Explore nature’s wild and wacky wonders! Investigate flying mammals, bizarre reptiles, and mixed-up dinosaurs. Observe experiments with dry ice and test out the science of food. Design your own “weird” animal with its own unique adaptations. Scout through Hillman Hall of Minerals and Gems to find minerals that look like cookies, French fries, stars, and bubbles, plus learn the science behind rainbows.
Learn more about Weird Science.
Explorers, let’s go back in time to unravel the mysteries of Earth! Journey through geologic epochs to discover the history of the planet, from trilobites to dinosaurs to the Ice Age. Conduct experiments and go behind-the-scenes to learn how the world has changed through time, and leave your own mark by constructing a time capsule to take home.
Learn more about Epoch Explorers.
Construct unique artworks by combining varied materials and art processes. Mix colors and apply paint using unusual tools and techniques, create interesting textures by layering and combining materials, and experiment with different forms of printmaking like stamps and transfers. Explore the galleries to discover examples of the processes artists have used worldwide throughout history.
Learn more about Paint, Print, and Paste.
Enter the world of the dinosaurs as you dive into prehistoric ecosystems in the Kamin Hall of Dinosaurs. Perform hands-on investigations with mud, rocks, minerals, and fossils. Compare the skulls and teeth of predators and prey, and learn how dinosaurs digested food. Study specimens and predict colors and patterns of dinosaur skin. Watch your own dinosaur adaptations evolve as you create a “Me-a-saurus.”
Learn more about Land of the Giants.
Journey into the museum’s galleries to uncover artworks that originated in places far from Pittsburgh but all ended up together in the Carnegie International. Discover more about the artists and their creative practices through close observation, art investigation, and expert insider information. Explore diverse art materials and processes through experimentation as you play and map what you discover throughout your journey.
Learn more about Art Around the World.
Discover an enchanted world inside the museum and make connections to some of your favorite stories. Let it all go as you experiment with ice, and go under the sea to learn about the differences between fresh and salt water. You‘ll have no worries as you learn how lions, warthogs, and meerkats survive in their ecosystems, plus explore ways you can help make the world a better place.
Learn more about Enchanted Explorations.
Come and catch them all! Join Pokéteam Carnegie to explore the natural world of Pokémon. Learn about different Pokémon and examine their habitats to discover what makes them strong. Meet entomology experts and compare the life cycle of Pokébugs to real insects. Create your own Poké Ball and Pokémon creature based on real features of amazing animals. Go on quests in the museum and Schenley Park to find Pokémon.
Learn more about PokéGo.
Give your fingers a workout by rolling coils, smooshing slabs, and constructing artworks using clay. Be inspired by the organic forms of our sculpture garden, mix found objects and plaster with multiple forms of clay, and construct figurative sculptures that stand, sit, or dance suspended in motion. Any fired work will be available for pickup three to four weeks after the workshop camp.
Learn more about Clay Play.
Build your knowledge of rocks, elements, volcanoes, and more as you explore the geology of Minecraft in the real world. Discover the different types of rocks and how they form, plus search the museum for favorite Minecraft minerals. Investigate the science behind volcanoes and lava flow, and learn about real-life uses of coal, ores, metals, and more.
Learn more about Rock On: The Geology of Minecraft.
Meet weird prehistoric creatures and some of nature’s coolest critters! Get your hands on mystery slime, take a close look at reptile scales, and build an obstacle course for worms. Examine the movements, habitats, and senses of animals with daily experiments. Measure and make observations during a gummy worm dissection. Get creative with chemistry to investigate scientific phenomena as you mix emulsions and test what floats in slimy substances.
Learn more about Creepy Crawly, Slippery Slimy.
Combine art, science, and magic through play, making, and experimentation. Conduct chemistry to create colorful potions, make paints and powders by transforming natural objects and elements, and conjure companion animals through design. Fly around the museum to discover mysterious figures, fellow magical beings, and archetypal bad guys to gain inspiration for your mystical makings.
Learn more about Art Alchemy.
Get an inside look at paleontology from the gigantic Diplodocus to the tiny Archaeopteryx. Cover land, sea, and sky while searching for unusual pterosaurs, ichthyosaurs, birds, and mammals. Join a museum expert for an up-close look at fossils in the Kamin Hall of Dinosaurs. Make a mask of your favorite prehistoric beast and move like a dinosaur in a special relay race.
Learn more about Peculiar Paleontology.
Dive into the wonders of water! Splish and splash your way through experiments, games, and outdoor water play to learn all about the science of our watery, icy world. Find out what makes an object sink or float, and create colorful water paintings. Discover aquatic adaptations of amphibians, reptiles, fish, and other critters that live in ponds, rivers, and oceans. Build a cascading water wall and search the museum for minerals that look like ice.
Learn more about Splish Splash.
Discover the amazing creatures living in and around your home! Explore the museum’s exhibits, backyard, and nearby Schenley Park to look for critters, search for insects in leaf litter, and go on a mammal scavenger hunt. Create your own bird feeder to attract birds to your yard, plus craft a bug hotel and make art from nature. Conduct plant pigment experiments and dissect fruits and vegetables. Uncover backyard micro mysteries using magnifiers and a video microscope.
Learn more about Backyard Biology.