HOMESCHOOL THURSDAY
Join us on select Thursdays during the school year for lessons designed specifically for South Carolina homeschool students. Registration is restricted to individual homeschool families only. All programs are free for South Carolina homeschoolers unless otherwise noted.
Please note: for health and safety the museum is managing gallery and theater capacity, requiring social distancing, and has increased cleaning frequency. Per Gov. McMaster’s executive order, guests aged 3 and above are required to wear a face covering while visiting state buildings.
Important Information!
In order to be able to attend Homeschool Thursday, all homeschools must present one of the following along with a matching picture ID:
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An official and current homeschool association registration card or acceptance letter
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An official and current District registration card or approval letter
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An official and current SC Association of Independent Homeschools registration card or acceptance letter
Reminder, SC homeschoolers will NOT be able to participate in Homeschool Thursday classes without presenting both a picture ID and confirmation of homeschool registration.
Please Note:
Due to high demand, limited space, and our desire to offer programming to as many families as possible, cancellations or date change requests must be received in writing 10 days in advance of the event. Requests for cancellation can be emailed to homeschools@scmuseum.org. This reservation is non-refundable and non-transferrable should the cancellation occur within 10 days of scheduled program. Refunds will not be provided for individuals who do not show up for the event.
Schedule of Programs
Please note: this page is updated periodically. Class availability will be confirmed by museum staff when you finalize your registration.
Thurs., Nov. 12 and Nov. 19, 2020
In order to better facilitate social distancing, Homeschool Thursday classes are being offered on TWO days. The classes below will be available at the designated times on BOTH DATES listed above. Please click on each of classes below to reveal program descriptions and other important information.
To ensure a positive learning experience while adhering to social distancing guidelines, space is limited in programs; only registered students are permitted in classrooms unless otherwise noted. Any students under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a ticketed adult to all 4-D Theater and Planetarium shows.
1:00 p.m.
Ballin’ Bots
Duration: 45 minutes
Recommended for Grades: 3rd grade and above
Cost: None
We’re playing basketball…with robots! Students will learn all about the past, present, and future of robotics in this playful program. Our little blue robot named Dash will shoot some hoops with a little encoding help from you! We’ll learn that robots can be programmed to do all sorts of things, even score a slam dunk!
Kidstage Theatre Bootcamp
Duration: 60 minutes
Recommended for Grades: 2nd grade and above
Cost: None
Columbia Children’s Theatre actors will come in and you will explore the actor’s toolbox: the voice, body and imagination. We will learn how to create objects and activities using only pantomime, creative movement and problem solving. We will also use improvised gibberish to create the who, what, when, where and why of a story. The second phase focuses on using gibberish as a communication and storytelling tool. Finally, we will learn how to use all of these tools to create long and short form improv.
No Sticks No Stones Just Animal Bones
Duration: 60 minutes
Recommended for Grades: 3rd grade and above
Cost: $3 per participant
Join us as we get down to the bare bones of animal bones. In this interactive lesson, we’ll explore what bones are made of, their location, form and function. We’ll also learn how to identify the bones of an animal skeleton and investigate how the bones of different animals, like frogs and horses, are actually very similar! We’ll even create our own “bone clone” to take home. It’ll be fun for all ages; no bones about it!
Telescopes Through Time
Duration: 60 minutes
Recommended for Grades: 3rd grade and above
Cost: None
Join Director of Education Tom Falvey on an immersive guided tour of the Robert B. Ariail Collection of Historical Astronomy where we’ll take a glimpse into the rich history of the telescope. From reflecting telescopes built in the 18th century, to large refractors from the 20th, you’ll explore how America played a role in the popularization and industrialization of astronomy, as well as how the optics of different telescopes work.
Stars! Stars! Stars!
Duration: 60 minutes
Recommended for Grades: 3rd grade and above
Cost: None
Engage your creativity in discovering the life cycles of stars! In this hands-on class, we’ll explore the complex processes involved in star formation. After we make our own stars, we’ll discover what happens at the end of a star’s life by creating nebula spin art. You may have heard in the news about a star named Betelgeuse (don’t say that three times!) that’s behaving strangely right now…if you’re curious about Betelgeuse, you won’t want to miss this class. This experience incorporates materials from the National Informal STEM Education Network’s 2020 Explore Science: Earth & Space Toolkit.
1:30 p.m.
Please note: Families can choose to participate in either a 1 p.m. class OR the 1:30 p.m. 4D Experience. Given the nature and timing of the programming, students are unable to do both. Children Under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult.
4D Movie – Planet Earth II 4D Experience
Duration: 15 minutes
Recommended for Grades: All ages with family
Cost: $3 per person
Experience the world from the viewpoint of animals themselves as bears, jaguars, eagles, iguanas and snakes overcome the challenges of surviving in the wildest places on Earth. Based on the award-winning BBC series, Planet Earth II 4D Experience® brings us closer to the mesmerizing animal kingdom than ever before.
3:00 p.m.
Making Faces: The History & Art of Early American Face Vessels ($)
Duration: 60 minutes
Recommended for Grades: 3rd grade and above
Cost: $3 per person
Join us for a curator-led tour of the new exhibition, Early American Face Vessels from the George H. Meyer Collection, which features over 100 vessels from the 1820s to 1940. These objects, many of which were made by enslaved potters, remain somewhat mysterious—how did they originate, and what purpose did they serve? We will address these questions and more in our exploration of this iconic art form. You’ll even get to make and take home your own.
Guess Whooooo’s Coming to Dinner
Duration: 60 minutes
Recommended for Grades: 2nd grade and above
Cost: $3 per person
Join us as we get up close and personal (and maybe a little messy, too!) in this hands-on exploration in barf anatomy. We’ll take an intimate journey through the food web as we learn all about owls while dissecting owl pellets. From blades of grass to owls soaring high above the trees, we’ll make heads and tails of it all as we uncover just whooooo’s coming to dinner. Better out than in, owl always say!
Colonial Life
Duration: 60 minutes
Recommended for Grades: 3rd grade and above
Cost: None
Journey back in time and learn how the South Carolina you know went from fledgling British colony into a full-fledged fight for liberty. In this lesson, we’ll visit the earliest European settlers – and hear both sides of the argument for America’s independence. With hands-on activities and exploration in the galleries, students experience the turbulent times of our founding families, and the ideas that have shaped the American character.
South Carolina Myths and Legends
Duration: 60 minutes
Recommended for Grades: 3rd grade and above
Cost: None
Join Historic Columbia to learn about Reconstruction through an engaging Traveling Trunk program. Designed for 3rd grade, 5th grade and middle-school students, activities focus on Columbia during the Reconstruction era. Students take part in activities where they experience how inflation during the Civil War devastated the economy, types of decisions newly emancipated people faced, how Columbia was rebuilt and how the end of Reconstruction affected life in South Carolina.
3:30 p.m.
Please note: Families can choose to participate in either a 3 p.m. class OR the 3:30 p.m. 4D Experience. Given the nature and timing of the programming, students are unable to do both. Children Under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult.
Planetarium – Winter Sky Tour ($)
Duration: 30 minutes
Recommended for Grades: 1st Grade and above
Cost: $3 per person
In this live planetarium program, one of our astronomy educators will take you on a tour of the night sky and show you how to identify constellations, planets and other celestial objects visible after sunset. See the dramatic story of Perseus and Andromeda played out overhead, while Orion the Hunter rises in the east to chase Taurus the Bull across the sky. Learn how to pick out the Pleiades star cluster, the Andromeda Galaxy, and the planets Mars and Saturn from the starry background.
Registration
Registration for the Homeschool Thursday on Nov. 12 is now OPEN and will CLOSE on Tues., Nov. 10, 2020 at 12 p.m..
Registration for the Homeschool Thursday on Nov. 19 is now OPEN and will CLOSE on Tues., Nov. 17, 2020 at 12 p.m..
Questions? Please call 803.898.4990 or email homeschools@scmuseum.org
