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Learn the basics of archeology and examine native cultures, then be ready to get dirty as you go digging with archeologists on a real historical dig site and learn about the culture of the early Houston area.

Please Note: This class meets at HMNS at Sugar Land, then moves to the dig site at the George Ranch at 10 a.m. Scouts will need to be transported between locations by their chaperones. Adults must stay on site.

Cost: $30 per child

Lunch: Please bring a sack lunch.

Before purchasing the class, review the Archeology Workshop PDF here for class locations and prerequisite work. Scouts should wear “class A” uniforms.

Engineers designed your school bus, the cars on the road, the road itself, and the bridges you cross. They designed all the different kinds of computers you see at school, in offices, and at home. Airplanes, cars, and space stations are also designed by engineers.

When you earn this badge, you can work on engineering projects such as bridge models and catapults. You will also explore the Fondren Discovery Place and other fascinating Museum exhibits.

Naturalists study animals and plants in the wild. When you visit a nature center to learn about birds, reptiles, mammals, trees, and wildflowers, your guide is a naturalist. If you like watching wildlife, you're already a naturalist too.

Naturalists have a great love for nature. They notice details that other people might miss. They know that the well-being of all living things is interconnected.

For this pin, you can learn to identify poisonous plants and animals, how to catch bugs, explore the Frensley Hall of African Wildlife, the Farish Hall of Texas Wildlife, and more.

There s more to the night sky than bright dots on a black background Investigate the stars and other celestial bodies in the Burke Baker Planetarium and learn about the tools and methods used by astronomers to study what s beyond our sight.

Make strange things happen to everyday household items while learning about analytical chemistry, biochemistry, organic chemistry, physical chemistry, and pollution. See how chemical reactions occur all the time in your everyday life.

New class format!
Earn your Geology Badge with a little help from some ancient creatures.  Work with geologists at the extremely fossiliferous Stone City site, a bank section of the Brazos River that was 200 miles offshore during the Eocene, 45 million years ago.  You will build your required collection on site using the local fauna:  mollusks, corals, and fish fossils that you will dig up yourself.  Other requirements will be met using the geological features of the area.

Note: This class does not meet at the Museum.  One adult for every 5 scouts must stay with the class.

Spend time in the Cockrell Butterfly Center and Live Insect Zoo to study the lives of the most common group of animals in the world. Learn about their secret lives and how they are important in your life. 

Take a guided tour through the night sky with our resident astronomer, and watch a special double-feature show in the Burke Baker Planetarium while you earn your Space Explorer Try-It! Learn about constellations and phases of the moon. Make and take home a constellation projector, star map, sun dial and paper doll astronauts.

Explore the worlds of physics, chemistry, biology, and astronomy. Learn how scientists do their jobs by doing activities and experiments with pop rockets, plants, atoms, machines, and more.

Engineers designed your school bus, the cars on the road, the road itself, and the bridges you cross. They designed all the different kinds of computers you see at school, in offices, and at home. Airplanes, cars, and space stations are also designed by engineers.

When you earn this badge, you can work on engineering projects such as bridge models and catapults. You will also explore the Fondren Discovery Place and other fascinating Museum exhibits.

Geologists investigate the history of the Earth by studying rock formations, from high on mountain peaks to deep within the Earth's crust. They are interested in learning how our planet was made. These scientists also investigate earthquakes, volcanoes, and geysers. They know about the uses of rocks and minerals. Some geologists search for mineral deposits such as gold, diamonds, coal, and oil.

While earning this pin, you'll use the Museum's exhibits and resources to discover how the Earth was formed and what it contains. You'll investigate fossils and what they can tell us about our planet as it was millions of years ago.

The laws of nature explain much about our world and the universe around us. Through experimentation, scientists continue to make new discoveries about these laws. They take nothing for granted. Scientists may think that an idea is true, but to prove it they test their theories over and over.

When you earn the Scientist Activity Pin, you'll use the Fondren Discovery Place and other Museum exhibits and resources to conduct scientific experiments and test some famous scientific laws. You'll explore ideas about how airplanes fly and the way changes in atmospheric pressure can move objects. You'll also experience the strange tricks your eyes and your brain can play on you.