The State Museum of Pennsylvania

Various Programs

Visit the Event Page of The State Museum for a full listing of programs.

For Planetarium Shows at The State Museum, click here.

Programs are included with general admission.
Planetarium shows are an additional cost if not a member of the State Museum of PA.
 

Friday, July 19
11:30am

Join Curiosity Kids in Nature Lab to see if you are ready to launch into space. Learn about the training astronauts go through and test your skills in a series of basic mental and physical challenges.

Friday, July 19
1:30pm

Giant PA Map

Join us to explore Pennsylvania topics while walking on the Giant PA Map!

Saturday, July 20
10am and 1pm

Whether large and small, brightly colored and camouflaged, butterflies and moths are similar, yet different. Learn more about Lepidoptera in Pennsylvania and take home a butterfly larva to raise at home! (while supplies last).

Friday, July 20
10:30am

Storytime

Egg, larva, pupa and adult. It takes time for a butterfly to grow into an adult. Join us as we read “Waiting for Wings” by Lois Elhert and follow some butterflies on their journey through life.

Storytime programs are designed for ages 3 to 5. 

Wednesday, July 24
11:30am

Fireflies

Fireflies, also known as lightning bugs, but are actually not a fly or a bug, but a soft bodied beetle. Pennsylvania is home to more than 15 species of fireflies and this nocturnal insect family was chosen as a state symbol to represent Pennsylvania in 1988. Learn more about this bioluminescent beetle, how it communicates and why it was selected as a state symbol.

Wednesday, July 24
1:30pm

Toys and Games of the 1950s and 1960s

Discover and play with the toys and games that became popular in Pennsylvania during the 1950s and 1960s. See if you can walk a Slinky down the stairs, test your hula hoop skills, play a round of Candyland and more.

Thursday, July 25
11:30am

Olympics

Celebrate the opening of the 2024 Summer Olympics. Discover the men and women from Pennsylvania that have participated in the games. Explore the science behind the summer sports. Create your own celebration symbol.

Thursday, July 25
1:30pm

Tour Ecology Hall

Tour Ecology Hall and learn more about Pennsylvania’s major ecosystems and some of the wildlife and plants that are found in each.

Friday, July 26
11:30am

Magnets and Magnetism

Join us in Nature Lab to explore magnets and magnetism. What are magnets and how does magnetism work? Through a series of self-exploration experiments visitors will be able to use magnets in a series of challenges that explore how magnets work.

Friday, July 26
1:30pm

Giant PA Map

Join us to explore Pennsylvania topics while walking on the Giant PA Map!

Wednesday, July 31
11:30am

Parachutes

Discover the lifesaving parachute. Explore how this innovation was used for the military and recreation over the years. Test the science by creating and launching your own parachute.

Wednesday, July 31
1:30pm

Family Gallery Tour: Mammal Hall

Black bear, beavers and deer…oh my! Touch furs, hold antlers, view skulls and ask questions during a tour of Mammal Hall.

Thursday, August 1
11:30am

State Fossil: Trilobite

On December 5, 1988, the fossil of an extinct arthropod, Phacops rana, was chosen to represent the state of Pennsylvania. Now re-classified as the species Eldredgeops rana, this trilobite once dwelled in the water that covered Pennsylvania during the Cambrian period. Learn more about this fossil and make a “fossil” to take home.

Thursday, August 1
1:30pm

What's Cooking? Summer Kitchen

Step back in time to discover cooking in the 1900’s and how one avoided the heat. The museum’s Summer Kitchen featured many of the most innovative items of the industrial times. Test your skills with hands-on tools and take home some period recipes.

Friday, August 2
10:30am

Storytime

Join us for Storytime as we read The Magic of Me: My Magical Foods by Becky Cummings and illustrations by Zuzana Svobodova. Discover the delicious fruits and vegetables that are grown in Pennsylvania. Design a farmer’s market with your favorite healthy foods.

Friday, August 2
1:30pm

Giant PA Map

Join us to explore Pennsylvania topics while walking on the Giant PA Map!