Your Search
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Sunday, September 26
- 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
- Mission to Mars (map)
- NC Center for the Advancement of Teaching, Cullowhee
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From ancient times, the planet Mars has inspired awe and mystery. In the 1960s, NASA’s Mariner 4 projected our first deep-space photos of the strange red world that captured our collective imagination. Subsequent explorations by rovers Spirit, Opportunity, and Phoenix, have revealed significant scientific data about its geography, geology, vulcanology, hydrology, and climatology. Almost forty years after the last lunar landing, humankind still dreams of stepping onto the soil of a new world. The mission to Mars is here. The long-term goals of NASA’s Mars Exploration Program include determining the existence of life on Mars, characterizing the climate and geology of the planet, and preparing for the possibility of human exploration. In collaboration with NASA, analyze past endeavors, understand current research, and investigate future initiatives for the red planet. Explore the possibility of human habitation on Mars. Learn more about the way technology will help us answer our questions through the use of spectroscopy, robotics, and deep drilling systems. Which of your students will be sending you “postcards” from the Mars station? Inspire tomorrow’s space explorers in your classroom today.
Multi-day workshop; September 26-30
- Event Web site
- Cost: No cost to teachers or school systems. Meals, lodging, materials, and substitute reimbursement provided.
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- 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
- The Age of Sail (map)
- NC Center for the Advancement of Teaching, Ocracoke
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Humans have been going down to the sea in ships for thousands of years—to fish, explore, trade with others, hunt whales, and wage war. Until the late nineteenth century, the ships were built of wood and propelled by sail. Step into history as you are piped on board the schooner Windfall (whose scarlet sails were featured in National Geographic), and are assigned your watch. Return to those lost-but-not-forgotten times as you embark under sail on a journey to the briny deep. Hoisting canvas and hauling on a halyard, you’ll not only learn the language and songs of the sea, but also experience firsthand how they were put to use in that bygone era. Wake to the smell of the sea, share hardtack with your messmates, practice the sailor’s arts of scrimshaw and marlinespike seamanship, and tune your ear to the bosun’s pipe and the ship’s bell. Explore the ways in which a sailor’s life depended on what we now call STEM: the mathematics of navigation, the fluid mechanics of harnessing the wind, the physics of pulleys and levers, and relevant meteorology. Through our adventures we will rediscover our heritage as a maritime nation and become more aware of how our history shapes our present.
Multi-day workshop; September 26-30
- Event Web site
- Cost: No cost to teachers or school systems. Meals, lodging, materials, and substitute reimbursement provided.
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- 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
- Sunday Science (map)
- Sarah P. Duke Gardens, Durham
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Join us in the garden on Sundays, Sept 12 through Oct 30, for simple drop-in science or craft projects. Each will include something to make and take home. Location in the garden noted at the Front Desk of the Doris Duke Center.
- Event Web site
- This event is free to participants.
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- 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
- SciWorks Planetarium Shows (map)
- SciWorks Science Center, Winston-Salem
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SciWorks planetarium offers several shows throughout the day for various age groups. We also present a live sky tour of the current night sky. Shows and times vary daily so please call ahead. First show at 11:00 a.m. Last show at 3:00 p.m. Several shows daily.
- Event Web site
- Cost: Free with museum admission.
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- 11:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
- Live Animal Encounter (map)
- North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island, Manteo
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Come face to face with alligators, snakes, sea turtles and many other live animals in Neptune’s Theater. This program is featured everyday at 11:30 a.m.
- Event Web site
- This event is free to participants.
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- 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
- North Carolina Shell Show (map)
- Cape Fear Museum of History and Science, Wilmington
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Experience the largest gathering of shell collections in North Carolina.
Members of the North Carolina Shell Club and shell enthusiasts from up and down the east coast will present exhibits for viewing and judging in more than 20 categories.
One Museum gallery will display Shell Show exhibits; another will be filled with shell vendors. The public is encouraged to attend.
Nationally recognized awards, including the Conchologists of America Trophy, will be presented.
- Event Web site
- Cost: Free with museum admission.
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- 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
- Tours of the Eco Industrial Park (map)
- Eco Industrial Park, Pittsboro
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Come to Pittsboro for a guided tour of Piedmont Biofuels Eco Industrial Park. Walk through a hydroponic greenhouse, see how clean burning renewable fuels are made from fats, oils and greases, wander through a biodiversity project, see a sustainable farming operation, and get your questions answered about solar thermal, photovoltaics, or about our plant-wall bio filter. Sample some bug spray made from renewable resources and learn about oilseed crushing and other bio-based products and technologies, including valuable soil amendments made by worms!
- Event Web site
- This event is free to participants.
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- 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
- The Science and Art of Wine making (map)
- Shelton Vineyards, Dobson
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Tour a state-of-the-art working winery and learn about the art and science of wine making in North Carolina. Tour will end with a tasting of 5 wines (must be 21 years of age to sample) and participants will receive a souvenir glass. Tours start every thirty minutes from 10 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. daily.
- Event Web site
- Cost: $5.00 per person
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- 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
- Gadgets & Gizmos (map)
- Marbles Kids Museum, Raleigh
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Join students from NC State University’s College of Engineering to solve engineering puzzles with hands-on, creative activities. Explore gizmos and gadgets using weight and balance, motion and magnetism and much more!
- Event Web site
- Cost: Free with museum admission.
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- 1:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
- Animal Encounters (map)
- North Carolina Zoo, Asheboro
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Join the North Carolina Zoo for close-up encounters with animals! Located in the kidZone section of the park.
- Event Web site
- Cost: Free with zoo admission.
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- 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
- Yates Mill Heritage Tours (map)
- Historic Yates Mill County Park, Raleigh
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*One-Hour Mill Heritage Tours* are available most weekend afternoons from Mar – Nov, on Saturdays and Sundays from 2:00-3:00pm, including September 11-12 and 25-26: Explore the mill’s business & social history. View a brief slide show then take a guided tour. Explore how power is transferred from the water wheel to the milling machinery. Pre-registration is not required, but is encouraged for groups of 10 or more people.
- Event Web site
- Cost: $5/adult, $3/seniors and children (but those age 6 & under are free)
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- 2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
- River Exploration Hike (map)
- Carolina Beach State Park, Carolina Beach
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Join the park ranger at the marina parking lot at 2:00 pm for a walk along the Cape Fear River. Discover plants and animals that live along the shore of the river. Water and insect repellent are recommended. For more information call (910) 458-8206.
- Event Web site
- This event is free to participants.
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- 2:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
- What’s Glowing On? (map)
- Discovery Place, Charlotte
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Grab a seat at “The Stage” and discover the science behind luminescent and incandescent light. By the time the show is over, you’ll be an expert on all that shines.
Put yourself in the spotlight as a contestant in the “Will it Glow?” game show, hosted by one of the Museum’s brightest scientists. Explore the materials that make things glow and take a closer look at items such as the artwork of Vincent Van ‘Glow’ to watch them shine. The show does ‘lights out’ with a BANG! — get a front row seat to the explosive qualities of light.
- Event Web site
- Cost: Free with museum admission.
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- 2:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
- Meet the Animals (map)
- NC Museum of Natural Sciences, Raleigh
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From alligators to opossums, come face-to-face with a new live animal each week.
Upcoming Topics
Sept. 11: Insects & Arthropods
Sept.12: Turtles
Sept. 13: What do I eat?
Sept. 14-17: Nocturnal Animals
Sept. 18-19: Turtles
Sept. 20-24: Alligators
Sept. 25-26: Turtles - Event Web site
- This event is free to participants.
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- 2:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
- Science on a Sphere Program (map)
- North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island, Manteo
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See the Earth like never before with an educational program on our three dimensional sphere at Oceans Revealed. Every day at 2:30 p.m.
- Event Web site
- Cost: Free with paid admission.
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- 3:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
- A World Apart (map)
- Discovery Place, Charlotte
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Learn about the tropical rainforest ecosystem and the species that call it home during “A World Apart”.
Get acquainted with a variety of species that call the rainforest habitat home and explore the unique features that help them thrive in this one-of-a-kind environment. Keep your eye out for the ball python, a constrictor that uses its 200 vertebra to twist and turn around the rainforest exhibit. You also could meet an iguana hailing from Central and South America that uses its third eye to sense the presence of predators – and friendly Museum visitors.
Step in to a world where the seasons change from hot to hotter, frogs roam freely and a 20-year old blue and gold macaw looks on as you experience the wonders of the tropical rainforest.
- Event Web site
- Cost: Free with museum admission.
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- 3:00 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.
- Explore McDowell: Guided Nature Hike (map)
- McDowell Nature Center, Charlotte
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Join an educator and discover something new at McDowell. A forest walk, stream study, or an introduction to letterboxing might be on the agenda. Please call 704-588-5224 ro reserve your spot.
- Event Web site
- This event is free to participants.
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- 3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
- Wonderful Wetlands Hike (map)
- Goose Creek State Park, Washington
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Come discover one of the least-traveled trails in Goose Creek State Park, Mallard Creek Trail. We’ll walk amongst the Huckleberries and enjoy a stroll through Loblolly Pines, ending at the overlook of Mallard Creek. The hike will be approximately 1.5 miles long, so meet the Ranger at Parking Lot #3 and come prepared for a beautiful hike no matter what the weather brings!
- Event Web site
- This event is free to participants.
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- 4:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
- Sub Zero (map)
- Discovery Place, Charlotte
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Join our resident physicist at the “The Stage” to chill out and explore a world below freezing. With materials so cold they can only be touched with cryogenic gloves, you’re in for an icy treat!
The star of the show is liquid nitrogen – a unique element that’s so cold, when poured out of its tank in a room temperature setting; it turns to gas before even hitting the floor – giving you the chance to frolic in a nitrogen cloud. You’ll watch as it makes a surgical glove as delicate as glass, takes the bounce out of a bouncy ball and causes a penny to shatter with one strike of a hammer.
Learn more frosty facts about this important element at “Sub Zero”.
- Event Web site
- Cost: Free with museum admission.
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- 5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
- Chimney Swift Walk (map)
- NC Museum of Natural Sciences, Raleigh
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Chimney Swifts (one of the coolest birds ever!) roost communally in the fall during migration. Downtown Raleigh is host to one of these sites. Thousands of birds congregate to roost for the night and we will take a walk and watch them go in! If you’ve never seen a bird tornado you must come and check it out! It is one of nature’s most amazing sights. *Meet in the Museum of Natural Sciences’ Parking Lot.
- Event Web site
- This event is free to participants.
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- 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
- Sunset Canoe Trip (map)
- Lake Crabtree County Park, Morrisville
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Join park staff as we explore areas of Lake Crabtree that can only be accessed from the water. Many birds and mammals call these areas of the lake home. Your guide will give some very basic canoe training so prior canoeing experience is not necessary to participate. All canoes, paddles and related safety equipment will be provided. Binoculars and cameras are at the discretion of the participant. Program is subject to weather conditions. Meet at Boat Rental Building.
- Event Web site
- Cost: $5 per adult or $10 per canoe (canoe can hold 3 people max.)
Your Search for Sunday, September 26
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