quick rundown | the details

School Visits

What is a Little Shop of Physics school visit like?
What does it take to host one?
The answers to these questions (and other questions
you didn't even know you had) can be found in this short movie!

If you prefer to read rather than watch, please scroll down for all the information! Enjoy!

The Little Shop of Physics (Who we are) visits many schools throughout Colorado and neighboring states each year. Our program is suitable for all ages. We have also worked with community groups, universities, and anyone else who would benefit from what we offer. When we visit, we see as many students as the time allows. We usually serve all of the students in an elementary school, and try to squeeze in as many science classes as we can, in middle schools and high schools. All of our projects are made with the express purpose of being investigated by children as young as preschoolers but still of interest to those with a more mature scientific mind. Our projects are divided into two categories, those made for the daylight and those that are best seen in the dark—so we set up shop in two different rooms or areas.

We tailor each visit to each organization's individual needs, but our usual program involves an introductory 5-minute presentation, where we set the tone for our visit and dazzle the audience with a demonstration or two. We then divide the group of students (up to 75) into two groups who explore our 100+ hands-on experiments that are set up in two rooms. After approximately 45-60 minutes, the students return to their classes, while our crew gets ready for the next group. Finally, we close with another 5-minute presentation, at which time, students receive a Little Shop science gift, encouraging them to continue experimenting at home.

 

A Quick Overview of a Visit

• We bring our crew of tie-dye wearing undergraduate students and 100+ experiments.
• We arrive 60 minutes before we see our first group of students. With your help, we set up our equipment.
• A group of up to 75 students arrives, though we prefer smaller groups. We give them a brief presentation of 5 minutes.
• Classroom teachers and the Little Shop crew supervise as students work with experiments for 45-60 minutes.
• We have a 5-minute closing session and then students return to class.
• The next group of students arrives, and we take it from the top.

We can work with groups of mixed age. In fact, if we are to work with kindergartners or preschoolers (which we can!) mixed-aged groups work better. The older kids can work with the younger kids to help them work with the different experiments - which is good for everyone!

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The Details
what we need | the cost | how to sign up

What Do We Need?
Our needs are pretty simple, really. To make it all go, we need:

Two rooms or areas
We need one area that is well lit, and another that can be kept dark (we have a number of our coolest experiments that really need to be in the dark.) We can be very flexible here! A gym or lunchroom with two sides, a gym with a dark stage, two classrooms... Let's brainstorm here!

20 or so tables—8 to12 per room
Just put the tables in the rooms; we will arrange them once we’re there. Tables are great, but we can be flexible; we can use student desks, counter tops, the edge of a stage, we can use ping-pong tables... We have never been at a school yet where we have not been able to find the necessary horizontal surfaces!

Electric outlets
We need a minimum of one, but a room with more is a bonus! We’ll provide all the power strips and extension cords that we need.

A schedule for the day
That way, we can stay on top of the time. Please try to schedule groups of students for 45 – 60 minute sessions if possible.

Teachers and perhaps parent volunteers to help supervise students
The students work with the experiments in an unstructured environment. Teachers are encouraged to help us keep things running smoothly! For most situations, if teachers accompany their classes, this will be plenty of supervision. If we are working with very young children (Kindergarten or 1st grade, say) then a few parent helpers might be nice, so there are more adults about.

Lunch and a lunch break
As you plan the schedule, please include a lunch and a lunch break for us. Some schools have ordered food for us, others have had their parent organization feed us, and some have had our crew eat in the school cafeteria. We really appreciate whatever you do!

How Much Does it Cost?

We have no set fees for our program - we have never declined to visit a school based on finances. However, we are supported by grants and donations, and so we do accept donations from the schools that we visit. Donations from schools allow us to develop new exhibits, repair equipment, and purchase supplies. It costs us about $300-$500 per school visit, depending on travel and number of students, to stay in operation. We believe that this is a very reasonable cost for the program we present. But we will not rule out a visit to any school based on how much (or whether) they can donate!

 

How Do We Sign Up?

Send an email request to the appropriate person—check out the Contact Us page for details. Please send an email by the end of April to be considered for next year’s tour. We try to have our schedule completely set up for the next year by mid summer. We apologize that we can't come to all of the schools that request a visit. We receive many more requests than we can fill each year. We don’t choose by first come first served, as we have to consider the parameters of several grants that provide us funding. In the email, please include the following information: • Name of school • Address of school • Your contact info: name, email, phone number, position • A little bit of information about your school Please share any other information that you find special about your school.Again, please send an email by the end of April. Thanks so much for your interest in our program!

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