Programs & Activities
Brain Games
Saturday, September 8, 10am - 12pm
Test your problem-solving skills through a series of games designed to exercise your brain. See if you have what it takes to complete every game!
Grownup Game Nights
Think the museum is just for kids? Think again! Adults 18+ are invited to have the museum all to themselves at Grownup Game Night. Enjoy hands-on activities and programs just for you.
Caught Red Handed
Friday, September 21, 6pm-7:30pm, Age 18+
There’s been a crime and it’s up to you to solve it! Learn how to collect and analyze evidence from a mock crime scene in the museum classroom. Examine blood splatter, take fingerprints, analyze footprints, and unravel the mystery at the museum.
Pandemic Game Night
Friday, October 19, 6pm-8pm, Age 18+
Four diseases have broken out across the world and the threat of human destruction is imminent! Work together as the dispatcher, medic, scientist, researcher, and logistics expert to treat and eradicate the diseases before they wipe out humanity.
World Animal Day
Saturday, September 29, 10am - 12pm
Join the Museum of Nature & Science crew as we celebrate World Animal Day. This global event aims to improve the standards of animal welfare around the world. Participate in hands-on activities to learn more about animals all around the world.
National Fossil Day
Saturday, October 13, 9am - 12pm
Celebrate Prehistoric Trackways National Monument with the Las Cruces District Bureau of Land Management and the Museum of Nature & Science at National Fossil Day. Unearth fossil facts with hands-on activities and view specimens from the Las Cruces area and beyond.
Active Galaxy Lecture Series: Paleontology in New Mexico
Wednesday, October 17, 5:30pm
Dr. Kate "Doc Ziggy" Zeigler, is a consulting paleontologist who works to bridge the divide between protection of fossil resources and accomplishing industry and development objectives. When most people think of a paleontologist, they think Jurassic Park-style paleontologists with their nifty ground-penetrating radar and crazy hijinks with predatory dinosaurs. In this evening’s lecture, we’ll learn more about what it really means to be a member of this interesting scientific discipline. We’ll explore the ins and outs of fossilization, discuss some of our favorite New Mexican dinosaurs, and then consider what it’s like to be a practicing paleontologist.
Frankenstein200
Saturday, October 27, 10am - 12pm
Use your creativity and innovation to experiment with simple machines, teach a robot how to draw, and bring your own "creature" to life! Confront the same questions and ideas that bedeviled the fictional Victor Frankenstein on a dark and stormy night two hundred years ago.
Intro to Electronics for Teens
Saturdays in October, 1:30pm - 4pm, (ages 13 - 17)
Electronics are an integral part of our society. Learn to convert binary, build circuits, measure voltage, and build a weekly project with an electrical engineer. Sign up for one or for all sessions. Registration must be completed by the Wednesday before each session date. Free.
October 6 Safety and Simple Circuits
October 13 Automatic Dark Detector
October 20 Engineering Sound and AC Circuits
October 27 Digital Electronics
All About Engines
Saturday, December 8, 11:45am, (ages 7 - 17)
Learn the basics of an internal combustion engine and what’s happening under the hood of your vehicle. Explore hands-on with our Four Stroke and Two Stroke model engines and observe a demonstration of a unique engine type unlike our conventional combustion engine.
STEAMpunk
Saturdays as listed, 11:45pm
Discover the stories behind science's greatest rebels and explore the modern-day applications of their research through hands-on activities and discussions.
July 21 - Fernando Altamirano
August 18 - Nikola Tesla
September 15 Carlos Juan Finlay: Mosquitos and Pathogens
October 20 Florence Bascom: Geology
November 17 Granville Woods: Communication Engineering
December 15 Isaac Newton: Laws of Motion
Animal Encounters
Saturdays, 10:30amCome meet the animals of the Chihuahuan Desert and gain an close up perspective into the lives of Chihuahuan Desert animals as the Museum Naturalist guides the discussion into these elusive creatures. When feasible, there will be a hands-on segment of the class. Call 575-532-3371 for more information. Free.
August 4 - Animal Symbiosis
August 11 - Invertebrates and Arthropods
August 18 - Fish
August 25 - Amphibians
September 1 - Reptiles
September 8 - Birds
September 15 - Endangered and Extinct Animals of the World
September 22 - Animal Camouflage
October 6 - Symbiosis
October 13 - Bats
October 20 - Blood Suckers
October 27 - Creepy Crawlies
November 3 - Fish
November 10 - Amphibians
November 17 - Reptiles
November 24 - Birds
December 1 - Mammals
December 8 - Endangered and Extinct Animals of the World
December 15 - Animal Camouflage
December 22 - Symbiosis
December 29 - Invertebrates and Arthropods
Sci-Fi Film Series at Rio Grande Theatre
Tuesdays as listed, 7:00pm (doors open at 6pm)
Screen classic science fiction movies with a scientist. Join a guest host each month for a film viewing and discussion of fact versus fiction. Films are shown at the Rio Grande Theatre, 211 N. Main Street.
June 26 - Big Hero 6 (G)
August 14 - Jaws (PG)
Pre-K Thursdays
Thursdays at 9:00 am, rotating schedule, for children 6 years old and under, Free AdmissionGrandma Mona's Science Story Time
August 2 - The Underground Dance by Tony Mitton
September 6 Underground Dance, by Tony Mitton
October 4 Percy and the Five Houses, by Else Holmelund Minarik
November 1 Open Very Carefully: A Book with a Bite, by Bromley O’Byrne
December 6 Pete the Cat saves Christmas, by Eric Litwin
Planeteers
August 9 - Uranus
September 13 Neptune
October 11 Pluto (dwarf planet)
November 8 Moons
December 13 Stars
Dinosaur Train
August 16 - Coelophysis
September 20 Smilodon (Saber-tooth Cat)
October 18 Megalodon
November 15 Deodicurus
December 20 Woolly Mammoth
Nature Kids
July 26 - Desert Nights
August 23 - Horned Lizard
August 30 - Desert Plants
September 27 Animal Footprints
October 25 Night Life
November 29 Turkeys
December 27 Snow
Saturday Family Science
Saturdays at 11:45 am to 12:45 pm Bring your curiosity and your family to the museum for a hands-on investigation. Work together as a team to explore the Earth, the stars, and everything in between.
August 4 - Solar Energy 2: Solar Ovens
Science Café
Last Thursday of each month
Do you have a question about science? Do you want to network with scientists in a variety of disciplines? Then Sigma Xi is the organization for you! The NMSU chapter of Sigma Xi: International Scientific Research Society are our partners in presenting monthly science round table discussions. Please use Water Street entrance after 5:00 pm. Free. For more information about the lecture, visit facebook.com/LCNatureScienceMuseum or call the museum at (575) 522-3120.
Teen Science Café
3rd Thursday of each month, 5:30pm - 7:00pm
Teen-organized science for...teens! Team up with STEM experts for monthly discussions, hands-on activities, and a chance to chat with our guest scientists. Call the museum for more information on speakers and topics.
September 20 Forensic Criminology
October 18 Field Geology ****takes place @ NMSU
November 15 Cartography
If you are a teen who would like to get involved with the Teen Advisory Group, contact Stephanie Hawkins at shawkins @ las-cruces.org (no spaces).
Scout Merit Badge Program
By request The museum offers several courses to scouts for merit badge credit on an on-demand basis. There is a $10 fee per participant and pre-registration with at least 1 week notice is required. Courses run for approximately 4 hours. Call 575-522-3120 for details.