Workshops
On this page you’ll find all the workshops created as part of the AMACA project.
The senses involved are indicated by the following symbols.
Invisible Friends: Near-Earth Asteroids
Esistono migliaia di asteroidi che sfiorano la Terra, ma sono così piccoli e veloci che non possiamo vederli a occhio nudo. In questo laboratorio, i bambini li “incontreranno” usando tatto, udito e olfatto, scoprendo come gli scienziati riescono a studiare questi corpi invisibili ma vicinissimi a noi. Un’esperienza sensoriale per rendere visibile ciò che normalmente sfugge all’occhio.
Age
6 and up
Senses involved
Black Holes: When Light Can’t Escape
Ready to “play” with one of the universe’s most extreme mysteries? In this workshop, we’ll build a miniature black hole to see firsthand how it works. We’ll discover how gravity can trap light and why, once a certain boundary is crossed, nothing can escape. An experience that turns an impossible concept into something surprisingly tangible!
Age
6 and up
Senses involved
Planets in Backlight
Darkness is not the absence of information. On the contrary, by studying the absence of light, we can make incredible discoveries… like finding planets around distant stars! In this workshop, we’ll simulate a star dimming as a planet passes in front of it and learn how astronomers discover exoplanets using the transit method. The multi-sensory approach of this activity will provide a fully immersive experience, stimulating participants’ curiosity and helping them appreciate the variety of scientific information that can be gathered through sight, touch, and hearing.
Age
7 and up
Senses involved
Shadow Constellations
Constellations look like shapes drawn in the sky, but it’s just a perspective illusion: the stars that form them are not at the same distance at all. We see them this way because we observe them all from the same point, Earth.In this workshop, we’ll discover that constellations are actually three-dimensional objects. Through games with lights, shadows, shapes, and projections, participants will experience how an object changes appearance depending on the viewpoint. They’ll also realize that, seen from another planet, the constellations we know would look completely different.
Age
6 and up
Senses involved
Is the Sky Really Dark?
At first glance, the night sky seems uniform: black and silent. But is it really? In this workshop, participants will discover that the sky is full of things we can’t see with the naked eye. They will build a “touchable” sky using black cardboard and different materials to represent what’s out there, both visible and invisible. With various textures and heat, the sky will take shape under their fingers, and using a thermochromic sheet, what was hidden will suddenly become visible, revealing a universe far richer than it seems.
Age
6 and up
Senses involved
Looking for Darkness
In this short and engaging workshop, we’ll journey from the city center to the Atacama Desert, discovering along the way how many stars are lost to artificial lights. Participants will put their eyes (and brains) to the test, experiencing the same challenges astronomers face with “noisy” skies, and try to navigate like a nocturnal animal. Through experiments, challenges, and discussions, we’ll understand why light pollution is a real problem and explore practical ways to bring some darkness back to our skies.
Age
6 and up
Senses involved
Illuminating a Black Hole
With their telescopes, astronomers use the light emitted by stars to study the universe—and everything we see when we look up at the sky. But black holes don’t emit light; they swallow it! So how can we “see” them? How do we know they exist and where they are? In this fun activity you’ll discover what a black hole is, how its extreme gravity affects the surrounding matter, and how to use that gravity to our advantage in order to “photograph” one… using tempera paints and colors!
Age
6 and up
Senses involved
Build Your Own Roller Coaster
Have you ever ridden a roller coaster? Want to try building one yourself? Then this thrilling activity is for you! You’ll create a real miniature roller coaster and challenge your friends to design tracks that use gravity to perform ever-more-daring stunts—experiencing firsthand how gravity influences motion on an inclined plane, centrifugal force, parabolic trajectories, and much more.
Age
6 and up
Senses involved
Who stands up against gravity?
How strong is gravity? In what ways can we counteract it? In this playful activity you’ll learn about the forces that oppose gravity, such as Archimedes’ buoyant force, friction, magnetic force, and constraint reactions. You’ll experiment with wooden and metal blocks to see the “battle” between gravity and each of these forces, discovering which one wins each round in this eternal contest.
Age
6 and up
Senses involved
Build Your Own Galaxy!
What are galaxies and how do they form? In this simple, hands‑on activity you’ll build a galaxy in a shallow tray of water, combining its various components and using gravity to set it spinning. Then you’ll press a sheet of paper onto the water’s surface to capture your very own custom galaxy print.
Age
4 and up
Senses involved
The Deceptive Universe
A playful activity that shows how our senses can be tricked by optical and physical phenomena. Through simple experiments with water, sugar, alcohol, and light, you’ll explore how the Universe can “lie” to us—much like an illusion. It’s a chance to have fun, learn, and look at the sky with a more critical, curious eye.
Age
6 and up
Senses involved
Let’s play the stars!
Can you play music from the galaxies? Hear a black hole? What dances are performed under the stars? In this activity you’ll “play” the beautiful images of the universe we’re used to seeing—and, why not, even dance to the tunes of nebulae and planets!
Age
6 and up
Senses involved
3D-Constellations
The figures we recognize in constellations are tied to our culture and habits, and every people have seen different objects or characters in the patterns of the stars based on their own roots. Those shapes are actually just a product of our perspective from Earth. If we could look from somewhere else in space, we’d see those same stars forming entirely different figures…
Age
6 and up
Senses involved
Stars Aren’t All the Same
Stars come in many varieties: some are bigger or hotter, redder or bluer, smaller or closer. Embark on a journey across the sky where you can actually feel and touch… the stars!
Age
6 and up
Senses involved
Space Smells
An exploratory workshop on odors and things we can’t perceive with our senses. Starting with everyday smells and ending with sniffing a comet, you’ll discover that some things exist even if we can’t sense them directly—and that we can study them by using special instruments and observing their effects on what surrounds them.
Age
6 and up
Senses involved
Never ask a galaxy for its Age!
The galaxies that make up our Universe come in many types, each with its own shape and characteristics. The goal of this activity is to uncover the main differences between two particular classes of galaxies: spiral and elliptical. Just like professional astronomers, you’ll determine which type contains more old stars, gaining clues about the evolution of our Universe over time. Plus, each participant will build their own personal galaxy model!
Age
6 and up
Senses involved
The many looks of a galaxy
Galaxies—and many other celestial objects—appear different depending on the instrument you use to observe them. In this activity, you’ll use fabrics of various textures to represent the different components of a galaxy and create your very own galaxy‑brooch.
Age
6 and up
Senses involved
The Milky Way Within Reach
The Universe is made up mainly of structures called galaxies, which come in various shapes and types. The one we live in—home to our solar system—is called the Milky Way, and it’s a spiral galaxy. This category’s name comes from the particular distribution of gas inside it, which takes on a spiral form. In this activity you’ll discover the structure of spiral galaxies by constructing a three‑dimensional model
Age
6 and up
Senses involved
This Universe is a Chaos!
What is entropy and how does it work? In this experiment, using colors and smells, you’ll sense the different degrees of entropy present in more or less disordered systems, learning how it evolves over time.
Age
4 and up
Senses involved
Moon Theatre
A source of wonder for all, the Moon never ceases to enchant and star in incredible tales. But why does it sometimes appear as only a crescent, other times full, and occasionally not at all? With the “moon theatre” you’ll uncover why the Moon shows us different “outfits” and reveal the secrets of its appearances and disappearances—continuing to marvel at its cyclical transformations.
Age
4 and up
Senses involved
Pulsars too miss a beat
Did you know there are objects in the Universe that behave like clocks? We’re talking about pulsars—special stars that emit flashes of light with extraordinarily precise timing. But even the best sometimes miss a beat. In this workshop you’ll play with pulsars and their rhythms, and discover how they’re used to study one of the cosmos’s most incredible phenomena: gravitational waves.
Age
8 and up
Senses involved
Stellar Detective
Who stole the King’s jewels?
A mysterious theft took place under the stars on an early June night. Two suspects, two different stories… but only one is telling the truth! In this activity you’ll become a sky detective: armed with an astrolabe and guided by facilitators, you’ll analyze the suspects’ accounts, observe how the stars appeared that night, and uncover who’s lying. By manipulating and studying the astrolabe, you’ll not only solve the case but also learn how the sky changes over the year and throughout the night. An adventure of mystery, astronomy, and logic… with your eyes fixed on the stars!
Age
8 and up
Senses involved