Classroom Demonstrations
Laboratory staff conduct demonstrations in partner classrooms on a rotating schedule. Each demonstration is drawn from published laboratory work and accompanied by teacher notes.
Mandate
Research Carries an Obligation to Teach
The Education Office was formalized in 1974 under a simple instruction from the laboratory's founders: whatever the laboratory can explain plainly, it should make available to schools and families without charge.
The office translates bench work into classroom instruction. Demonstrations that prove reliable in the laboratory are adapted for school use, documented, and released through the public resources index. Instructional materials are reviewed for accuracy by the originating division before release.
The office also coordinates the laboratory's scheduled visit program, under which school and library groups may tour designated areas of the facility with a staff guide.
- School partnerships — recurring classroom instruction, grades K–8
- Scheduled visits — guided facility tours for school and library groups
- Instructional materials — lesson sequences and demonstration plans
- Family instruction — home experiment guides and field activities
- Educator support — training sessions and facilitation guides
Activities
Current Educational Work
Instructional Materials
Lesson sequences, demonstration plans, and printed activity guides prepared by the office and reviewed by the originating division. Distributed through the public resources index.
Family Instruction
Home experiment guides using common household materials, with the underlying science explained in plain language. Field activity sheets are issued seasonally.
Educator Sessions
Periodic training sessions for teachers using laboratory materials, covering demonstration technique, safety practice, and common points of student difficulty.
Scheduling requests are handled in the order received. The office gives priority to schools within the laboratory's home region but accepts correspondence from any institution.
Scheduling & Correspondence
Requests for classroom visits, facility tours, or educator sessions should be directed to the Education Office through the Office of Public Inquiry. Autumn visit scheduling is currently open.