Summer Science Fundays at the Lawrence Hall of Science (UC Berkeley)

Submitted by the Event Organizer

The Lawrence to Host Spectacular Series of Summer Science Fundays

What: As part of its season of summer programs and exhibits, The Lawrence Hall of Science will host ten Summer Science Fundays, each offering family-friendly shows, hands-on science activities, and more. Summer Science Fundays include events that will be familiar to Lawrence members and repeat visitors, and exciting new opportunities to explore science.

Who: The Lawrence Hall of Science is UC Berkeley’s public science center, with a mission to inspire and engage through science discovery and learning in ways that advance equity and opportunity. In addition to exhibits and programs for kids and families, The Lawrence develops curricula and learning materials for educators and researches how kids learn science.

When: Science Summer Fundays will take place each Saturday from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., from June 10 through August 12.

June 10 – Fun with the Sun: Kick off our summer Science Fundays with a celebration of our sun and other stars. Search for sunspots, learn how dust particles come together to form planets and stars and explore how solar eclipses work.

June 17 – Build, Engineer, and Invent: Explore building in two and three dimensions while discovering the design properties involved in constructing sturdy structures, bridges, roller coasters, and more! We bring the building materials; you supply the creativity!

June 24 – Making Music: Math and Science Out Loud Grand Opening: Rock out with science and celebrate the grand opening of our new exhibition Making Music: Math and Science Out Loud!

July 1 – Float your Boat: What does a boat need to float and sail? Join us in our Forces that Shape the Bay exhibit, where we’ll be engineering our own small boats out of recycled materials. Discover what it takes to make a sail that works and a boat that floats.

July 8 – Fun with Physics: Investigate and experiment with the forces that govern our world, with activities from our hands-on Phenomenal Physics festival and GSK Science in the Summer ™.

July 15 – Ice Cream Shake-Up: On National Ice Cream Day, we celebrate the sweetest of the seven basic tastes, the one made possible by sugars. Make your own ice cream and learn about the science behind this tasty treat.

July 22 – Chemistry Funday: We will conduct two different tabletop activities that focus on using surprising properties of light to investigate the structure of matter/materials. Compared to microscopes, these techniques can tell us different things at even smaller scales. The first activity uses laser diffraction to study the structure of bird feathers. The second activity uses polarized light to study how materials respond to being put under stress.

July 29 – Les Aerielles: Celebrate the human body and what it can do when put to music! Les Aerielles is returning for this summer with their incredible young trapeze arts performers—performance times: 12:00, 1:00, 2:00.

August 5 – Bug Bonanza: A visitor favorite, our Bug Bonanza is a celebration of bugs! SaveNature will be at the Lawrence from 12-2 with their awesome insects.

Learn about the lives of these fascinating creatures and even get to touch them… if you dare! We’ll also be conducting our own bug hunts out in the Outdoor Nature Lab, where we’ll have magnifying glasses out so we can look at our backyard nature up close.

Aug 12 – Cal Taiko Band: UC Berkeley’s Taiko band will perform. Visitors will be able to experience the rhythm created by traditional taiko drumming. UC Berkeley students will play massive drums built from animal skins and ancient tree trunks. This troupe of youthful and energetic drummers will channel the heartbeat and spirit of their homeland and will talk about this cultural tradition that traces its roots back more than 1,000 years in Japan.

Where: The Lawrence Hall of Science, 1 Centennial Dr, Berkeley CA 94720

Why: Summer is a bustling time at The Lawrence Hall of Science because our most important visitors are out of school, yet still brimming with curiosity. Our Summer Science Fundays provide a gigaton of fun and educational activities for families. Summer Science Fundays showcase local community organizations, including SaveNature, Cal Taiko Band, Les Aerielles, and more, to bring a variety of unique experiences to our visitors.

Disclaimer: Please double check event information with the event organizer as events can be canceled, details can change after they are added to our calendar, and errors do occur.