Traveling STEMventures
Dive into hands-on STEM learning, book a STEMventure!
Enhance education with a Traveling STEMventure Program by bringing the SD Discovery Center to you. Our Museum Educators are standing by with traveling STEMventure programs!
Our STEMventure Programs are for everyone! You can book a program during a group visit to the SDDC Exhibit Hall or as a Traveling STEMventure. STEMventure Programs are led by a SD Discovery Center Museum Educator. With programs like our traveling Journey Beyond the Known Planetarium, deep dive into hands-on STEM learning and share experiences that last a lifetime.
STEMventures is an important tool for institutions and organizations that need science instruction support. Together, we engage and supplement science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education across the state.
Traveling STEMventure Program Booking Rates:
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Rate Discounts:
SDDC Member Discount: 20% $200 P(IE)RRE Science ($280, $560, $720). $120 each additional program.
Nonprofit Organization Discount: 15% $170 P(IE)RRE Science ($298, $595, $765). $128 each additional program.
Sponsored Counties Discount (see below): 50% $125 P(IE)RRE Science ($175, $350, $450). $75 each additional program.
Please Note: Only one discount can be applied at a time.
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SD Discovery Membership yields BIG savings; become a member today!
STEMventures Special: Sponsored Counties
All schools and groups from the following counties receive 50% off our STEMventures thanks to support from the Bankwest Foundation: Charles Mix, Davison, Douglas, Gregory, Haakon, Hughes, Hutchinson, Jackson, Jones, Lawrence, Lyman, McCook, Pennington, Potter, Stanley, Sully, Tripp, Todd, and Walworth
Please address your thank you note to the following address:
Bankwest
Attn: Charles Burke III
420 S Pierre St.
Pierre, SD 57501
STEMventure Programs
Our Traveling STEMventures bring hands-on science to your community! From exploring the universe with our traveling planetarium to the science of bubbles, there is something to engage everyone in a STEM adventure.
We are working to increase access to STEMventures through our Sponsored Counties efforts, email info@sd-discovery.org to learn more and to suggest potential partners.
Please note:
Our STEMventures Programs are undergoing a BIG overhaul, meaning that this list will continue to change, so please contact us if you have any questions or can’t find what you are looking for. You can also email info@sd-discovery.org to let us know if there is a subject you want us to develop into a STEMventure!
Book a Traveling STEMventure
Bubble Festival
GRADES K-6 | ONE HOUR
These captivating, bubble-centric tabletop learning stations are packed with math and science content. The unit (a natural lead-in to Bubble-ology) includes detailed teacher assistance with classroom logistics, writing and literature extensions, and tips for setting up an all-school bubble festival.
Science of Flight
GRADES 2-8 | ONE HOUR
In this exciting hands-on program, students will explore the forces of flight and hone their engineering skills by constructing and testing their own fliers. It can be a great spark for science fair projects and Newton's Law lessons.
Moon Murder Mystery
GRADES 5-12 | ONE HOUR
Solve a moon murder mystery inspired by "Among Us" by completing a variety of tasks on an artificial moon base. Tasks include sample testing, map reading, and generating oxygen through electrolysis. Crewmates must complete their tasks and be on the lookout for imposters murdering people as they pass by.
Journey Beyond the Known Planetarium: Programs
We have a BRAND NEW traveling planetarium! Thanks to donor Jan Martin, our Journey Beyond the Known Planetarium can send observers across the universe or help them explore the wonderful, wild planet Earth! With a SD Discovery Center Museum Educator all planetarium programs can be tailored to your needs, below are a few prepared options to get you started!
Large Dome: 20’x20’ space 19’ high minimum. 40 adults or 55 young children.
Small Dome: 17’x17’ space 10’ high minimum. 20 adults or 35 young children.
*Both Domes must be inside and have access to electricity
Share the love of exploration and encourage a love of science, book our Journey Beyond the Known Planetarium today!
Request to Book Our Journey Beyond the Known Planetarium
Greek Constellations & Mythology
ANY AGE | 30-45 MINUTE
Constellations fill the night sky and for eons people have looked up, handing down important myths and legends that tell us about their culture and history. Navigating these brilliant cosmic stories is the central theme of this star show.
Native Skyes
ANY AGE | 30-45 MINUTE
The people of the Great Plains have passed down their own star knowledge for generations. Using the power of storytelling, visit the constellations that guided the original inhabitants of the Great Plains.
Moon Phases
ANY AGE | 30-45 MINUTE
On most nights, the most prominent object in our night sky is the moon! It is also usually the first object we notice as young children, starting out on our stargazing journey. Why does the moon change shape? Where does it go when it disappears? This star show explores why the moon seems to change on its journey around the earth.
Tour of the Solar System
ANY AGE | 30-45 MINUTE
Three, two, one—blast off! We are going on a tour of our celestial neighborhood! Together we fly from the sun to Pluto, making a stop to visit everything in between. This star show provides a great overview of our solar system, its planets, our only star, the Sun, the many moons, and more.
What's in the Sky?
ANY AGE | 30-45 MINUTE
Even before the time of telescopes ancient people looked to the sky. Even today, sky watching is still a favorite pastime for many people. This show introduces a few easily identifiable celestial bodies in the night sky that can be seen with or without a telescope.
Journey Beyond the Known Planetarium: Movies
Take a journey beyond the known with a science movie! These films are a great way to introduce STEM subjects.
AGES 11+ | 19 MINUTES 41 SECONDS
There are places where the night sky has no constellations. No Orion, no Big Dipper, nothing but a few lonely, far away stars and a few faint, ghostly patches of light. Most stars lie within the crowded boundaries of galaxies, traveling with their brothers and sisters in a vast galactic family. But some find themselves on their own, deep within voids between the galaxies. These are the cosmic castaways.
AGES 14+ | 52 MINUTES 30 SECONDS
“Distant Worlds — Alien Life?” is a beautiful planetarium film exploring one of the most enduring questions of humankind — are we alone? For millennia our ancestors watched the stars, questioning the origin and nature of what they saw. Still today we ask these questions, knowing that the Universe is a vast place filled with billions and billions of stars and planets — but yet, Earth is the only planet we know for sure to be inhabited.
AGES 14+ | 31 MINUTES 40 SECONDS
The night sky, both beautiful and mysterious, has been the subject of campfire stories, ancient myths and awe for as long as there have been people. A desire to comprehend the Universe may well be humanity’s oldest shared intellectual experience. Yet only recently have we truly begun to grasp our place in the vast cosmos. To learn about this journey of celestial discovery, from the theories of the ancient Greek astronomers to today’s grandest telescopes, we invite you to experience From Earth to the Universe.
AGES 11+ | 22 MINUTES 45 SECONDS
Galileo’s telescopic observations began a revolution, transforming our views of the cosmos and our place within. It is a revolution which, four hundred years later, continues. Today you can attend star parties where amateur astronomers set up their telescopes for public viewing. Views through such telescopes would have amazed Galileo. Two Small Pieces of Glass puts you in the middle of a modern star party. Discover the wonders that even a small amateur telescope can reveal and learn about the scientists that made such views possible.
AGES 14+ | 38 MINUTES 30 SECONDS
What keeps Galaxies together? What are the building blocks of the Universe? What makes the Universe look the way it looks today? Researchers all around the world try to answer these questions. We know today that approximately a quarter of the Universe is filled with a mysterious glue: Dark Matter. We know that it is out there. But we have no idea what it is made out of. This fulldome planetarium show takes you on the biggest quest of contemporary astrophysics. You will see why we know that Dark Matter exists, and how this search is one of the most challenging and exciting searches science has to offer. Join the scientists on their hunt for Dark Matter with experiments in space and deep underground. Will they be able to solve the Dark Matter Mystery?
AGES 14+ | 30 MINUTES 27 SECONDS
The story of how human curiosity has driven us to look outwards to discover and explore new and distant worlds. A production of The Swiss Museum of Transport Planetarium, directed and produced by Marc Horat, in cooperation with National Centre of Competence in Research PlanetS and ESO. The show lasts 30 minutes and is suitable for family audiences.
AGES 11+ | 27 MINUTES 37 SECONDS
From the journey of protons racing through the world's largest particle collider in Europe to up-close views of the Big Bang and emergent universe, and the nearly mile-deep descent to an underground experiment in South Dakota, a new planetarium show is designed to immerse audiences in the manifold search for dark matter.
AGES 6+ | 22 MINUTES 45 SECONDS
They are with us all day. When we wake up, go to school, to work or for a trip, and when we spend time with our families in the evening, too. And at night? In the darkness of the night, they guard us while we sleep. Without them, we would not have navigation in our cars or mobile phones, accurate weather forecasts, and in fact many everyday items, either. Do you ask who they are? None other than artificial satellites! We used to wander around the continents and the oceans to expand to every corner of our planet. Not long ago, like heavenly riders, we conquered Earth’s atmosphere. And now… now we are becoming wanderers in a new vast world called the universe. Satellite technologies help us every day. They are the symbol of international cooperation across the continents. And they might enable us to live on this planet for another millennium. You don’t believe it? Learn more at www.satelix.eu A fulldome show for planetarium and digital dome theaters.
GRADE 3+ | 19 MINUTES 59 SECONDS
DARK is a fulldome movie that explains and explores the nature of dark matter, the missing 80% of the mass of the Universe. The search for dark matter is the most pressing astrophysical problem of our time – the solution to which will help us understand why the Universe is as it is, where it came from, and how it has evolved over billions of years – the unimaginable depths of deep time, of which a human life is but a flickering instant. But in that instant, we can grasp its immensity and, through science, we can attempt to understand it.
Our Teaching Mission
All SD Discovery Center programs deliver fun, hands-on exploration that builds passion for and knowledge of science across generations; students, teachers, families, citizens.
Our Teaching Framework: The Learning Pathways
Our teaching framework ensures a high-quality class standard that focuses on lasting effects to help students find their path and hone their talents beyond school while developing college and/or career readiness skills (collaboration, creativity, communication and critical thinking) to grow a STEM workforce for South Dakota.
Our programs and kits offer specialty tracks for every age level and allow for age-appropriate lessons that build upon each other along the following paths:
- EXPLORE: Naturalist, Storytelling, Environment
- SCIENCE: Life Science, Physical Science, Space Science
- TECH: Engineering, Coding, Entertainment
- HEALTH: Fitness, Cooking, Gardening
Equity in Education
We believe every child deserves access to hands-on science education! Our nonprofit rates and the generosity of donors and sponsors eliminate barriers to STEM learning and lead to authentic experiences for children and families in need.
ABOUT
CONTACT
- 805 W. Sioux Ave., Pierre, SD 57501
- (605) 224-8295
- info@sd-discovery.org
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