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STEAM Saturdays - The Great Bean Cooking Experiment

  • Journey Museum & Learning Center 222 New York Street Rapid City, SD, 57701 United States (map)

Join us for STEAM Saturdays and get nerdy, goofy, and inquisitive with a blend of Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math.

This month, The Journey Museum invites families to explore how everyday foods are made through fast-paced, hands-on science experiments. Each 30-minute session highlights real-world chemistry and biology all using familiar ingredients from the kitchen. These short-format sessions are perfect for curious learners of all ages and offer a fun introduction to how living organisms, heat, cooling, and structure work together in the foods we eat.  

For this week’s activity, discover how heat and chemistry transform food by exploring four different ways beans can be cooked. Students examine pre-prepared samples of undercooked beans, fully cooked beans, salted-cooking beans, and baking-soda beans to observe differences in texture, softness, and structure. Through quick hands-on “press tests” and guided observation, participants learn how heat breaks down plant cell walls, why certain additives change cooking time, and how science shapes the foods we enjoy every day. A fast, sensory-rich investigation into food chemistry and cooking science. 

STEAM Saturdays are offered seasonally from October through April and are fun for the whole family. No need to pre-register, just bring your curiosity!

Morning Session: 10:30am - 11:00am

Afternoon Session: 2:00pm - 2:30pm

STEAM Saturdays are free with your daily admission or annual membership to the Journey Museum. Not a member? Become one today!

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January 16

Turtle Soup | Craig Howe & Lucas Rieppel - In and Out of Place

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January 23

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