BioExpress

BioExpress brings unique life science adventures from the Science Museum of Virginia to schools and events throughout the commonwealth. This traveling science program presents informal educational experiences that are fun for all ages.

Students in grades K–8 enjoy a full day of hands-on life science fun with classroom workshops, interactive exhibits and a new all-school assembly.

All-School Assembly

The Scoop on Poop! (Grades K–8)

Travel through the human digestive tract to find out what happens to the food you eat. During this disgusting demonstration, students simulate chewing, participate in a belching contest, and get grossed out as the food moves from one end of the body to the other.
Virginia SOLs: Science – K.1, K.4, 1.5, 2.1, 3.1, 4.1, LS.3; Health – 1.1, 6.2

Hands-on Exhibits

Transform your gym or cafeteria into a life-science museum! Here is a sample of the hands-on exhibits we will bring.

Body Puzzle

Find out where your major organs are located by taking apart and putting back together this life-size model of a human body.

Test Your Reflexes

Students test their reaction time by hitting a stop button as quickly as possible in response to a buzzer.

Topsy-Turvy Tissues

Using a Wentzcope, easily view tissues found in your bodies.

Medical Careers

Using actual medical instruments, perform tests like those done during a real medical checkup. Learn about diseases associated with abnormal results and how they can be prevented.

Classroom Workshops

Scentsational Senses (Grades K–1)

Explore your five senses by investigating how your sense organs work together and on their own to interpret the world around you.
Virginia Science SOLs: K.1, K.2, K.4, 1.1, 2.1

Animal Tracks and Scat (Grades K–2)

Examine the signs animals leave behind. How are they different? Identify a trait each animal needs for survival. Make a track to take home.
Virginia Science SOLs: K.1, K.8, 1.1, 1.5, 1.7, 2.1, 2.5

Miraculous Metamorphosis (Grades 2–3) Available beginning January 2009!

Learn about the changes some animals go through as they grow, and find out how these animals have adapted to survive their unusual life cycles.
Virginia Science SOLs: 2.1, 2.4, 3.1

Awesome Adaptations (Grades 2–4)

Find out how different living things survive and reproduce in different environments. Learn about how changes over time have influenced the way living things look and behave today.
Virginia Science SOLs: 2.1, 2.5, 2.7, 3.4–3.6, 3.10, 4.1, 4.5, 4.8

Fabulous Flora (Grades 3–5) Available beginning January 2009!

Find out how plants trap the sun’s energy and convert it into food energy. Investigate the different parts of a plant, and learn how plants are essential to life on Earth.
Virginia Science SOLs: 2.4b, 2.8, 3.10a, 3.11a, 4.4

Owl-mazing Food Webs (Grades 3–6)

Get tangled up in this food-web activity and learn about how food chains are linked together by animals such as barn owls. Design and build a giant food web with your class, then see how the barn owl fits into it by dissecting an owl pellet.
Virginia Science SOLs: 3.1, 3.5, 3.6, 4.5, 4.8, LS.6, LS.8, LS.9, LS.11, BIO.9

Fun with Microscopes (Grades 5–8)

Learn how to use lenses and microscopes to make tiny things more visible. What really lives in pond water? Can you actually see your skin cells? Explore the microscopic world through a variety of biological specimens.
Virginia Science SOLs: 3.1, 3.3, 3.7, 4.1, 5.1, 6.1, LS.2

You’ve Got Some Nerve! (Grades 5–8)

How do neural signals get from your brain to your toes? Experiment with your own nervous system, test your reflexes, build a neuron and map out the path messages travel in your body.
Virginia SOLs: Science – 3.1, 4.1, 5.1, 5.5, 6.1, LS.1, LS.2, BIO.1; Health – 1.1, 6.2

Science Sleuth (Grades 6–8)

Forensic scientists use many different kinds of biological evidence to solve a mysterious crime. Become a detective as you gather information and analyze clues from skeletons, fingerprints and DNA.
Virginia Science SOLs: 4.1, 5.1, 6.1, LS.1, LS.13, LS.14, PS.1, PS.2, BIO.1, BIO.6

It’s in the Genes (Grades 6–8)

Do you look like your relatives? Just how are characteristics passed from parents to offspring? Step into the mind of Gregor Mendel and create your own plant “offspring” to learn more about how genes, heredity and environmental factors influence the way organisms look.
Virginia SOLs: Science – LS.2, LS.13, LS.14, BIO.2, BIO.6; Health – 2.3, 4.4

Biomedical Technology (Grades 6–8)

Step into the exciting world of biotechnology and experience how technology is taking science to the next level of understanding. Extract DNA from seeds and learn about DNA’s structure and role. Use tools found in high-tech laboratories and learn about what goes on behind the scenes in a hospital.
Virginia Science SOLs: 6.1, LS.1, LS.2, LS.13, BIO.1, BIO.2, BIO.6

For more information on a BioExpress visit call the coordinator at 804-864-1426 or email bio@smv.org.