Science Labs

A lab instructor demonstrates a chemical reaction in a classroom What does DNA have to do with the taste of broccoli? How do roller coasters make our stomachs drop? Can you find a solution to water pollution? Students can explore these and other questions as they roll up their sleeves in The Tech Interactive's hands-on Science Labs.

These interactive, facilitated sessions offer deeper learning experiences that reinforce scientific concepts and help students develop 21st-century skills. Participants will use the design process to brainstorm, design, build, test and redesign their way to creative solutions to real-world science and engineering challenges.

Each of our labs supports Next Generation Science Standards and are complemented by related gallery exhibits and pre- and post-lab activities.

Information on each of our nine labs – including supporting activities and educator guides – is provided below. Science labs will be available through June 9, 2023. Minimum of 12 students required to reserve a lab. For information on our virtual programs, click here.

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School Year Lab Offerings

Chemicals of Innovation
(Grades 5-8)

Investigate chemical properties and bring the periodic table to life. Students experiment with chemical reactions and explore real-life applications and innovations featuring the elements of life.

Educator resource guide (PDF)
Lab journal (PDF)

Lab Related Activities

Green Pennies (PDF)
Periodic Table Battleship (PDF)

Chemistry of Plastination: A Body Worlds Decoded lab (Grades 8-12)

More than just anatomy, Body Worlds Decoded is also a display of advanced chemical processes. In this lab students investigate and experiment with some of the chemistry behind the preservation process of Body Worlds.

*Please note this lab only runs for 60 minutes
**This lab will only run the weeks of:
11/1/21 - 11/5/21 (Thursday and Friday only)
1/24/22 - 1/28/22 (Thursday and Friday only)
2/28/22 - 3/4/22 (Tuesday through Friday)
4/18/22 - 4/22/22 (Tuesday through Friday)

Educator resource guide (PDF)

Lab Related Activities

To Donate or Not to Donate (PDF)

DNA and Genetics
(Grades 6-12)

Students will investigate the wonders of DNA and genetics by examining strawberries, spooling DNA from nature, and discovering some of their own hidden genetic traits. This lab was created in partnership with the Stanford Department of Genetics.

**This lab will only run the weeks of:
11/1/21 - 11/5/21 (Thursday and Friday only)
1/24/22 - 1/28/22 (Thursday and Friday only)
2/28/22 - 3/4/22 (Tuesday through Friday)
4/18/22 - 4/22/22 (Tuesday through Friday)
5/9/22 - 5/13/22 (Tuesday through Friday)

Educator resource guide (PDF)
Lab journal (PDF)

Lab Related Activities

Dino DNA (PDF)
Nature or Nurture? (PDF)
Who has the gene? (PDF)

Down the Drain
(Grades 3-8)

Design and construct different types of storm drain grates to keep trash out of the Bay’s watershed from San Jose to the Pacific Ocean. Students discover how water systems function and how to use science and their own ideas to protect Earth’s natural resources.

Educator resource guide (PDF)
Lab journal (PDF)

Lab Related Activities

Testing the Waters (PDF)
Trash Mover (PDF)

Engineering for Earthquakes
(Grades 4-8, adaptable for high school)

Construct seismically sound structures to survive “The Big One.” Students work as teams to practice the structural design and engineering process as they learn about one of California's greatest natural threats: earthquakes.

Educator resource guide (PDF)
Lab journal (PDF)

Lab Related Activities

Convection Currents (PDF)
DIY Shake Table (PDF)
Earthquake in a Box (PDF)
Emergency Preparation Kits (PDF)

Make it Matter
(Grade 2 only)

Play with the building blocks of the universe: matter! Students explore and experiment with the properties of matter using everyday chemicals and compounds.

**Please note this lab only runs for 60 minutes**

Educator resource guide (PDF)
Lab journal (PDF)

Lab Related Activities

Property Investigators (PDF)
Molecule Madness (PDF)
Changing Phases (PDF)

Physics of Roller Coasters
(Grades 2-8, adaptable for high school)

Discover the science and engineering behind thrill rides! Students explore kinetic and potential energy, friction and the engineering process by designing and prototyping their own roller coasters.

Educator resource guide (PDF)
Lab journal grades 2-3 (PDF)
Lab journal (PDF)

Lab Related Activities

Balloon Hovercraft (PDF)
Play Potential (PDF)
Energy Red Light Green Light (PDF)

Simplicity of Electricity
(Grades 4-8)

Explore properties of static and current electricity with everyday objects. Students investigate conductors and insulators as they tinker with electricity through the creation of circuits.

Educator resource guide (PDF)
Lab journal (PDF)

Lab Related Activities

Cooking with the Sun (PDF)
Drawing Circuits (PDF)
Lemon Battery (PDF)
Squishy Circuits (PDF)

Policies and Info

Lab Costs and Title I Policies

For school groups, labs cost $300 per lab with a maximum capacity of 32 students. A $50 deposit is required per lab at booking.

For Title I school groups, the $300 fee for labs can be waived depending on the availability of funding from our donors. Book early to secure funding. A refundable $50 deposit is required per lab at booking. Deposits will be refunded when you check in on your field trip day. Canceling a lab within three weeks of the scheduled date will result in forfeiture of your deposit, unless the cancellation was due to a public health directive.

If you are an educator at a Title I school and have been granted a fee-waived lab, you are required to implement one of the provided pre-lab activities (journal writing and/or vocabulary) and post-lab activities (journal writing and/or activity) in your classroom. All pre-lab activities can be found in the educator resource guides.

To reserve a Science Lab, please indicate your interest on our Request a Field Trip form. When a Group Reservations specialist calls to schedule your trip, they will guide you through the booking process.

Lab Resources

All lab resources can be found as PDFs under each individual lab tab to the left.

Educator resource guides

Each lab has an associated educator resource guide filled with pre-lab information and resources to help prepare teachers and students for the lab experience and connect it to the classroom. These guides include:

Brief summary of the lab, including NGSS connections
Vocabulary terms and definitions
Related texts
The Tech Interactive’s gallery and exhibit connections
Journal prompts

Lab journals

Keeping a lab journal is an essential part of any scientist’s or engineer’s job. A lab journal serves as an ongoing collection of ideas, prototypes, drawings, data, calculations, failures, successes and conclusions. Implementing the lab journal is also one method of incorporating language arts into your science curriculum.

We have designed a simple lab journal to be used by your young engineers and scientists in The Tech Interactive Science Labs in the hope that they too will document their hard work from classroom to lab and beyond.

Related Activities

There are two activity guides for each lab that can help reinforce the learning back in the classroom. Activities are hands-on, easy to implement, and NGSS-aligned.

Standards Connections

All of our labs support Next Generation Science Standards. Details on connections to grade-level standards:

What Lab for What Grade? (PDF)
Second Grade Standards Connections (PDF)
Third Grade Standards Connections (PDF)
Fourth Grade Standards Connections (PDF)
Fifth Grade Standards Connections (PDF)
Middle School Standards Connections (grades 6-8) (PDF)
High School Standards Connections (grades 9-12) (PDF)

Science Labs

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Science Labs

School Year Lab Offerings

Chemicals of Innovation(Grades 5-8)

Chemistry of Plastination: A Body Worlds Decoded lab (Grades 8-12)

DNA and Genetics(Grades 6-12)

Down the Drain(Grades 3-8)

Engineering for Earthquakes(Grades 4-8, adaptable for high school)

Make it Matter(Grade 2 only)

Physics of Roller Coasters (Grades 2-8, adaptable for high school)

Simplicity of Electricity(Grades 4-8)

Policies and Info

Lab Costs and Title I Policies

Lab Resources

Standards Connections

Chemicals of Innovation
(Grades 5-8)

DNA and Genetics
(Grades 6-12)

Down the Drain
(Grades 3-8)

Engineering for Earthquakes
(Grades 4-8, adaptable for high school)

Make it Matter
(Grade 2 only)

Physics of Roller Coasters
(Grades 2-8, adaptable for high school)

Simplicity of Electricity
(Grades 4-8)