You and your students can dive deeper into science with a 45-minute facilitated, hands-on learning experience in our Knight Learning Center. We’ve developed a standards-aligned curriculum to bring marine, earth, and space science to life for your students.

This experience is subject to availability.
Learning Labs are only available during the academic year.
Maximum class size is 24 students.
At least one chaperone must remain with the group at all times during a Learning Lab.

Learning Lab Options

Sea Life Sorting
Students will sort, classify and compare shells in this ocean and coastal themed experience that celebrates the biodiversity of life on Earth. Hands-on activities will teach students how to observe, investigate and categorize our diverse mollusk (shell) collection gathered over decades from all around the globe, ranging from rare finds to common Florida shells. Students will learn to recognize the similarities and differences in shapes, colors and sizes, and will be guided to match sea creatures needs with their environments and habitats.

Crocogators
Young biologists will sink their teeth into the world of some of the oldest animals on Earth: crocodiles, alligators, caimans and gharials! Students will go on a journey that follows the evolution of these remarkable reptiles while exploring their unique adaptations through engaging activities, including a special viewing of both crocodile and alligator skulls from our museum’s collection. Then, students will compare physical features of alligators and crocodiles and choose their favorite by making their own alligator or crocodile face mask.

Wind Tunnel Design
Students will get to apply their engineering skills and explore how they can make flying contraptions go higher, further and faster. Using a variety of materials—including everyday objects—they’ll be encouraged to create their own flying contraptions and then given the opportunity to test them out in our own vertical wind tunnel. Their flying contraptions will go through different challenges, all encouraging design readjustments and trial and error—a friendly part of the engineering process.

Building the Future
Students will have the chance to let their creativity flow as they prepare to become the next generation of problem solvers by exploring the fundamentals of engineering. This hands-on introduction to the engineering design process will encourage creative thinking, team work and perseverance while students tackle a bridge building challenge. Teams will plan, build and test how their designs respond to weight and length demands and then be challenged to redesign and retest to create the ultimate bridge.

Fingerprints of Light
Students will have the opportunity to jump into an astrophysicist’s shoes as they study how light’s properties and behavior are applied to astronomy and human space exploration. Students will experiment using tools like color filters, diffraction gratings and colorful spectrum gas tubes to note how gases (especially the ones we as humans need) emit light and have their own unique light pattern, or “fingerprint.” Practicing the principles they’ve learned, they will then decide whether to pursue space exploration to different case planets by analyzing their light spectrums.

Motion of the Ocean
Students will gain a broader understanding of how ocean currents are a constantly moving, interconnected energy system powered by forces that play a key role on our planet. Using 3D printed ocean drifter models, they will investigate ocean currents around the world and be introduced to how new technology can further aid scientific research.

Junior Paleontologist
Discover what our planet looked like millions of years before humans walked the Earth. Students will spend time learning about fossils and what they can tell us about Earth’s history with a chance to view Frost’s fossil collection up close. Students will also step into the role of junior paleontologist by participating in a mini dig, where they will uncover what is like to make a new discovery from mapping out their site to identifying their findings.

Rock Lab
Students will step into the role of geologists and use their newfound knowledge of rock formation to identify rock types from the Frost Science collections. They will work together to identify different rocks and minerals by testing different properties like hardness, luster and magnetism.

Squid Dissection
Students will dive into a slimy (and sometimes smelly!) dissection that investigates the biology of one of the earth’s most highly developed invertebrates: squid. Students will examine and identify the special and unique features and adaptations these mollusks have developed over time to help them survive. They’ll also analyze the squid’s role in the marine food web along with the characteristics they share with their mollusk relatives. Don’t worry, the smell comes off‚ with a little soap and water—but the memory lasts forever!

Water Quality Testing
Students will dive into a water chemistry-based experiment by comparing and contrasting variables such as temperature, acidity, salinity and nutrient balance from sources such as freshwater, local bay water and even water from our own aquarium. As they gather results, students will make inferences on what they mean for an aquatic system, especially for aquatic creatures to live and thrive.

Radiation Detectives
Join us to explore radiation in our every day lives. Travel back in time to when particle physics was first introduced and discover how pioneering experiments detected the undetectable. Using a cloud chamber, students will observe the tracks left by various ionizing particles and connect their findings to fundamental concepts in radiation detection and particle identification.