Family Days

January 9, 2010:  Drill Bits – Take a Bite out of Rock. 

Keep turning to the right!  Try your hand at making a model drill bit using only Styrofoam, cardboard, beads and sequins.  Learn about the different kinds of drill bits used to dig a hole and how they reach miles into the earth.   

February 13, 2010: Types of Rigs. 

“Oil Rigs” can be compared to vehicles: they come in lots of shapes and sizes!  Come search the museum to learn more about these vehicles at sea.  Create your very own piece of offshore artwork. 

March 13, 2010: Bird Migration. 

Starting in March and lasting through May, thousands of birds pass through Galveston for their spring migration.  Many of these birds will stop over at oil rigs in the Gulf for rest.  Learn about the birds that make their home near the Ocean Star Offshore Drilling Rig & Museum and create your very own bird to take home. 

April 10, 2010: Islands of Life. 

Learn how platforms in the Gulf of Mexico provide habitats and protection for many various marine animals.  Come try your luck at ‘fishing’ around our mock platform for facts about these artificial habitats. 

May 8, 2010: Playing with Petroleum. 

Oil is used for much more than just cars.  In fact, you may be shocked to find what common household items are really made out of petroleum.  See a special video presentation of “Fuel-Less” and try your skill at creating tie-dye paper.

June 12, 2010: Rocks and Fossils. 

Discover how oil is formed through the remains of ocean plants and animals.  Learn how certain rocks tell geologists where to look for oil.  Create your own fossil rubbing to take home.  

July 10, 2010: Rigs to Reefs. 

Learn how obsolete oil platforms are being converted into artificial reef habitats and why sea creatures make these structures home.  Create a Porthole of Life – a unique view of an amazing underwater habitat.   

August 14, 2010:  Working Under Water. 

The people who make their living as rig divers have special equipment that allows them to work in the depths of the sea.  Learn why this special gear is necessary and what happens when the human body is subjected to the harsh environment under the sea as well as finding out how ROV robotics are helping the offshore industry go to depths that a diver could not manage!  

September 11, 2010: Life on a Rig. 

Step aboard the Ocean Star Offshore Drilling Rig & Museum and find out about the different kinds of offshore structures, what they do, and who works on them.  Learn what you would look like as an offshore oil worker.  Try on safety gear, explore the old control room and participate in a scavenger hunt during your visit.  

October 9, 2010:  Sources of Energy. 

Come learn about the 10 different energy sources and how each source is important to everyday life.  Create your own ‘energy wheel’ as you discover why renewable and non-renewable energy affects your life, and where petroleum fits in. 

November 13, 2010:  The History of Oil. 

Oil has been a useful tool for humans for centuries prior to the invention of the gasoline engine.  Come learn about some of civilizations that discovered the early uses of petroleum, and why it became this now precious resource.  Look for quiz answers to our “Timeline”, which relates discoveries within the industry to other words events… you may be surprised at the results! 

December 11, 2010:  An Oilrig Christmas. 

The term “Christmas Tree” means something very different in the oil and gas industry.  Come find out what it is!  Visit the Ocean Star Offshore Drilling Rig & Museum decorated for the holidays, try your creative hand by coloring a picture of an oil derrick to look like a Christmas tree, and find out the surprising role petroleum plays in the yuletide season.