STEAM NightStation operators · prep and learn

Prints all eight station pages, one per sheet, in station order. Use your browser's print command.

🚗 Balloon-Powered Car

Blow up a balloon and race your car. Draft: not yet checked

Crew (first name, last initial):

Safety first

  • Balloon pieces: choking risk under age 8.
  • Ask about latex allergies.
  • Keep the track clear of people.

Prep

  • Build about 20 reusable cars.
  • Tape a straw exhaust on each car.
  • Tape a track, marked every foot.

Crew for prep: 2 people, about 1.5 hr. Prep happens on the day, from 12:15.

Run it

  1. Pick a car and a balloon.
  2. Slip the balloon onto the straw. A volunteer can add a small rubber band.
  3. Blow it up through the straw, then pinch the straw.
  4. Set the car on the start line and let go.
  5. Note the distance. Try again with one change.

Ask, instead of explaining: How far did yours go, and what if you blow it up bigger?

Clean up

  • Wipe the table and put reusable items in your tote.
  • Bag the trash and wash hands.
  • Log anything borrowed so it can go back.

Thursday, November 5, 4:30 to 6:30 PM. Not yet confirmed with the school. Plans may change.

🌋 Lava Lamps

Make a bubbling lamp to take home. Draft: not yet checked

Crew (first name, last initial):

Safety first

  • Do not drink it.
  • Never cap it while it is still fizzing.
  • Tablets are medicine: keep from little kids.
  • Wipe up oil: it is slippery.

Prep

  • Fill small plastic bottles with oil and water.
  • Cap them tight.
  • Break tablets into quarters.

Crew for prep: 2 people, about 1.5 hr. Prep happens on the day, from 12:15.

Run it

  1. Get a pre-filled bottle (about ⅔ oil on top of about ¼ water).
  2. Add 2–3 drops of food coloring and watch them sink through the oil.
  3. Drop in a ¼ tablet and watch the "lava."
  4. Cap it and take it home with one extra tablet piece.

Ask, instead of explaining: Where do you think the bubbles come from?

Clean up

  • Wipe the table and put reusable items in your tote.
  • Bag the trash and wash hands.
  • Log anything borrowed so it can go back.

Thursday, November 5, 4:30 to 6:30 PM. Not yet confirmed with the school. Plans may change.

🧋 Homemade Boba

Turn a drop of juice into a squishy ball. Draft: not yet checked

Crew (first name, last initial):

Safety first

  • Use food-grade powders only.
  • Ask about food allergies.
  • Follow the food rules (being confirmed).
  • Wash hands and tools.

⏳ Needs time to bake

Mix the juice and the seaweed powder the night before. It must rest overnight so the bubbles go away.

Prep

  • Mix juice + powder the night before.
  • Use only 2 juices. Not acidic ones.
  • Fill the calcium baths and bottles.

Crew for prep: 1 person, about 1 hr. Prep happens ahead of time: see Needs time to bake.

Run it

  1. Hold the dropper 2–3 inches above the calcium bath.
  2. Squeeze gently, one drop at a time, about 10 drops.
  3. Wait 30 seconds, then scoop with a slotted spoon.
  4. A volunteer dips them in a rinse cup, then puts them in a small take-home cup.

Ask, instead of explaining: What happens if you drop it from higher up?

Clean up

  • Wipe the table and put reusable items in your tote.
  • Bag the trash and wash hands.
  • Log anything borrowed so it can go back.
  • Rinse the slotted spoons, bowls, and droppers.

Thursday, November 5, 4:30 to 6:30 PM. Not yet confirmed with the school. Plans may change.

🥔 Potato Batteries

Power a light with potatoes. Draft: not yet checked

Crew (first name, last initial):

Safety first

  • Kids touch only the clips: LED legs are sharp.
  • Nobody eats the experiment potatoes.
  • Wash hands afterward.

Prep

  • Wire the chain: zinc and copper in every potato.
  • Put the LED inside a cardboard tube.
  • Leave only the last connection for the kid.

Crew for prep: 1 person, about 1 hr. Prep happens on the day, from 12:15.

Run it

  1. Find the chain of potatoes, already wired.
  2. Clip the last wire to the LED.
  3. Look into the tube to see if it lights.
  4. Swap the two LED clips and see what happens.

Ask, instead of explaining: What do you think happens if we swap the clips?

Clean up

  • Wipe the table and put reusable items in your tote.
  • Bag the trash and wash hands.
  • Log anything borrowed so it can go back.

Thursday, November 5, 4:30 to 6:30 PM. Not yet confirmed with the school. Plans may change.

🦠 Which Plate Came From Where?

Guess where the germs came from. Draft: not yet checked

Crew (first name, last initial):

Safety first

  • Plates stay taped shut.
  • Adults only dispose of them, sealed, the way the school says.
  • Everyone washes hands after.

⏳ Needs time to bake

Swab and plate 5 to 7 days before, after a check with the school. Grow the plates at room temperature, not somewhere hot.

Prep

  • Check with the school first, then swab about 10 places, 5 to 7 days before.
  • Label each plate and tape it shut.
  • Grow them at room temperature.
  • Make a guess card for each.

Crew for prep: 1 person, about 1 hr. Prep happens ahead of time: see Needs time to bake.

Run it

  1. (Prep, 5–7 days before.) Swab each spot, gently zigzag the swab on a plate, label it, and tape it shut.
  2. (Event.) Kids look at the numbered plates and match them to the place cards.
  3. A volunteer reveals the answers and explains.
  4. Afterward, dispose of plates without opening them (adult only).

Ask, instead of explaining: Which place do you think grew the most germs?

Clean up

  • Wipe the table and put reusable items in your tote.
  • Bag the trash and wash hands.
  • Log anything borrowed so it can go back.
  • An adult disposes of the plates without opening them.

Thursday, November 5, 4:30 to 6:30 PM. Not yet confirmed with the school. Plans may change.

🚀 Film Canister Rockets

Pop the lid and launch a rocket. Draft: not yet checked

Crew (first name, last initial):

Safety first

  • Safety glasses for everyone at the pad.
  • Short of glasses? Ask grace first.
  • One adult at the pad at all times.
  • No pop? Wait. An adult picks it up.

Prep

  • Break the tablets in halves.
  • Fill the water bottles or mark fill lines.
  • Set up the launch pad zone.

Crew for prep: 1 person, about 0.5 hr. Prep happens on the day, from 12:15.

Run it

  1. Fill the canister ⅓ with water. A volunteer can pre-fill it.
  2. Drop in ½ tablet, snap the lid on fast, and flip it lid-down onto the pad.
  3. Step back and count down.
  4. Pop! Then hand the canister to the wash bin.

Ask, instead of explaining: What do you think pushes the lid off?

Clean up

  • Wipe the table and put reusable items in your tote.
  • Bag the trash and wash hands.
  • Log anything borrowed so it can go back.
  • Wash and dry the canisters for reuse.

Thursday, November 5, 4:30 to 6:30 PM. Not yet confirmed with the school. Plans may change.

✉️ Secret Messages

Write a message that appears like magic. Draft: not yet checked

Crew (first name, last initial):

Safety first

  • Turmeric stains clothes: smocks on.
  • Adults handle the rubbing alcohol, far from flames.
  • Make sure it has dried before kids touch it.

⏳ Needs time to bake

Paint the turmeric papers ahead and let them dry flat. Drying time: to be confirmed.

Prep

  • Adults paint turmeric papers in fresh air, no flames. Dry flat.
  • Mix clear baking soda water.
  • Put up the stain warning. Hand out smocks.

Crew for prep: 2 people, about 1.5 hr. Prep happens ahead of time: see Needs time to bake.

Run it

  1. Dip a swab in the "secret ink" (baking soda water).
  2. Write a message or draw on the yellow paper. It shows up red. Or write on plain paper, give it to a friend, and they brush it to reveal.
  3. Let it dry flat on your tray.

Ask, instead of explaining: What happens if we write a message to a friend and let them decode it?

Clean up

  • Wipe the table and put reusable items in your tote.
  • Bag the trash and wash hands.
  • Log anything borrowed so it can go back.

Thursday, November 5, 4:30 to 6:30 PM. Not yet confirmed with the school. Plans may change.

🧸 Make-Your-Own NeeDoh

Make a squishy toy and test it. Draft: not yet checked

Crew (first name, last initial):

Safety first

  • Ask about latex and wheat allergies.
  • Balloon pieces: choking risk under age 8.
  • Flour is messy: work over a tray.

Prep

  • Stretch a balloon over a funnel.
  • Add about 1/3 cup of flour. Tie it off.
  • Keep a second balloon for each kid.

Crew for prep: 4 people, about 1.5 hr. Prep happens on the day, from 12:15.

Run it

  1. Pick a pre-filled balloon.
  2. Stuff it into a second balloon of a different color (a helper holds it open).
  3. Tie it, or have a helper tie it.
  4. Draw a face. Squeeze slowly, then fast. Feel the difference.

Ask, instead of explaining: What happens when you squeeze it slowly, and then fast?

Clean up

  • Wipe the table and put reusable items in your tote.
  • Bag the trash and wash hands.
  • Log anything borrowed so it can go back.

Thursday, November 5, 4:30 to 6:30 PM. Not yet confirmed with the school. Plans may change.