Flying, Soaring, and Speeding into Flight!

Aerodynamics and momentum take flight at the DCM this month, as we get ready to fly into the summer at full speed. Bring along your imagination, because it’s going to be a wild ride!

This month the “DCM Speedway” track shifts gears as it transforms into a racing-themed obstacle course. Tuesday, June 4 – Monday, July 1, put your racing talents to the test as you zoom, twist, and spin around different obstacles and tricky trails, all while learning firsthand the physics needed to propel your Roller Racer® vehicle forward. 

The momentum doesn’t stop with our DCM Speedway obstacle course, as physics-based programs continue all month focusing on the principles behind aerodynamics. On different days, you can design airplanes to take off from the top of our Stratosphere exhibition during “Paper Planes,” explore the aeronautical principles of drag and lift during “Parachutes and Payloads,” use some unconventional materials to make a kite fly during “Paper Kites,” and engineer a flying hoop glider during “Hoop Gliders and Straw Flyers.”

The second weekend of every month brings the DCM's science-career family workshop series, Try Science. This month it's "Try Science: Be an Ornithologist."  On Saturday & Sunday, June 8 & 9, learn how to recognize the different sounds birds make; use binoculars to scan for them along the Wilmington Riverwalk; use common household items to simulate how different birds eat; and make window clings that prevent birds from bumping into glass windows and doors.

The evening of Wednesday, June 19 is the DCM's monthly $2 Night, from 5 to 7pm. Enjoy all the hands-on exhibits together, zip and zoom around the DCM Speedway Obstacle Course, and join us in the Delaware College Investment Plan Studio D gallery where you can go on an archeological hunt and dig for fossils. At 6pm, join us for “Science About the Stories” as we read Eric Carle’s book, The Tiny Seed, about a traveling seed that eventually grows into a beautiful flower. Following the story, kids can explore seeds in different activity learning stations! “Science About the Stories” is funded, in part, by The PNC Foundation. 

The fun doesn’t stop at the end of the month — it just keeps getting better! We’re throwing our first ever “Summer Kickoff” party to start the summer off right with our new extended hours on Fridays. On the first official day of summer, Friday, June 21, stop by the big yellow building for just $5 per person after 5pm (DCM Members are FREE!), and get your face painted, watch a special performance by Olympiad Gymnastics, design a collaborative sidewalk chalk creation, bust a move during one of our famous DCM Dance Parties, make giant bubbles, grab some food and water ice at one of the food carts, and more!

But the highlight of the night will be the kiddie pool full of Ooblek, a singular substance that’s well known to regular DCM guests — though usually seen in much smaller quantities. A mixture of cornstarch and water forms the Ooblek, a non-Newtonian fluid that’s just solid enough for kids (and adults) to run across — if they go quickly! It’s a once-in-a-lifetime chance to run across the surface of water. Plus, every following Friday in the summer, we’ll be open late 'til 8pm with admission starting at just $5 per person after 5pm. Extra summer hours, for extra DCM fun. What could be better?