Adventures in STEAM Kits

The Franklin Institute has teamed up with educators at Lakeshore Learning to build activity kits perfect for afterschool and summer learning. Check back soon to learn more and purchase your Adventures in STEAM kits.

Already have your Adventures in STEAM kits? Share the Family Guides with caregivers and families! Each guide has conversation starters and questions to encourage family science conversations as well as related activities that are easy to do at home.

For families with learners in grades K-2: Aquarium Antics, Blasting Off, and Discovering Dinsoaurs Guides.
For families with learners in grade 3-5: Science of Space, Science of Spies, and Science of You Guides.

Cartoon image of under the sea with blue water, yellow seahorse, black manta ray, yellow sand, and green and pink coral

Aquarium Antics Family Guide

Get ready for splashy science! Your learner will roleplay as aquarium staff at Anomaly Aquarium and use their science and engineering skills to solve the mystery of an unknown spill on the second floor of the aquarium. Learners will gather evidence through a variety of science and engineering activities as they build the case for what caused this spill, eventually uncovering yet another aquarium mystery to solve!

Explore the Aquarium Antics Family Guide

Cartoon image of white and red rocket blasting off into dark blue space among planets and yellow stars

Blasting Off Family Guide

Get ready for an out-of-the-world adventure! Your learner will be roleplaying as a space scientist! Space scientists - like astronauts, rocket engineers, physicists, and more - must use their science and engineering skills to observe distant objects in space, design tools to travel beyond our atmosphere, and contemplate the cosmos.

Explore the Blasting Off Family Guide

Blue, red, and pink dinosaurs walk and fly among green plants, red mesas, and a brown sky

Discovering Dinosaurs Family Guide

Get ready for a fossil frenzy! Your learner will be roleplaying as a dinosaur detective or paleontologist! Paleontologists must use their science and engineering skills to explore fantastic fossils, model magnificent monsters, and dive into the world of dinosaurs.

Explore the Discovering Dinosaurs Family Guide

A blue satellite grabs onto a brown meteorite in dark blue space with earth in the background

Science of Space Family Guide

Get ready for a super space adventure! Your learner will be roleplaying as a space scientist! Space scientists - like astronauts, rocket engineers, physicists, and more - must use their science and engineering skills to observe distant objects in space, design tools to travel beyond our atmosphere, and contemplate the cosmos.

Explore the Science of Space Family Guide

Man in gray fedora and black coat in front of an orange board filled with clues connected by string

Science of Spies Family Guide

Get ready for some stealthy science! Your learner is entering the covert world of spies to explore science skills! Cracking codes and sneaky observations provide the perfect context to practice thinking critically. Science is more than just facts and calculations. Science is really a set of skills that helps a learner to figure out the world around them. While the Science of Spies activities center on the world of spies and explore concepts in physics and math, more than anything, they are a fun way to practice scientific thinking.

Explore the Science of Spies Family Guide

Cartoon of a human boy. On the left side of his body, you see his face, skin, and shorts. On his right side, you see his skeleton. He is surrounded by images of his brain, lungs, heart, and stomach on a black background

Science of You Family Guide

Get ready for fascinating look inside! Your learner is exploring the wonders of the human body! Learners will take a closer look at their fantastic and elastic brain, listen to the beat of their own hearts, and marvel at their strong skeletons. The human body is complex and every body functions a little bit differently. There are many parts that work together to protect us from sickness and work to keep us healthy. Learners will be health scientists and learn more about how these systems interact inside their own bodies.

Explore the Science of You Family Guide