Overview

Bakken Inspiration Stations are a great addition to your community event, featuring fun, hands-on STEM activities. With Inspiration Stations, participants will dig into the wonders of science by trying accessible, engaging activities that bring the inner child out of anyone. Visitors can use 5 minutes to check out our electrifying gizmos, or spend an hour perfecting their engineering innovation. Take-home activities will give visitors something to remember and share with the rest of your community. These hands-on STEM activities are designed to ignite your imagination and rolled up into perfect packages for your event. Ideal for family nights, libraries, and other events outside of the school days.

Additional Information

• Ask us about having STEM Inspiration Stations at your library!
• This is a drop-in program that is facilitated by a Bakken educator. Guests can arrive and leave when they like. Our educator brings 3 table activities and moves between the 3 to guide and facilitate as necessary.
• Audience Age: All Ages. All our activities are designed with elementary-age students and their families in mind. Unfortunately, we don't offer activities well-suited for kids under 5 without significant supervision.
• Program Length: 2 Hours (for the library program version). Most groups choose to bring us in for 1.5-2 hours. The typical time it takes a family to move through each package:
  • Small = about 30 min
  • Medium = about 45 min
  • Large and Extra Large = about 1 hr
• Max # of Attendees: No hard limit. 5-10 people per activity.
• Pricing:
  • Library Program: $450
  • SMALL package (3 tables, perfect for up to 50 people): $175/hr. + $50 setup fee
  • MEDIUM package (6 tables, perfect for 50-100 people): $225/hr. + $75 setup fee
  • LARGE package (9 tables, perfect for 100-200 people): $250/hr. + $100 setup fee
  • À LA CARTE (add an additional activity): $75/hr + $25 setup fee. Available topics include engineering, electricity, physics, space, light, human science, the natural world, and science fiction.
  • If on the night of the event, you cannot provide as many volunteers as requested tables, we can only set up as many activities as you have volunteers, and you are still required to pay the total price.
  • A La Carte selection might be right for you if you cannot recruit and provide volunteers to help staff the tables. This way, educators from The Bakken Museum will fill the activity facilitator role.
• Volunteers:
  • Volunteers can be anyone from your community who is a science fan and enjoys interacting with kids and families. They must be at least 14 years of age. They can be students from your nearby high school or college seeking volunteer hours, parents of students from your school, or even teachers from the school. In any case, these volunteers are members of your community who are capable and enthusiastic mentors for the next generation of scientists and innovators.
  • We typically send 1-3 educators to an event to set up the activities, train volunteers, troubleshoot and assist during the event, and clean up at the end. The volunteers facilitate the activities during the event. Volunteers enhance the learning and fun factor of each activity. It also helps everyone stay safe. Don't worry; volunteers don't need to have a Ph.D. in Astrophysics. They need to be enthusiastic about working with kids and ready to learn! Our staff will cover all the necessary training and ensure your volunteers feel comfortable facilitating their activity.
  • 30 minutes before a small or medium event and 45 minutes before the start of a large event, we will need all volunteers (one for each table) present to be trained on their activities. Volunteers must be 14 or older, and each table must have a volunteer present.
• Space and Timing Needs:
  • Our staff will arrive one hour before the start of an event that has booked a small or medium package and an hour and a half before the start of an event for a large or extra-large package.
  • Please provide one table for every activity plus one additional table. Some activities work best when participants can sit, so please have a handful of chairs on hand. We typically do these activities in one large room, like a gymnasium or cafeteria. If you need to split the activities into separate spaces, please let us know during the booking process, as we may require additional volunteers or setup time.
• Outdoor Events: Most of our activities are not designed to work outdoors. However, if you would like us to attend your outdoor event, let us know, and we'll work with you to find activities that will fit your needs. Most often, participation in an outdoor event would be limited to 1-2 A La Carte table activities.
• Partnering with other groups: We prefer it! Besides, this is your event, so make the most of it! We love joining in the fun and seeing friends from other STEM and Education organizations. If you have other partners at the event, please let us know who they are or what they are bringing, so we can avoid overlapping activities.
• Add Ons:
  • Repeating Science Demonstrations: A Bakken Museum educator will conduct a quick and enjoyable presentation on a choice science topic for your attendees. ~ 15 minutes in duration, 3 per hour.
  • Assembly Show: Two Bakken Museum educators will perform a cheeky science-themed show for your attendees. See our assembly shows webpage for topics. To supplement and enrich your event, consider adding a series of guided science demonstrations or even a full assembly-style performance.