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Cosmic Kids Club


From space to geology, explore your world and beyond, meet special guests and make some really cool things!

Join Today!

Ages 6-10
Cosmic Kids Club meets every first Saturday of the month
9 a.m. to noon
Membership is only $65.00 a year

(some camps may require a minimal materials fee)
Call (757) 727-0900, ext. 718 for more information
or to become a Cosmic Kids Club member!


Cosmic Kids receive:
A stellar Science Kit
Cool NASA stuff
Monthly newsletter on-line
Discounts in museum store, cafe', science camps and birthday parties
Special Kids Club membership card signed by Apollo XI astronaut Buzz Aldrin!
Special discount coupons for far-out fun
Free Museum exhibit admission for a year!

Click here to register online!

2008 Schedule of Meetings

January 5 -
I.M. Robot
Take a look at the ins and outs of robotics! Investigate the laws of robotics, the basics of programming, and the different types of robots. Program a human robot to perform a task and make your own robotic hand to take home. Learn about current robotic exploration in space and the future of robots. Experiment with a hover craft and compete in a robot relay race!
February 2 - Candy, Candy Everywhere!
Who doesn't love candy? Find out why candy is one of our favorite things! Make a Candy Land building out of gum drops, marshmallows, peppermint, and tooth picks. Learn how chocolate is made and where you can find cocoa beans. Invent your own type of candy and give it a name. Investigate how our taste buds work and why they are important. Put your taste buds to the test when you sample
bitter, sour, salty and sweet foods. Explore the wonderful world of Candy Unwrapped, with this delicious new exhibit!
March 1 - Eye of the Storm
Hang onto your umbrella and pull out your galoshes! We're going into the eye of the storm to discover what makes hurricanes and tornadoes tick! Create a hurricane in a
bowl and learn about the different classifications of hurricanes. Discover how meteorologists track hurricanes, create a tornado in a bottle and meet a weather expert to learn what steps you can take to stay safe during a storm.
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April 5 - From Trash to Treasure
Help us celebrate Earth Day early when you learn how to recycle some everyday items. Create a terrarium and discover if it's trash or treasure. Examine Virginia's variety of natural resources, and learn how everyone can help prevent pollution and help conserve our ecosystems by recycling our natural resources. Learn how to filter water using coffee filters. Make your own eggheads - plant grass seed and watch them sprout "hair."
May 3 - Space Day - Mars and Beyond
Celebrate International Space Day when you take a trip to the Red Planet. Build a colony on Mars and create a "tumbleweed" rover for Mars exploration. Learn how to make a topographical map and explore how we use them to learn about other planets. Construct a paper Mars Pathfinder spacecraft model and make a Mars Odyssey Aero-Box. Participate in a relay game with "Mars Rocks" and meet an astronaut who has been to space! Explore Mars and beyond with the exhibit Space Quest: Exploring the Moon, Mars and Beyond!
May 31* - Swashbucklers and Scallywags
Arrrgggghhh! Prepare for some plundering pirate fun or be forced to walk the plank! Build a small pirate ship out of foam board and coke bottles. Learn how to tie some sailor's knots and construct a pirate spy glass. Discover map skills that will help you make your own treasure map and create your own treasure chest. Plus, meet a couple scallywags who sail the high seas! (*June meeting is early due to Blackbeard Festival)
July 12* - Risky Business
Are you a risk-taker? Find out when you join us for a little risky business! Learn about potential and kinetic energy and construct a basic model of a roller coaster. Explore probability and discover how risks affect your age. Construct a small model of a bed of nails and then test it with water balloons. Attempt to stick a straw through a potato. Perform experiments to illustrate action/reaction and inertia/impulse. Create a suction cup to test the strength of vacuums. (*July meeting is late due to 4th of July holiday)
August 2 - Bubblicious
Explore the science of bubbles when you become a bubble-ologist! Make a 3-D bubble wand, construct a "bubblearium" and concoct your own bubble gum. Create an exploding lunch bag, watch a hot air balloon rise and experiment with dirigibles. Learn what gases make up our air and what gases astronauts deal with in space. Participate in balloon races and try to make a pop-proof bubble or square bubble. Get creative when you design bubble art and bubble sculpture.

September 6 - Rocket Kids
Blast-off! Take an out-of-this world look at rocketry! Explore action/reaction and how rockets launch. Learn about the forces and principles of flight, and figure out the differences between rockets and aircraft. Build and test Pop Rockets. Make Balloon Rockets and race them. Build Straw Rockets and compete with other members for distance and accuracy.
October 4 - Putty, Polymers and Slippery Slime
Become a mad chemist when you enter the super slimy laboratory! Learn the chemical structures of polymers when you make polymer pudding, slithering slime and chunky troll boogers. Explore the exciting world of a chemical engineer and help save the planet when you create super-absorbent polymers. Experiment with
chemical reactions when you make artificial snow, gluep, and oobleck. Build solid structures out of packing peanuts. Create a structure of a polymer using gumdrops and toothpicks.

November 1 - Survivor! - Amazing Animal Adaptations
The biggest survival contest isn't on TV, it happens everyday all around us! Explore how animals adapt to their environment to play a game of survival. Identify a variety of animal habitats and play the animal cracker habitat game. Learn about the adaptations of camels, birds and more! Discover how color helps an animal survive. Play an animal adaptation board game and create your own animal with its own adaptation.

DECEMBER Saturday Holiday Camps - Club members get $5 off.
There will NOT be a regular club meeting.
Register online or call (757) 727-0900, ext. 718 for more information,
or to become a Cosmic Kids Club member!


*Indicates 2nd Saturday of the Month instead of 1st.