Programs Offered for 1st Grade
Read course information carefully for size limits and which programs are available at MNS or at your school. For pricing, please visit the Pricing and Reservations page.
2010-2011 Programs at a Glance 
Adapt to Survive | TEKS
1st Grade: 2ae, 9ac, 10ac
Students will learn about physical and behavioral adaptations that enable animals to live in many diverse Texas ecosystems. Students will explore which animals live in their neighborhood and understand the adaptations that allow those animals to survive in their urban backyard! Various taxidermy specimens, skulls, shells, and other objects will be used to engage students in a lively discussion for this program.
Duration: Standard 50-minute Classroom Program
Class Size: 15-60 students at MNS, 15-30 students at your school
Available at MNS or your school.
Beautiful Butterflies | TEKS
1st Grade: 2acde, 9a, 10ad
What is a butterfly? Where do butterflies come from? Explore the life cycle of a butterfly as you listen to a beautiful butterfly story and visit hands-on butterfly stations.
Duration: Standard 50-minute Classroom Program
Class Size: 15-25 students
Available at MNS or your school.
Creepy Crawlies | TEKS
1st Grade: 2abcde, 4a, 9a, 10acd
Humans are greatly outnumbered by six– and eight-legged creatures. See preserved and living examples of insects, arachnids, and myriapods. Learn about metamorphosis, dependence on ecosystems, and adaptations.
Duration: Standard 50-minute Classroom Program.
Class Size: 15-25 students
Available at your school only.
Dig those Dinos | TEKS
1st Grade: 2ade, 4ab, 9a, 10ac
Take on the role of a paleontologist on a journey back into prehistoric times through a variety of hands-on centers. Students will have the opportunity to hear dinosaur facts, learn about fossils, see and touch fossil replicas, discover how dinosaurs lived, what they ate, and who ate them!
Duration: Standard 50-minute Classroom Program
Class Size: 15-25 students
Available at MNS only.
Discovering Dinosaurs | TEKS
1st Grade: 2ade, 4ab, 9a, 10ac
Take your class back in time millions of years without even leaving the Museum! This interactive audio-visual and hands-on program introduces students to the fascinating world of dinosaurs using replicas of fossils and specimens that the students can actually see and touch. Your kids will take an in-depth look at the latest discoveries from our own paleo staff and hear how dinosaurs lived, what they ate, what they might have looked like, and even speculate about what they sounded like. Then the students can explore the new Texas Dinosaurs: Fossil Dig exhibit which includes Tex, the MNS T. Rex.
Duration: Standard 50-minute Classroom Program
Class Size: 15-60 students
Available at MNS only.
Do Bugs Bug You? | TEKS
1st Grade: 2abcde, 5a, 6cd
There are lots of bugs in the world, but not all of them are insects. Students will gain an understanding of insect characteristics and how insects are a unique part of the animal kingdom. Take on the role of a Jr. Entomologist at hands on centers collecting data for individual lab reports to take back to school.
Duration: Standard 50-minute Classroom Program
Class Size: 15-25 students
Available at MNS only
Engineer It: Basic Builders | TEKS
1st Grade: 2abde, 5a, 6cd
Pushing, pulling and lifting are common forms of work, and a machine is a tool used to make the work of humans easier. In this interactive program students will explore the principles of simple machines and how they work. Each student will take on the role of an engineer working collaboratively as a team to build machines using LEGO® Simple Machines kits.
Duration: Standard 50-minute Classroom Program
Class Size: 15-25 students
Available at MNS or your school.
Explore Your Town Tour | TEKS
1st Grade: 2abce, 4a, 5a, 6a
Learn about helpers who live in your community while experiencing the work of grown-ups on an educator-led tour of our recreated town in the Children’s Museum. Enjoy a self paced experience in each town activity station, hear a fire fighter story and see authentic firefighter gear worn by the Dallas Fire Department.
Duration: Standard 50-minute Classroom Program
Class Size: 15-25 students
Available at MNS only.
Insect Investigations | TEKS
1st Grade: 2abcde, 4a, 9a, 10acd
One lucky student will become a bug in our interactive audio-visual program with examples of living and preserved insect specimens. Learn about our dependence on insects for food production, the types of metamorphoses, and insect anatomy and function.
Duration: Standard 50-minute Classroom Program
Class Size: 15-60 students
Available at MNS only.
Little Urban Farm Tour | TEKS
1st Grade: 2ae, 9a, 10b
Let a museum educator guide you through a hands-on farming experience. An interactive farm-like setting will provide students with the sequence of events from planting, harvesting and taking products to the market. Visit the dairy barn to try your milking skills on the life-size replica cow, gather plastic eggs in the hen house, pick fruit in the orchard and see how corn grows as you harvest at the corn field. The last stop is a ride on the miniature tractors to complete the experience.
Duration: Standard 50-minute Classroom Program
Class Size: 15-25 students
Available at MNS only.
Magnet Mania | TEKS
1st Grade: 2abcde, 4a, 5a, 6bcd
May the force be with you! Experience a hands-on approach to understanding the power of magnetism. Students will gain knowledge of different kinds of magnets, and what magnets can do while engaging in a variety of magnetic activity stations.
Duration: Standard 50-minute Classroom Program
Class Size: 15-25 students
Available at MNS or your school.
My Big Backyard Tour | TEKS
1st Grade: 2ae, 9ac, 10a
Explore creatures that live in your backyard or in backyards around the world along our live animal wall. After a short introduction from one of our Museum educators students will have the opportunity to take on the role of a spider crawling through a web, a gecko climbing the wall, an ant navigating through its tunnel or a squirrel scampering across a wooden beam.
Duration: Standard 50-minute Classroom Program
Class Size: 15-25 students
Available at MNS only.
Organella’s Inside Story | TEKS
1st Grade: 2a, 3a, 8ab, 9a
In many ways your body is just like a machine. Meet Organella, a child-sized stuffed doll that will provide you with a peek inside her body to explore some major body systems. Hear how these systems work together and visit hands-on stations to discover more about your amazing body and ways you can keep it fueled and healthy!
Duration: Standard 50-minute Classroom Program
Class Size: 15-25 students
Available at MNS or your school.
Plant Path: The Basics of Botany | TEKS
1st Grade: 2acde, 9a, 10b
Take on the role of a botanist as you dissect a lima bean to learn more about the structure and importance of plants on Earth. Students will also visit hands-on plant stations to understand the “magic” of seeds and prepare a take-home activity so they can predict and observe plant growth at their own pace.
Duration: Standard 50-minute Classroom Program
Class Size: 15-25 students
Available at MNS or your school.
StarLab Junior | TEKS
1st Grade: 1ab, 2abe, 3bc, 6cd, 8bc
Stars, Planets and the Milky Way indoors…oh my! We will bring the stars and planets to you with our state-of-the-art digital portable planetarium. Students will be guided through their discovery the movement of the planet Earth and how the sunrise and sunset relates to the length of the day. They will also explore star movement and learn how to locate stars and constellations. This program is well suited for introducing children to the wonders of the solar system.
Duration: 50 minutes
Attendance: 10-30 students (depending on students’ age)
Requirements: large air-conditioned indoor room with dimensions of at least 25 ft. X 25 ft and 13 ft. overhead clearance; 110 V electric outlet
Available at your school only.
Urban Nature Walk | TEKS
1st Grade: 2a, 4a, 9ac, 10ad
Join one of the Museum Naturalist for a guided walk in our own backyard! With the aid of field guides and binoculars, students will identify and learn about urban wildlife, explore various habitats and learn about the diversity of life within the confines of the Metroplex. This program can be adapted for all grades and helps to reinforce food webs, pond ecology, adaptations and biodiversity. The nature walk is available any season, please dress accordingly.
Duration: Standard 50-minute outdoor program
Class Size: up to 25 students
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