Education

• The Teacher Institute's discipline-specific teacher induction programs work with novice, middle and high school science teachers to increase effectiveness and raise retention rates.
• The Institute for Inquiry provides inquiry-based workshops and online resources for a national community of K-5 education reform leaders and Bay Area elementary school districts.
• The Center for Informal Learning and Schools examines the impact museums and science centers can have on teacher education and school reform. The Center offers professional certificates for museum educators.
• The cookbooks contain “recipes” for building Exploratorium exhibits, available to any museum around the world. The first of the three Exploratorium Cookbooks was published in 1975. Just as with any cookbook, the recipes have, in many cases, served as an inspiration and starting point for exhibit builders and hands-on educators who have added their own creative touches. The snackbooks are hands-on activity books for teachers that provide instructions for creating junior versions, or "snacks," of many of the museum's amazing exhibits. Designed by science teachers, these snacks can be used as classroom demonstrations, labs, science projects, or just for fun.
• Since 1984, the Educational Outreach Program has been a link between the Exploratorium and community-based organizations in San Francisco and Oakland that serve inner-city children, teens, and their families. The Outreach Program offers Exploratorium exhibit-based educational activities via ongoing partnerships with these organizations.

Promotion

Challenges

Successes

• The Exploratorium has been selected as one of America's best nonprofits by a survey of nearly 3,000 nonprofit CEOs and 60 expert interviews conducted for the new book, Forces for Good: The Six Practices of High-Impact Nonprofits, by long-time nonprofit consultants Leslie Crutchfield and Heather McLeod Grant.
• 575,000 people annually visit the Exploratorium
• 1,000 original interactive exhibits, displays, and artworks have been designed, prototyped, and built on site with 400 currently on view
• Exhibits are located at 60 international and 66 U.S. science centers
• Partnerships with 13 science centers nationwide offering them exhibit collections and educational training
• 24 million web visitors annually access www.exploratorium.edu, which has 25,000 pages of original content

The Exploratorium
3601 Lyon St.
San Francisco, CA 94123-1099
Tel: 415-563-7337
Fax: 415-561-0307
email: pubinfo@exploratorium.edu

Museum Hours
Tues.-Sun. 10-5.

Admission
Adults $14, senior citizens & youth 13-17 $11, children 4-12 $9; discounts to AAM & ICOM members; children under 4, 1st Wed. of month & members no charge. Closed Thanksgiving; Christmas.

Museum Website
http://www.exploratorium.edu