Our mission, like all the Community Science Workshops across the country, is to inspire kids and communities with the wonders of nature and the physical world through a free public space full of tools, materials and fascinating exhibits. Here in Greenfield, exhibits include a low-voltage plasma cutter, a fog tornado, a wind tube, an amplified slinky and a vacuum chamber. We currently have a snake, a turtle and a bearded dragon lizard as well as thousands of worms in a composting bin, and several garden boxes.
Participants in the Workshop programs receive a broad spectrum of benefits:
Inspiration and wonder in viewing the world through the lens of science.
Understanding of the base concepts of science through direct observation and experimentation.
Acquisition of STEM skills such as design, engineering, tool work and machine repair.
Communicating and working together in a friendly environment toward a shared goal of construction or exploration.
Practicing the responsibility of conceiving, planning, carrying out and finishing a self-motivated project.
We welcome students into the Workshop during out-of-school hours as well as receiving class groups during school hours. Workshop staff lead students to construct the projects of their imaginations, or build a custom version of a model project. Staff also accompany students to discover the science behind animals, plants, bones, fossils, rocks and the science exhibits. We also use vans and the Science Mobile take the wonders of the Workshop to schools’ after-school programs as well as nearby community spaces. In addition, we provide training and preparation support for local teachers in science.
The Greenfield Community Science Workshop supports and complements science teaching at local schools by providing opportunities to learn the Next Generation Science Standards. In Workshop programs, students also get a chance to learn in areas not covered by the standards and difficult to offer in a school setting. We are a dynamic and innovative resource for learning with diverse paths to access. As the only Community Science Workshop in Monterey County, we are proud to offer this world-class resource to the communities of South County, and serve as a model for communities who would like to create similar spaces.
