Science Saturday
Our monthly Science Saturdays give scientists and environmentalists of all ages the opportunity to join in some fun and engaging activities! Children under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult.
Dates at a Glance
Fall 2021 events are still to be determined, and posted events are subject to change with evolving health conditions. Please stay tuned for details. Join Our Mailing List for updates!
Fall 2021
September 18, 10 a.m. - noon
Smithsonian Museum Day - Meet Our Meteorites! (reservations required)
On September 18, we host our first in-person Science Saturday in over a year. The Gillespie Museum is participating in the annual celebration of boundless curiosity with museums and cultural institutions across the country, sponsored by Smithsonian Museum Magazine. From 10 a.m. – noon, young scientists and their grown-ups are invited to see Gillespie’s small collection of meteorites—the fragments of rocks and minerals that teach us about early conditions and processes in the solar system’s history.
To ensure social distancing, we are asking for visitors to make reservations. We will have limited capacity to ensure distancing. Masks are required of all visitors. Make your reservation today!
You can find information about other area museums participating in Smithsonian Museum Day at Smithsonian Magazine.
October 30, 10 a.m. - noon
Mostly Green Halloween - Our 12th Annual Fall Fair! (reservations required)
Join us for activities and experiments, exploring the wonders and mysteries of the natural world. The public is invited to participate in this free, family-friendly Halloween-themed event, which is one of the museum’s Science Saturdays.
Attendees can participate in outdoor adventures with Cindy Bennington, PhD, professor of biology, and her Plant Ecology course students at the Volusia Sandhill Ecosystem, an urban reforestation area that is adjacent to the museum’s Rinker Environmental Learning Center. Activities will include Build a Sandhill Ecosystem, Get to Know Florida Butterflies, Have Fun with Fungi and Enact the Story of Sandy the Friendly Witch of the Sandhill. And on the front porch, Gillespie Museum student-staff members will oversee Rock Paper Scissors — an arts and crafts table for making clay sculptures, mineral mosaics, origami bats and suncatchers. Student guides will conduct small, indoor group tours of the fluorescent mineral display and cave replica in the museum’s walk-through Underground World display, and visitors can learn about meteorites and impactites in our new “Meteorites/Rocks from Space” exhibit.
We welcome scientists of all ages (children under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult), and costumes are encouraged!
(We are asking for visitors to make reservations--RSVP by email at [email protected]. We will have limited capacity to ensure distancing. Masks are required of all visitors.)