dark constellation!
Super Sticky Stuff: Stick it to the walls, and push the power of tape to the limits in this adhesive hour on things that cling!
Build a bond with glue and get attached to Professor Beakerdude!
Super Structures: Amazing architecture and engineering! Discover how simple shapes like the triangle and arch strengthen
and reinforce buildings. Join our science structure challenge... build an earthquake proof-building.
Under Pressure: Join Bernoulli and Newton as we take this exciting look at the science behind aerodynamics and the
properties of air... under pressure. Use a vortex generator to create air pockets with a punch, and levitate ping-pong balls in
defiance of gravity!
Wacky Waves: Water covers more than 3/4 of planet earth, and no life on earth could survive without it. Future Mad
Scientists will explore waves, tides, and water pollution in this wet and wild workshop.
Walloping Weather: Discover the importance of air pressure in the formation of weather systems, tornadoes, and hurricanes.
Dispel some common myths about thunder and lightning. Everyone will get to make their own color changing key chain to
take home.
Watts Up: Don’t give us any static in this class… Learn about electricity, its properties, and its role in natural phenomena.
Make indoor thunder and lightning while conducting hair-raising experiments with our electro-static generator.
Whodunit?: Want to know who did it? Test your skills and learn how the pros do it through careful observation and techniques
to handle evidence properly. Using their Whodunit Kit take home, students can practice the skills of recall and observation.
They are provided with character descriptions to reconstruct the face of the suspect! Provided answer keys give them
feedback on their skills.