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STEAM Saturdays - Materials Matter: Choosing What Lasts

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

Join us this week to investigate building with flexible materials!

This March, The Journey Museum invites families to step into the role of engineers and designers, exploring how structures are built to last through time, force, and change. Participants are introduced to the Engineering Design Process, guiding them through real-world challenges that require planning, testing, failure, and redesign. 

Learners will use materials creatively while working within constraints just like real engineers. Through building, testing, and improving their designs, participants discover how thoughtful design choices shape the strength, stability, and durability of structures all around us. 

Each session follows the same design cycle: Ask, Imagine, Plan, Create, Test, Improve, and Share. Optional Engineer+ Challenge Cards provide added complexity for older learners ready to push their designs further. 


For this week’s activity, learners will think about why what you build with matters as much as how you build it. Participants investigate how different materials bend, break, or hold under stress by designing and testing small structures made from a single material. Redesign cycles encourage learners to rethink thickness, layering, and form as they optimize their structures for strength and durability.


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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March 13

Violin and Guitar: Latin Fire - Black Hills Chamber Music Society

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March 14

Violin and Guitar: Latin Fire - Black Hills Chamber Music Society - Matinee