Activities & Resources for Educators
Activities & Resources for Educators
Science festival opportunities for educators
The Wisconsin Science Festival is for everyone, especially teachers, librarians, and community leaders, who inspire curiosity in the youth and families they work with every day. Explore the many ways to connect all members of your community of all ages with the incredible science happening across Wisconsin. Subscribe to our mailing list to stay informed about future opportunities.
For School Teachers
Discovery Building Field Trip Expo
Discover dozens of interactive hands-on stations that cover a wide range of topics from engineering to biology and much more. Exploration stations are open-ended and mostly drop-in experiences. Explore at your own pace and let students spend as much time as they want at each station. There are activities for all grade levels. You will have the option to indicate interest in joining hands-on workshops and shows during the expo or visiting other Wisconsin Science Festival sites on UW-Madison’s campus.
The 2026 Wisconsin Science Festival Discovery Building Field Trip Expo date will take place on Tuesday, October 20th from 9:30am-1:30pm. The form to apply for the field trip day will be available in August. Be sure to subscribe to our email list to get notified when the form becomes available.
Virtual Field Trips
During the week of the Wisconsin Science Festival, groups are able to register to join a selection of virtual field trip opportunities.
2025 Virtual Field Trip Sessions:
1. Tues, Oct 21, 2025 (11:30-12:15pm) – Tour of the Core Repository with WGNHS (3rd-8th grade) – WATCH RECORDING
2. Tues, Oct 21, 2025 (12:30-1:15pm) – Invertebrates Rock! with Aldo Leopold Nature Center (K-5th grade) – WATCH RECORDING
Recordings of other virtual sessions can be enjoyed on our YouTube channel.
For All Educators
How It’s Made in Wisconsin Project
This year-round program is seeking school groups, community organizations and 4-H programs of all sizes to discover a unique “behind-the-scenes” perspective of Wisconsin-made products via facility tours, demonstrations or open house opportunities as part of the Wisconsin Science Festival.
BioBlitz: Connect with Wisconsin’s Biodiversity
The Wisconsin Science Festival is working with partners throughout the state to organize BioBlitzes. These easy-to-customize events focus on identifying as many species as possible within a certain niche, from forests to your school playground.
It’s easy to do, and we can help!
Meet the Lab
Meet the Lab is a collection of educational resources for middle school science classrooms that introduces learners to relevant real-world issues, cutting edge research and the human element—the people working together to research, innovate and solve problems using science. Click the link below or reach out to us if you’d like to connect with any of these labs.
Activities and Lesson Plans
Click below to check out pre-recorded activities, activity guides, coloring sheets, lesson plans, and more from the Wisconsin Science Festival and partner organizations! These are ready-to-go resources that can be used for hands-on activities at your venue or shared with the families you work with.
Science in a Bag
The Science in a Bag program provides free, hands-on STEAM kits for libraries to distribute to their patrons. In 2025, 3,000 kits were distributed throughout the state thanks to the South Central Library Distribution Service. This program is a unique opportunity for libraries. To learn more and apply to receive Science in a Bag kits, click below! The application opens in mid-April and closes on August 1st.
“The topics were great this year! My students had several favorites! The off-site visit to the art museum was a great experience for our rural students, as many of them had never been to a museum before.”
“We just loved the virtual field trip of both BioBlitz and the human brain. The brain hats were a huge hit!! Students were very engaged. Thanks again for this opportunity.”
“Variety of topics, minimal people, not a lot of wait time for stations, lots of hands-on for students. Extra field trips were wonderfully planned with great communication beforehand.”
Gallery and banner images by Ueda Photography
