HomeBirthday Parties

Science-Themed Parties

New England Sci-Tech offers educational science-themed parties for children from grade 3 up. Themes include Space Science, Astronomy, Amateur Radio, Electronics, Star Wars, Battlin’Bots, Magic Cards, or Dungeons and Dragons. Adult parties and other educational group events can also be arranged in these time blocks.

STEP 1 - Read this Party Activities information page and choose a potential program.
STEP 2 - Go to the Events Calendar, find an available "Scout/Party Block" and register yourself to reserve it.
STEP 3 - Fill out the Party Inquiry Form with the logistics and contact information.
STEP 4 - Email or call us to discuss any details and/or schedule a pre-visit tour.

Pricing and Logistics

Prices start at $200 for up to 2 hour rental for up to 10 children, with $10 each additional child, and $50 per each additional half hour (IF available). We may request a $60 extra staffing charge for specialty programs and for groups larger than 12 children. We recommend that you not exceed 10 children. Adult groups may be larger.

Included in the price is up to 30 minutes of pre-planning visit and consultation and up to 1/2 hour of set-up and decoration time before the party. Extras vary depending on the complexity of the theme requested.

You can go to our Calendar of Events to reserve a 2-hour block on most Saturdays from 3:00-5:00 pm or alternate Sundays from 3:00-5:00 pm. If you inquire, we may occasionally do certain Wednesdays 3:30-5:30 PM, certain Fridays 1:00-3:00 pm or 3:30-5:30 PM, and certain Saturdays 6:00-8:00 pm.

The organizer should arrange a visit to see the facility. Payment may be made by check on the day of the event.

Air-powered paper rockets are a big hit for a space science themed party. In the last 15 minutes of the party we go outside and launch them in the parking lot. Then children take their rockets home.

Science Resources that can be included in the base rental

– 9’x13′ Outer Space Mural – for backdrop at the dining table and group photos.
– Various sizes of astronaut costumes – jumpsuits for kids to wear for the photos.

– Mars Rover Robotic Arm – popular with all ages

– Planetary Scales – weigh yourself on the moon, Jupiter, Pluto, Mars.

– R2D2 Robot – our mascot is always here to entertain, dance, and pose with you for group photos.

– Meteorites – touch a rock from outer space; weighs over 70 lbs; hold some smaller ones; hold a moon rock (lunar meteorite).

– Dinosaur Eggs – touch or hold a real egg from a Hadrosaurus; 65 million years old!

– Megalodon Teeth – hold a giant tooth from a dinosaur-era shark.

– Other fossil items available; no replicas, these are all real.

– Tour of modern and antique astronomy and space science equipment and artifacts.

– Tour of Astronaut Alley – the walls are lined with astronauts and rockets.

Amenities included in the base rental

You can click here to take a virtual tour of the facility
– Main makerspace for a maker project (some materials billed separately).

– Kitchenette with stainless steel prep/serving table.

– Banquet table that seats 12.

– One refrigerator and freezer to keep food cold.

– Toaster oven, microwave, coffee maker, hot water kettle, wash-up sink.

– Seven-foot billiards table.

– Ample parking for up to 25 cars.

– Extra room for coats, bags, staging area, changing area for costumes.

– Science themed decorations such as plasma globes, laser stars, LED ceiling lights, etc.

Group Organizer’s responsibilities

Organize and plan your party with us at least 2 weeks in advance.
Send invitations that emphasize group activities are for invitees; no non-invited siblings allowed.
On the party day, arrive about 30 minutes in advance to set up, decorate, organize.
Bring and serve your own cake, ice cream, party favors, etc.
Provide a greeter at the lobby door to welcome your guests and hold them until time to begin.
Supervise all children for behavior and safety, so the science presenter does not have to play that role.
Do a general pickup of party items and food so place is “broom clean.”
(We will take care of trash and carpet cleaning.)

We have many sizes of orange, blue, and white NASA jumpsuits for young astronauts to wear, and parents can take group photos in front of a giant 9x13 foot outer space mural.

Activities for a science-themed party

– Chemistry activity – Liquid Nitrogen, a fun and mildly messy hands-on activity for those who love the science of extreme cold. We will learn about liquid nitrogen, experiment with freezing/thawing things, play with superconductors, and even super chill the liquid Nitrogen below its freezing point to make solid Nitrogen and simulate the surface of Pluto! We could top that off by making our own ice cream. (It's non-toxic - 78% of the air is Nitrogen!) (add $10/person)

– Messy activity – Oobleck, a fun and messy hands-on activity for those who have read the Dr. Seuss book. Can be done outdoors in good weather but also indoors in the kitchenette. (Cornstarch and water – dries to a powder to brush off or vacuum up. Food grade / non-toxic.) (add $2/person)

– Battlin’ Bots activity – for 5th grade up, an engineering themed party where students team up in pairs to build remote-controlled wooden “bots” and battle in a safe, enclosed arena. (additional $8/bot)

Future engineers can do a Battlin'Bots Party where they build and battle their own creation. We provide motors, platform, and power hookup. After the battle children may keep the parts here in a box and battle them in future events. Extra charge applies.

A popular woodworking project is Pinewood Cars that can be raced on our 2-lane track. Woodworking projects must be simple enough to complete in about an hour.

Activities for a science-themed party

– Full Dome Planetarium show – an inflatable planetarium and a choice of live star show and/or multimedia show with music/narration. (no extra charge)

– Air-Powered Paper Rockets – Build, launch, and take home an air-powered paper rocket. Safe and fun activity for all ages. (no extra charge)

– Space activity – meteorite jewelry, pendants, ear rings. Real meteorites you keep. For grade 5 up. (add $16/person)

– Woodworking activity – Pinewood Derby downhill race car, a woodworking activity. For grade 4 or older. (add $6/person)

– Maker activity – other maker activities available, such as laser-cutting projects, science projects.

The inflatable planetarium is 9-ft high and seats up to 12 children and 2 adults for a live star show or multi-media show. Also check out the giant meteorite and the dinosaur egg.

We may be able to have a visit by a Wookie, not Chewbacca, but his cousin, 8-ft tall, and very hairy. He is from a planet far, far away but lives locally now. R2D2 lives here at Sci-Tech.

Activities for a science-themed party

– Visit by a Wookie – not Chewbacca, but his cousin, 8-ft tall, and very hairy. (additional $ please inquire)

– R2D2 Robot – our mascot is always here to entertain, dance, talk, and pose with you for group photos and selfies.

– Visit by a pseudo-astronaut – a person who worked on some NASA missions to attend wearing an astronaut jump-suit and talk about space science and astronomy. (add $75)

– Real astronaut visit – Prices starting at $1,850 depending on availability and travel expenses. Must fit the astronaut’s schedule, so planning for a specific date may be difficult, so many weeks advance notice is desirable. Photos with the astronaut and 8×10 autographed photos are usually included. Some may have books that can be autographed.

– Telescopes – A 12″ diameter LX-600 Meade telescope on the terrace, weather permitting. Best scheduled for 1/2 hour after sunset, but sometimes the moon is up in the afternoon. For daytime solar astronomy, we have a safe solar telescope for viewing the sun. (no extra charge)

– Electronics activity – soldering workshop to build an FM radio receiver kit as seen on the Electronic Gadgets page. AA batteries and wired earbuds included. Allow 1 hour. For grade 6 or older. (add $10/person)

We have a large telescope for night astronomy, but we can view the moon in the daytime. We also have a solar telescope for viewing the sun's prominences. Inquire about what dates are best for astronomy. Weather dependent, of course.

Birthday table in front of space mural. Kitchenette in the back. Current table arrangement and background mural may be different. Please plan a visit to see the facilities.

Activities for a science-themed party

– Visit by Galileo himself – a professional character actor who will give you the best 40 minute historical talk you have ever seen. Great for historically themed parties or astronomy themed kids’ parties. Can be shortened to 30 min for children. (additional $ please inquire)

– Steampunk – a visit by an historical figure from the era of steam, in full Steampunk garb, to talk about time travel, steam engineering, etc. (additional $ please inquire)

– Electronics activity – soldering workshop to make a beginner level electronics kit such as a blinking top or crystal nightlight. For grade 5 or older. (add $5/person)

For an additional charge we can arrange for Galileo to perform an entertaining and educational narrative. He is a superb professional actor who has performed for us many times.

Supervision Suggestions

From previous experience we need to be clear that our program is only for party invitees. Siblings tagging along are distractions and sometimes become a safety issue. We kindly request that every child is a paid participant of proper age and no other children are brought along for the ride.

Parents who are supervising and helping are welcome to stay and help their children with challenging activities like paper rocket building. Seating space in the planetarium is limited to 2 adults and up to 12 children.

Typical Party Suggestions

To make the most of your time for science activities, we recommend keeping the food part of the party to a minimum. What works well is pizza, sandwich wraps, or some kind of single portion item that is not too messy or easily spilled. For the "cake and ice cream" part, we recommend that you serve slices and portions that can be eaten with utensils, NOT cupcakes, scooter pies, or other messy, dripping, sticky foods that get all over the children and require lots of clean-up time. Juice boxes or Gatorade bottles are preferable to spillable cups. See our list of nearby food services for ideas.

Typical Party Program Schedule

2:30 – Parents arrive and set up decorations and party table
3:00 – Guests arrive, parents greet in lobby
3:00-3:45 – Maker activities supervised by Sci-Tech staff, etc.
3:45-4:00 – Special visit to meteorites and planetary scales
4:00-4:20 – Planetarium show or 3-D glasses PPT show
4:20-4:45 – Pizza, cake, ice cream, etc.
4:45-5:00 – Outdoor activities, Air-powered Rocket launches, Telescopes (after dark, weather permitting)
5:00 – guests depart; cleanup begins
5:30 – everything clean and all have departed