Family Fun: Mobius Discovery Center finds ways to bring learning home

The educators at Mobius Discovery Center have figured out ways to connect with kids even when they can’t be physically together.

After the coronavirus pandemic halted visits to the center, the staff created Mobius Virtual Programs.

“The kids couldn’t come to Mobius, so this was one of the programs that we came up with to bring Mobius to the kids,” said Amanda Gilliam, Mobius marketing manager.

“It’s been really exciting to figure out how to engage kids virtually in these programs,” Mobius educator Matthew Juneau said.

This month’s classes are on sharks and dinosaurs. And though the hourlong classes are online, each one has tangible components for the students to work with at home, Juneau said.

In Shark Dissection, students will learn about what is and isn’t a shark, then follow along as a Mobius instructor dissects a dogfish shark on camera. They’ll also learn about tracking sharks online and have an egg with a shark tooth hidden inside that they have to dig out.

In Dinosaurs, students explore the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods, learning what makes something a dinosaur. They’ll also talk about paleontologists and have a dinosaur bone to dig out themselves.

Juneau makes sure to keep kids moving during classes. For instance, in Dinosaurs, he has them spin around to power up an imaginary time machine to visit the different time periods, and he uses hand motions to show the differences between how carnivore and herbivore teeth work.

“You have to find ways to engage kids throughout the entire program,” he said.

Other Mobius Virtual Programs include Structural Science, Coding, Space Science and Owl Pellet Dissection.

For the owl pellets, students get their own pellet to dissect at home, and an instructor will also dissect one on camera.

“People just love dissecting those owl pellets and discovering what owls eat,” Juneau said.

And while individual kids can sign up for the classes, Mobius can arrange similar programs for classrooms, homeschool groups and clubs.

“Teachers are used to having their kids come to Mobius for a whole day, so this can kind of substitute for that,” Gilliam said.

Another way families can bring Mobius home is through STEAM Kits. STEAM is an acronym for science, technology, engineering, arts and math.

There are six different kits: Slime Science, Space Science, Structural Engineering, Flower Dissection, Owl Pellet Dissection and Fantastic Contraptions. Each comes with the materials for an experiment and an art project to do at home.

The art component in the kit reinforces the learning they’ve done, Juneau said.

“They don’t necessarily feel that they’re learning at that point, but they’re applying some of the concepts of science that they were just learning about,” he said.

“The best part is they’re fun, but kids are learning while they have fun,” Gilliam said. “It’s sneaky learning.”