Family Days

Virtual Family Day: Amazing Earth

The Earth as seen from Outer Space, with part of North Anerica, oceans, and clouds visible.

Image from NASA/NOAA.

From liquid water and a breathable atmosphere to the diversity of life, explore what makes our planet an amazing place to live! 

Watch videos about the Earth.
Try crafts and activities designed to do at home.
Have fun, be curious, and enjoy creating and discovering! 


Videos
 

Earth's Wild Ride: Discover eclipses, the ice age, volcanoes, Earth's water cycle and more in this 20-minute movie, told from the perspective of a grandfather and his grandchildren in a colony on the Moon.
English version
Spanish version

 Produced by ePlanetarium, in collaboration with Rice University through NASA's Immersive Earth Project.

 Museum Minute: Watch short videos on Earth and outer space, by UAMN education staff. Each video includes ideas for activities to do at home.

Exploring Water

Earth from Above

Exploring Watersheds

Edible Spacecraft

 

Activities To Do At Home :

The links are all PDF documents. 

                      Example Atmosphere Collage.                                      White piece of paper with the sun drawn on one edge. Two colored pencils are next to the paper.
                          Atmosphere collage example.                                          Making a Pocket Solar System.

For more activities designed for kids ages 5 and under, go to our Virtual Early Explorers page.

 

Virtual Family Day: Water

A lake surrounded by a snow-covered landscape, with mountains in the background.

Photo by Elisabeth Arnold on Unsplash.


Welcome to Virtual Family Day: Water!

Watch a Collections Chat with museum experts.
Explore water-themed crafts and activities designed for at home.
Have fun, be curious, and enjoy creating and discovering with your family! 


Collections Chat: Water

Explore the theme of water with museum experts!
Curator of Fishes Andrés López shared information on some of the fish species used by people across Alaska's different watersheds. Ethnology & History Collections Manager Angela Linn discussed watercraft in Alaska, cultural objects related to water, and the connection of rivers to where people live.

 

A person scooping water into a white container.

Museum Minute: Exploring Water

Watch a short video to discover more about the connections between water and life. Includes ideas for at-home activities!

 

Water-Themed Activities To Do At Home :

The links are all PDF documents. 

                      Model fish rack made from straws, pipecleaners, and clay.                                      Collage of a sea ice habitat, made with tissue paper, yarn, and foam pieces.
                           Model fish rack example.                                                           Water habitat collage example.

For more water-themed activities designed for kids ages 5 and under, go to our Virtual Early Explorers page.


Family Day LogoHands-on science, culture, history, and art!


Family Days allow the whole family to connect with the museum! Enjoy a variety of hands-on activities, including crafts to take home, games, and experiments. Meet curators, scientists, and other experts. See and touch museum specimens. Explore the galleries.

Family Days are designed to engage the whole family in exploring, investigating, and having fun. All ages are welcome!

Guests 14 and under are FREE on Family Days, and parking is always free on weekends!

                                      A young visitor looks at animal skulls on a table, as a volunteer looks on.      A child examines a bat skeleton with a magnifying glass.     An adult and child cut out paper shapes while sitting at a table.

 

TOTE Maritime logo.Museum Family Days are proudly presented by TOTE Maritime. THANK YOU!


 Past Family Days

 

Fossils (February 2020): Kids and adults met paleo artist Ray Troll, explored fossils in the Cruisin' the Fossil Coastline special exhibit, decorated Ice Age animal puppets, excavated bones, and created paleo art.

 

Walrus (January 2020): Visitors met walrus researchers, saw specimens from the collections, experimented with blubber gloves, explored the importance of walrus in Alaska cultures, and made walrus masks.

 

Stars (November 2019): Guests experimented with hands-on astronomy demonstrations, explored how different cultures view the night sky, made solar viewers, and created glow-in-the-dark artwork.

 

Animals in Art (September 2019): Visitors explored how animals inspire artists! They saw art from the collections, created animal masks, sketched scientific specimens, and made fish prints.

 


Soil (April 2019): Visitors met soil scientists and archaeologists, explored the properties of permafrost, looked at soil under microscopes, created artwork with soil paint, and planted seeds.

 

Ravens (March 2019): This Family Day focused on ravens in culture, art, and science. Guests met a raven researcher, read and wrote raven stories, created raven artwork, and competed in the Raven Olympics.

 

Earthquakes (February 2019): Kids and adults explored the science of earthquakes with researchers from the Alaska Earthquake Center, learned how to prepare emergency kits, and created earthquake-inspired art.

 


Gold (November 2018): Visitors met geologists, investigated the importance of gold in Alaska history, saw objects from the Ethnology & History collection, created gold-themed artwork, and tried panning for faux gold.

 

Berries (September 2018): Guests met berry experts, learned about the Winterberry Citizen Science project, created berry field guides, decorated berry recipe books, and explored the role of berries in Alaska cultures. 

 

Stories (April 2018): Visitors listened to a Yup’ik storyteller, discovered stories of the past with archaeologists, recorded interviews with the ScienceTapes project, made storybooks, and used storyknives to tell their own stories.

 

Butterflies (March 2018): Kids and adults met butterfly experts, explored the Kenelm Philip collection, investigated the life cycle of butterflies, made butterfly art, and tried on butterfly costumes. 

 

Whales (February 2018): At this Family Day, visitors could meet whale researchers and examine specimens, explore Arctic food webs, create scrimshaw art, and learn about the importance of whales in Alaska cultures. 

 

Dinos & Fossils (November 2017): Guests saw and touched real fossils, met museum paleontologists, explored Ice Age mammals, dug for fossils, made fossil timelines, and created dinosaur art.

 


Bears (September 2017): This Family Day featured exploration of bears in art, science, and culture. Visitors saw polar bear art, went on a Bear Story Quest, investigated bear specimens, and learned about bear safety.

 

Visitors around a table in the Gallery of Alaska, making animal puppets.

 The Curator of Mammals shows walrus bones to two children.

 A young child sits at a table, decorating construction paper with star-shaped sequins.

Children stand around a table making animal masks.

Two children examine soil samples.

An adult and child sitting at a table playing a game.

Lea Gardine shows hands-on demonstrations to visitors.

Geologist Jaenell Manchester helps a young visitor pan for gold in a plastic bin.

A volunteer explains an activity to children at Berries Family Day.

 Yup'ik storyteller Marty Hintz helps children play a drum

Two children pose in butterfly costumes.

 Two children put their hands in a tub of cold water to test the effects of blubber.

 A child uncovers fossils in a tub full of sand.

 An adult and child examine a bear skull.

Family Days have been a tradition at the museum since 2010!

For more stories and pictures from Family Days and other events, visit UAMN's Tumblr page.