ALCOSAN offers STEAM-based (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) activities tailored for grades Pre-K through 12th grade. All of our hands-on activities are aligned with the Pennsylvania State Academic Standards. Search by grade level, or category to find the right activity for your school or youth group.
If you are interested in scheduling an activity, please complete the Outreach Request Form by using the "Request this Activity" button and one of our staff members will be in contact with you to make arrangements.
Students will design and construct boats for maximum weight capacity.
Available for Classroom and After School programming.
Access to Water
Students will work in a group to design a pipeline that conveys water around obstacles without leaking.
Available for Classroom and After School programming.
Access to Water
Students will work in a group to design a pipeline that conveys water around obstacles without leaking.
Virtual Only
Access to Water
Students will experiment the proof of Archimedes’ Principle utilizing a Force Sensor.
Available for Classroom only.
Students will discuss and achieve neutral buoyancy based on factors that relate to the wastewater treatment process.
Available for After School programming only.
Access to Water
Students will achieve and discuss neutral buoyancy based on factors that relate to the wastewater treatment process.
Available for Classroom only.
Access to Water
: Students will investigate the properties of bubbles and design and test various bubble wands.
Available for After School programming only.
Access to water
Students will compare the buoyancy of an object submerged in water to its buoyancy in bubbly water.
Available for Classroom and After School programming.
Access to Water
Students will determine whether a liquid will sink or float in water by comparing its density to the density of water.
Available for Classroom only.
Given a set of criteria and time constraints, students will build the tallest, free standing structure out of simple materials using the efforts of all team members.
Available for Classroom only.
Given a set of criteria and time constraints, students will build the tallest, freestanding structure out of simple materials using the efforts of all team members.
Available for Classroom and After School programming.
Students will complete a craft activity to demonstrate protective casings on caddisfly larvae.
Available for Classroom only.
Students will explore the lifecycle of a caterpillar/butterfly.
Available for Virtual only.
Students will discuss some of the principles involved in filtering water. They will construct their own water filter to clean muddy water.
Available for Classroom only.
Students will explore water filtration and its relation to wastewater treatment.
Available for Classroom only.
Access to Water
Students will be introduced to coding functions as they try to “crack the code” to predetermined puzzles using google forms.
Students will be introduced to coding functions as they try to “crack the code” to predetermined puzzles using google forms.
Students acting as contractors will use information provided by the foreman to build a replica of a model observed only by the foreman.
Available for After School programming only.
Students acting as contractors will use information provided by the foreman to build a replica of a model observed only by the foreman.
Available for Classroom only.
Students will participate in a series of challenges from different STEM areas, all of which utilize cups.
Available for After School programming only.
Students will participate in a series of challenges from different STEM areas, all of which utilize cups.
Available for After School programming only.
Using a nylon flag, students will create a public service message to inform the public about the dangers of sewer overflows occurring along local waterways.
Available for Classroom and After School programming.
Using a nylon flag, students will create a public service message to inform the public about the dangers of sewer overflows occurring along local waterways.
Available for Classroom and After School programming.
Students will be introduced to the process of moving wastewater to the treatment center (ALCOSAN). Students will also understand that when wastewater is not treated, it can be harmful to humans and aquatic life.
Available for Classroom and After School programming.
Access to Water
Students will make a connection between clean water and increasing fish populations.
Available for Classroom only.
Students will use the engineering design process to create a device that will launch a rubber fish the farthest distance.
Available for After School programming only.
Using Archimedes’ Principle, students will investigate how buoyant forces push against gravity to reduce the force of objects in water.
Available for Classroom only.
Students will rethink their current methods of trash removal by identifying the benefits of reducing, reusing, and recycling used items (trash).
Available for Classroom only.
Students will build an urban stormwater model and a green technology stormwater model to demonstrate how green technology reduces stormwater runoff.
Available for Classroom only.
Students will observe water climbing up a paper towel and compare it to water traveling through the root systems of plants.
Available for After School programming only.
Access to Water
Students will identify the steps of the wastewater treatment process while demonstrating order by using pictures and numbers.
Available for Classroom only.
Students will learn how easily germs can spread and the importance of hand-washing with soap by participating in a hands-on science demonstration.
Access to Water
Students will explore how water travels from their homes to ALCOSAN through pipes.
Available for Virtual only.
Access to Water
Students will identify litter and recyclables through interactive play.
Available for Classroom only.
Students will identify things a plant needs to grow as well as model the seed germinating life cycle.
Available for After School programming only.
Large Open Space
Students will identify the needs of a seed and model the seed germinating life cycle.
Available for Virtual only.
Weather Permitting: Activity can be conducted outside.
Students will identify and sort animals that live in leaf litter.
Available for Classroom only.
Students will identify the difference between living and nonliving things.
Available for Classroom only.
Students will be able to identify how water affects another person’s access to safe, clean drinking water.
Available for Classroom only.
Students will investigate low impact development options and calculate the difference in stormwater runoff in given areas with and without low impact development.
Available for Classroom only.
Using the materials given, students will complete a series of engineering challenges.
Available for Classroom only.
Using the materials given, students will complete a series of engineering challenges.
Available for Virtual only.
Students will identify conditions required for observing a rainbow.
Available for After School programming only.
Access to Water
Students will investigate properties of water as it relates to wastewater treatment and the formation of bubbles.
Available for After School programming only.
Access to Water
Students will identify microorganisms found in wastewater treatment.
Available for Classroom and After School programming.
Students will recognize the importance of microorganisms and practice graphing and literacy skills.
Available for Virtual only.
Students will collect rocks and describe the similarities and differences between them.
Students will examine peak flows of a river over a period of time to predict the recurrence intervals and percent change of various flows for that river. *Must have access to Microsoft Excel and Internet
Available for Virtual only.
Students will experiment and evaluate the different ratios of materials to predict how infiltration rates change with different material combinations, while creating pervious pavement.
Available for Classroom only.
Teacher will need to test the activity with students following the visit.
Students will construct a pipe structure given a set of criteria and constraints.
Available for Classroom only.
Students will investigate the unique properties of polymers, and compare a polymer that has been cross-linked to the original form.
Available for After School programming only.
Students will investigate the unique properties of polymers, and compare a polymer that has been cross-linked to the original form.
Available for After School programming only.
Students will use acidic, basic, and neutral solutions to simulate ocean acidification.
Available for Virtual only.
Students will compare the thickness of water to the thickness of a liquid similar in appearance.
Available for Classroom only.
Students will create their own rain cloud to understand how rain is formed.
Access to Water
Students will explain how light refracts when it passes through water droplets and demonstrate a rainbow through capillary action.
Available for After School programming only.
Access to water
Students will perform a series of dilutions to visualize parts per million and learn about the evolution of wastewater treatment and its effects on water quality.
Available for Classroom only.
Students will perform a series of dilutions to visualize parts per million and learn about the evolution of wastewater treatment and its effects on water quality.
Available for Virtual only.
Students will investigate the uses of simple machines to design a lever that will launch a ping pong ball the farthest distance.
Available for After School programming only.
Open Space
Students will test water samples to see which are safe for salamanders.
Available for Classroom only.
Students will construct a model of a watershed and create a contour map that represents the boundaries and flow of drainage to a wastewater treatment plant.
Available for Classroom only.
Students will explore the 4 seasons.
Available for Classroom only.
Students will make predictions about the behavior of objects in water.
Available for Virtual only.
Access to Water
Students will observe how various objects behave in water and then predict whether other objects will sink or float.
Available for Classroom only.
Using a microscope and a sample of water from ALCOSAN’s secondary treatment process, students will view and identify microorganisms found in wastewater treatment.
Available for Virtual only.
Using a microscope and a sample of water from ALCOSAN’s secondary treatment process, students will view and identify microorganisms found in wastewater treatment.
Available for Classroom and After School programming, Virtual only.
Students will explore and identify the 3 types of matter.
Available for Classroom only.
Access to Water and Electricity
Given a set of criteria, students will develop a blue print of green areas to reduce stormwater runoff.
Available for Classroom only.
Students will compare how channel morphology affects the flow of water and transportation of sediment.
Available for Classroom only.
Students will identify the bridge types that can be seen in Pittsburgh, and design their own bridge using a MakerBot and a 3D CAD Design Tool.
Available for Classroom Virtual only.
Computer-based activity that requires 60-90 minutes
Students will use the engineering design process to plan and build a structure that satisfies a set of requirements using limited materials.
Available for Classroom only.
Students will use the engineering design process to plan and build a structure that satisfies a set of requirements using limited materials.
Available for Classroom only.
Given a set of limitations, students will construct a tower out of newspaper and calculate quantities and costs of materials.
Available for Classroom and After School programming.
Given a set of limitations, students will construct a tower out of newspaper and calculate quantities and costs of materials.
Available for Classroom only.
Students will test urban watershed models for stormwater runoff absorbency before and after applying green technology.
Available for Classroom and After School programming.
Access to Water
Students will explore the concept of surface tension and analyze data by averaging and comparing figures.
Available for Classroom only.
Students will identify how water is used in a variety of ways and how it is treated by ALCOSAN.
Available for Virtual only.
Access to Water
Students will use M & M’s to graph different pollutants in a watershed.
Available for Classroom and After School programming.
Students will explore how energy moves through a food chain in an interactive game.
Available for Classroom and After School programming.
Tables, Open Space
Students will identify the steps of a water cycle.
Available for Virtual only.
Access to Water and Electricity
Students will be able to build a watershed model that illustrates the flow of pollutants through a watershed.
Available for Classroom only.