AMSE’S Educational Programs
AMSE is happy to host a variety of educational events for all ages. Use the quick links below to navigate through information about group events, outreach programs, outreach education and our video library!
To learn more and request an event, contact Jessica Davis by email jtackett@amse.org or call 865-294-4531, and check our events calendar for regularly scheduled programs.
Outreach Programs
Bring the fun and learning of AMSE to you! These programs feature one of our educators coming to your school for a personalized educational experience. Great for homeschoolers or anyone interested in learning from the comfort of their own classroom. Classes range from 1-2 hours and $75-$110 per class.
My Body and Me (Grades K-8)
Students will learn about the different body systems and how to take care of them. Hands-on activities include a life-sized intestine, X-Ray photos, listening to body sounds using a stethoscope, and an anatomy puzzle.
Our Microscopic World (Grades 3-8)
Various types of microscopes provide students with a close-up view of several microscopic organisms and their importance in our world.
You are what you eat (Grades K-8)
Students will learn about the digestive system with a 26-foot long intestine! The food and Exercise Pyramid, vitamins and minerals, and fat and sugar content in foods will be discussed. Students will make their own choices with artificial foods.
Chemistry, It’s Elemental (Grades 3-8)
Through hands-on modeling techniques, students will learn about matter, atoms, elements, mixtures, and compounds.
Electricity (Grades 3-8)
Students will learn about static and direct current electricity. Hands-on activities include making simple circuits, series and parallel circuits, and learning what substances are insulators and conductors.
Light (Grades 3-8)
Students will explore reflections, shadows, how light travels, and will observe a demonstration of a laser.
Magentism (Grades K-5)
This class gives students hands-on experience with magnets to learn about attraction and repulsion, magnetic versus non-magnetic materials, and how magnets are used in everyday life.
Sound (Grades 3-8)
Students will learn about vibration, pitch, volume, and how sound waves travel through hands-on activities.
Forces and Motion (Grades 3-8)
Hands-on activities make Newton’s Three Laws of Motion come to life! Students will learn about different forms of energy, friction, balance, and their application to everyday life.
Simple Machines (Grades 3-8)
This presentation provides hands-on experimentation with inclined planes, levers, wheels, springs, and compound machines.
Fun With Fossils (Grades 3-8)
Students will learn about fossils and historical geology, identify fossils in limestone hand specimens, and make a fossil mold. In addition to these activities, the 2-hour program includes wet sifting of fossil-laden clay from a local site.
Geology Rocks (Grades 3-8)
Students will learn about the layers of the earth, their composition, depth, temperatures, and their relation to minerals. Activities include testing 9 kinds of minerals and observing 15 kinds of rocks
Butterfly Bonanza (Grades K-8)
Students will learn about butterfly anatomy, life cycle, habitats, and monarch migration. During spring, summer, and early fall, students may go outside to catch butterflies and other insects.
Insects: Friend or Foe (Grades K-5)
This program features an introduction to the common order of insects, their physical characteristics, and incredible adaptability. Field activities involve collecting insects for identification and observation.
Skins and Skulls (Grades 3-8)
Students will learn about what animals eat by examining skulls, they will determine if the animal is an herbivore, omnivore, or carnivore. Mounted local wild animals are available for observation. Food webs, how animals move around, and how they protect themselves will be discussed.
Spaced Out (Grades 3-8)
Students will discover how the earth, sun, and moon cause day and night, years, tides, and eclipses. They will be astonished by the relative sizes and distances of our planets!
What Weather (Grades 3-8)
Students will study cloud types, temperature, air pressure, wind speed, and direction, rainfall, humidity, and the meaning of highs, lows, and fronts. The two-hour program includes hurricane tracking.
Reinventing How Students Experience Science!
1-hour classes: $75*
1st class:** $50 each repeated class on the same day
2-hour classes: $110* per class
*Additional charges apply for distances over 100 miles round trip ($10 for each additional ten miles).
** A minimum of two hours should be scheduled per visit.
*** Time between classes should not exceed 45 minutes; for each 45 minute gap, an additional $20 will be charged for each gap. Maximum group size is 30 participants.
how the classes work.
Each class session is a LIVE interactive, virtual experience with an AMSE educator. Days prior to your on-line session you will receive an email with links for on-line classroom content to prep the kids for their class. During your 45-minute session an AMSE educator walks the class through various activities, presentations, and work-along-experiments, culminating in a questions and answer session at the conclusion.
Each 45 minutes class is $250.00 and includes: on-line prep videos, curriculum standards, notes and supplies, live session with AMSE Educator, and work-along-experiments.
AMSE will include a supply list for additional work-along-experiments or have the opportunity to purchase more.
For more information please contact: AMSEOutreachEducation@gmail.com or lwright@amse.org
Honey Bees & Pollination
Your students will be buzzing about the bee colony exploring the integral role they play in the ecosystem. The busy bees will learn through experimentation about honeybee communication, pollination, and honey production.
Electricity Sparks Curiosity
Turn up the voltage for students as they boost their knowledge on electricity. This program highlights some of our museum exhibits including the Energy Grid and displays featuring ORNL research in renewable and alternative energy resources and super conductors. Kids learn the basic concepts of electricity, loads, and circuits. Students will have an opportunity to build a paper electrical circuit for investigation and exploration of conductors and insulators.
States of Matter
Observing, collecting, and analyzing with all five senses is the key ingredient for student discovery with our States of Matter classes. Through hands on experimentation students have a chance to witness changes in these states and create some safe and fun chemical reactions.
Coming Soon: The Elements!
The 117 Society, AMSE’s premiere education fundraising partnership, is developing this class to celebrate the foundational knowledge and pioneering research done to understand how the world fits together. Arriving in time for school planning, Summer 2022.
Below is a short video showcasing how a generous grant from Oak Ridge National Laboratory inspired our virtual classroom.
AMSE Explore: Video Library
Group Events
Enjoy a day at AMSE with a scheduled event for your group. Plan your event today!
For more information please contact: Jessica Davis at jtackett@amse.org
A demonstration of the Van de Graaff generator, a hair-raising event exploring the basics of static electricity and the structure of the atom, presented in the auditorium.
All Ages (~45 minutes)
Free with admission
Scouts complete most requirements to earn the Scout Nuclear Science Merit Badge. This program follows National Boy Scout guidelines and includes a video, lecture, and hands-on activities using Geiger counters and radioactive sources.
Minimum group size of 10 Scouts, Grades 6 - 12 (~5-6 hours)
$10 per scout
Using hand-held generators and wires, students will create electrical circuits and discover materials that are conductors and/or insulators.
Grades 3 - 6 (30-45 minutes)
$3 per student + admission
Using magnets and magnetometers, students will test the magnetic qualities of various materials.
Grades K - 3 (30-45 minutes)
$3 per student + admission
Through hands-on activities, students will examine the states of matter and witness changes in these states.
Grades K - 3 (30-45 minutes)
$3 per student + admission
Following the scientific method, students will test the insulating qualities of various materials.
Grades K - 3 (30-45 minutes)
$3 per student + admission
Students will be given a problem to solve for Mining Mission Company using a simple algorithm to create code for an unplugged robot to retrieve specific minerals. Basic definitions of coding are introduced along with mineral basics and testing.
Grades 4-5 (30-45 minutes)
$3 per student + admission
Standards 4.ESS2: 1) ; 4.ETS1: 1) ; 4.ETS2: 1) 2) 3) ; 5.ETS1: 1) 2) 3) ; 5.ETS2: 2) 3)
Popular program for K-6th grades exploring our internal organs and their purpose.
Grades K-6 (30-45 minutes)
$3 per student + admission
Guests must pre-register
Contact Jessica Davis for scheduling and pricing.