Group Visit Activities


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Price Per Student Title Description TEKS Alignment
$12 Butterfly Life Cycle Mobiles Participants learn the different stages of the butterfly, an insect with unique stages during the life cycle. Participants review and create small drawings of each phase. After finishing, participants take their drawings from their environment and assemble a 3D cloud chart Fine Arts, Science
$12 Design Your Own Planet Design Your Own Planet allows participants to learn about the planets in our solar system, how they relate to the sun, and recognize patterns in the sky. They then create a painting of one of the planets and have time to design their own unique planet. Fine Arts, Science
$12 Geometric Shapes and Monsters Participants use geometric shapes to design imaginary monster characters. They then write down the details of the character they drew, discuss the personality of their monsters (silly, nice, smart…), and other characteristics to be used in creating a story. Fine Arts, Mathematics
$12 Insect Creations Students learn insect body parts and use various materials to build their own insects. Fine Arts, Science
$12 Picasso Inspired Animals: Fun with Mathematical Angles Participants learn how Pablo Picasso used geometric shapes to create works of original artwork through creative expression. They learn how to identify obtuse, right and acute angles and then draw and paint a cubist-inspired illustration of an animal using the angles. Fine Arts, Mathematics
$12 SPARK! Zoo Classification Students learn about animal classifications while creating a team zoo that includes a mammal, bird, fish, reptile or amphibian. Within their individual artwork, they include facts about their animal classifications as well as any unique adaptations their animal may have to their environment. Fine Arts, Science
$12 Water Cycle Mobiles Water Cycle Mobiles teach a recognizable pattern in the natural world on Earth. Participants review the different stages of the water cycle (precipitation, accumulation, evaporation, transpiration, and condensation) and create creative expression drawings of each phase. After finishing each phase, participants take their drawings and assemble a 3D cloud mobile. Fine Arts, Science
$13 3D Construction: Homes, Buildings and Skyscrapers

(only suitable for groups with under 50 partipants)

3D Construction: Homes, Buildings and Skyscrapers allow participants to review 2D images of buildings that have integral 3D shapes to create their own buildings, skyscrapers, and or homes. Participants identify and practice construction skills using various art materials to create their original 3D designs as a creative expression. Fine Arts, Science
$13 Aboriginal Dot Art Aboriginal Dot Art allows participants to learn social studies skills by creating visual materials as a form of expression through dot art and iconic symbols. Participants learn about animals that live in Australia (kangaroos, lizards, koalas, platypus, etc.) and how Aborigines used dots and symbols to create original artwork and stories. Fine Arts, Science
$13 Castles and Catapults Challenge Castles and Catapults allows participants to work in groups to design and build castles and catapults using simple materials such as cardboard boxes, flat wooden sticks, and rubber bands. This lesson reviews force, motion, energy and the changes that occur. After they build their catapults, they test for distance and accuracy. Then, they use iteration to improve their designs, take ideas from their environment and have creative expression. They learn about the physics of stored energy and how fulcrum points change the results. When their catapults and castles are complete, they try to take down their opponent’s castle by launching their boulder/fluff balls. Fine Arts, Science
$13 Design and Build a Vehicle Challenge Participants plan and test model vehicles using various materials and learn about force, motion, gravity, and energy while working in teams and creating original designs as a form of creative expression.  Participants then review the parts of the scientific method and use it to test their vehicle and learn about independent, dependent, and controlled variables. Fine Arts, Science
$13 Roller Coaster Design Challenge

(only suitable for groups with under 50 partipants)

The Roller Coaster Design Challenge inspires ingenuity by combining simple materials such as flat wooden sticks with physics.  Participants learn about force, motion, gravity, and energy while team working to design and build a roller coaster track for a marble. Participants can illustrate a creative expression through their roller coaster design and show original artwork. Fine Arts, Science
$15 Constructing Thaumatropes: Explore Continuous Streams of Motion and Illusions of Motion Constructing Thaumatropes: Optical Illusions that operate by switching between two images so rapidly that the images appear as one image.  This unit explores continuous streams of motion and illusions of motion. Participants learn that forces cause change and energy exists in many forms by investigating the phenomenon of persistence of vision. Create thaumatropes that go along with your unit or from the examples provided. Students can do express-motion animation through their self-created art thaumatrope as an original artwork. Fine Arts, Science
$8 Add-on Only: Create Your Own T-Shirt Utilizing the discounted group rate for our Color Your Own T-shirts, build a fun field trip where students can color their own T-shirt in the widely creative SPARK! space! T-Shirts are $8 each when purchased for a group and are additional to the activity price. None – Creative Activity

 

  • Trip Schedule: Although we understand it may be unavoidable, please try to arrive on time. We accommodate late arrivals and honor reschedules, but your visit is split between an instructor-led activity, lunch (if added), and free, unstructured play. Extending the departure time is reviewable case by case.
  • Lunch Add-On: If you would like to eat lunch in our facility, 30 minutes will be added to your visit, and there will be a $75 facility fee.  You may bring your lunches in or have them delivered.
  • All of our wonderfully creative activities are adaptable to any grade level. Feel free to notify us of the number of guests per age group ahead of your visit and/or if some of your guests will be under the age of 8.
  • Customizable Field Trips: Feel free to email us at programs@sparkdallas.org with activity and non-actitivy group visit requests.
  • Chaperone Requirement: A 1:10 adult chaperone-to-minor student ratio is required during every visit and is included in the visit cost.
    • Exceptions to the 1:10 ratio are made in the case of special needs outings. We allow as many required chaperones as your district deems needed.
    • Please note that any adult chaperones above the included and required number may attend at an extra cost of $12 per adult. This can be added to your invoice payment or settled in person at the facility before entry.