Marion Natural History Museum upcoming programs

Jan 13, 2019

MARION — The Marion Natural History Museum will host several events in the coming months, including a trip to Bird Island, building popsicle stick catapults, and a visit from Channel 6’s weather reporter Chelsea Priest. 

January 30 
 
Winter Tree Walk Wetland scientist Sarah Porter will help visitors take a close up look at some twigs and buds from local trees, and then take a walk in the woods to try to identify trees without using their leaves. The museum recommends dressing appropriately. 
 
February 13
 
Great Backyard Bird Count will take place Feb. 15 - 19. The Great Backyard Bird Count is a citizen science effort to discover more about bird populations in our area. It’s a simple and fun to do project that can be done over the weekend and submitted online to Cornell University.
 
February 27
 
Popsicle Stick Catapults with Mark Whalen, Engineering Professor at Mass Maritime. Explore the relationship between elasticity, energy, mass and velocity. Students will be encouraged to build and test their own small catapults. Launch objects big and small, and try out various modifications to improve performance. 
 
March 13
 
Exploring Shells is an event where visitors will look at the Museum’s extensive shell collection. Some of the specimens include shells that were donated by Elizabeth Taber. Take a look at some of the more exotic shells in the collection and see if you can match which animal made what shell. 
 
March 20
 
Weather with Channel 6’s Chelsea Priest Weather reporter Chelsea Priest will be talking about weather patterns, what we might expect come spring, and what it takes to be a televised meteorologist. 
 
April 3
 
Alewives Herring Officer Dave Watling will be in to talk about the life cycle of this important fish species. Dave will explain what he does in his role and what efforts are being made to help them survive. 
 
April 24
 
Insects with Blake Dinius Blake is an entomologist with Plymouth County Extension Service. Guests will be using insect nets to see what bugs we can catch. Then, take a close look with the use of magnifiers and microscopes, and hopefully identify a few of the species. 
 
May 1
 
Bird Island Trip with the Marion Harbormaster’s office. The museum will be visiting the newly restored nesting habitat of the Roseate Tern. The center of the island has been filled in and vegetation added to make the island more hospitable for these rare and endangered birds. 
 
May 8
 
Bird Island Trip rain/overflow date for the popular Bird Island trip. 
 
May 15
 
Soil Critters with Maggie Payne, Soil Scientist with the U.S.D.A. Did you know there are more living organisms in a tablespoon of healthy soil than there are people on earth? Explore the life beneath our feet and discover the importance of not treating our soils like dirt. 
 
May 22
 
Water Bottle Rockets with Dr. Dills of the UMass Dartmouth Chemistry Department. During construction of our rockets guests will learn a little something about aerodynamics, altitude and how our design impacts the duration of the flight. Please save up your 2 liter bottles now for this explosive program.
 
June 5
 
This is Rocket Science! Join the museum while to learn about propulsion and lift with Mike Cronin. Each child will have his/her own rocket with motor to assemble and set off. The cost for this program is $20 per participant. Submit payment to Marion Natural History Museum. Space is limited to 12 children ages 6 and older, on a first-come, first-served basis. Parent volunteers are encouraged to help with rocket assembly. This program tends to run long, so please plan accordingly. Rain date June 6.
 
All programs are held at the Museum from 3:30 - 4:30 p.m. unless otherwise specified. To register go to the museum's website at www.marionmuseum.org