Museum of Life and Science

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• Learn more about biology, ecology, environmental science, geology, meterology, North Carolina, physics, and technology.

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The Museum of Life and Science explores the natural and physical sciences through fun, highly interactive exhibits. It was chosen as the “Best Field Trip Destination” by the Herald Sun’s Reader’s Choice Awards in 2008.Aerospace, weather, geology, Carolina wildlife, farmyard, train rides, traveling exhibits, gifts shops, discovery rooms and café culminate with Magic Wings Butterfly House, a tropical year-round butterfly conservatory. Bayer Crop Science Insectarium houses exotic live insects. Science classes for age 4 – grade 8 are also available on-site. Group rates are available for schools and youth groups.The North Carolina Museum of Life and Science has developed a new model for outdoor science education. It combines the qualities of a zoo experience with the inquiry-based learning found in science centers. It has created a new exhibit which the National Science Foundation has called a “national model”. Explore the Wild is a six acre woodland and wetland habitat featuring live animals with interactive state-of-the-art technology. Black bears, red wolves, lemurs, and other wildlife live in this habitat of lush plant life, streams, and waterfalls. “Observation areas and state-of-the-art outdoor technology – including zoom cameras, microscopes, and computer kiosks – will enable students investigate the rich and varied animal and plant life found in this dynamic landscape.”

One of the Museum’s newest exploration environments, Catch the Wind gives visitors the opportunity to understand the important role wind plays in the natural world. Several interactive, hands-on activities give you the chance to discover how people, animals and plants move with the air. You can captain a radio-controlled boat in the beautiful 5,000-square-foot elliptical Sailboat Pond, launch giant seed pod models and watch them float, parachute, tumble, spin and glide to the ground to explore the aerodynamics of seeds and even fly in a one-of-a-kind Da Vinci-inspired machine that raises you into the air using 12-foot flapping wings that model the motion of insects and birds.

Advance reservations are required. To plan at trip to the museum, call (919) 220-5429 x313 or send email to contactus@ncmls. For fees, directions and hours go to http://www.ncmls.org/visit

Science-in-a-Suitcase loans science activities and consumable materials for hands-on classroom investigation. Two hundred ready-to-use science kits are available for educators to rent for a small fee. Kits are correlated with the North Carolina Standard Course of Study in Science, Math and Healthful Living and are available for four-week loan periods. Each kit supports science exploration for up to 30 students addressing 53 topics. Subjects include Fossils, Solar Power, Weather Watchers, Electricity, Eco Explorers, and Sights and Sounds. For more information call (919)220-5429 x356.

Professional development offerings

The Museum’s primary outcome is for teachers to come away with resources and tools they can implement fairly quickly to enhance their science and math curriculum.

• Workshops typically serve between 21 and 40 educators per session.
• Content may be aligned with North Carolina standards for professional development and is tailored to the needs of the requesting school system. Offerings are based on classroom strategies and subject matter content.
• Sessions offered are a combination of lecture and processing activities with time to process the learning with other participants.
• Follow-up activities include an optional evaluation of the professional development session.
• Materials are included in the cost of the workshops.

Visit the Museum’s Science Education Resource Center, a unique onsite facility that provides materials and resource support. Educators can consult with SERC staff and borrow books, nature artifacts and science equipment to enhance classroom science exploration. Guests can also browse activity files for curriculum ideas. To make an appointment, call the SERC at 919-220-5429×329 or 356.

We have a new feature to help educators. The Museum has started a Science Education Blog so that we can extend our resource center presence to the web and provide a forum for educators to learn and share ideas and resources. Check out the blog at http://mls-serc.blogspot.com.

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