Oktoberfest … right now? Yep, it’s possible with SCIENCE.

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 […]

Educator How-To: Teaching tessellation, symmetry & point reflection

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 […]

It’s a boy! And a girl? Butterfly with rare condition emerges in Cockrell Butterfly Center

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 […]

Seeing Stars with James Wooten: September 2013

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 […]

Welcome to the HMNS Animal Alcove: Where the wild things are

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 […]

Educator How-To: The magic of magnetic fields

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) […]


Editor's Picks The Real Moon Hoax That You Haven’t Heard Of Is Darwin relevant today? Oh The Hermannity! The Story of Houston’s Most Beautiful Green Space A Few Member Benefits Most HMNS Members Don’t Know About What The Loss Of The Museu Nacional in Rio de Janeiro’s Collections Means To The World What Is The Deal With Brontosaurus?!
 

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