You’re probably familiar with Oktoberfest, the international festival held annually in late September and early October in Munich. It’s a family affair and a place to eat and party. Bavarians celebrate their heritage by wearing elaborate native costumes — think Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, but instead of cowboy hats and boots, men of every […]
Our esteemed curator of paleontology, Dr. Robert T. Bakker, is back in town and on campus at HMNS Tuesday, Sept. 24 for a very special book signing and lecture. Coinciding with the release of his brand new picture book, The Big Golden Book of Dinosaurs, Dr. Bakker will lead a lecture in the Giant Screen […]
Tessellations — tiling a plane using geometric shapes without overlaps or gaps — are a pretty fun way to teach students about shapes, symmetry, reflection and rotation. Plus, they require the most minimal of supplies! Materials:• Plain 3″ x 5″ index cards• Scissors• Scotch tape• Blank white paper• Optional: colored pencils/crayons, etc. Procedure:1. Draw a […]
Editor’s Note: Today’s blog comes to us from Cockrell Butterfly Center Butterfly Rearing Coordinator Celeste Poorte. The Cockrell Butterfly Center has had the privilege of witnessing a rare natural phenomenon recently. On July 10, a very unusual butterfly emerged from its chrysalis in the Museum’s greenhouses used for breeding and raising butterflies. This butterfly has […]
There’s no sweeter story than that of a boy and his … dinosaur? In February of 1973, 24-year-old John Barber was just out of art school in Virginia, having barely missed the draft and with no idea what to do with himself. He was visiting an aunt and uncle in Houston when he paid a […]
Venus remains in the west at dusk. It outshines everything but the Sun and Moon, so you can begin observing it during deep twilight. On September 18, Venus passes Saturn (they are just over three degrees apart). Saturn is now shining in the south/southwest at dusk. Although not as bright as Venus, it does outshine […]
Here’s the poster (as I see it) for the latest episode in the long-running Indiana Jones franchise, with Harrison Ford playing Diplodocus playing Indiana Jones. Before you object to its realism, Harrison is not too old; our Dipsy will be, after all, 148 million, 345 thousand and 77 years old on a Thursday in November. […]
You’ve seen the animals on display in our African and Texas wildlife exhibits. While realistic, none of these mounts actually slither, wiggle or do much of anything, really. But HMNS has a live animal collection that much of the public never even sees. These animals are not on display, but used to educate at our […]
[View the story “Something British is coming: Magna Carta gets you talking” on Storify]
What better way to understand how magnetic fields work than to see them for yourselves? Materials: • Magnetic field line cards (green) – one per child • Magnetic nail polish • Clear nail polish • Assorted magnets of various shapes and sizes • Large clear glass playing pieces • Button magnets (at least ½ inch) […]
