About
Mad Science of Northern Illinois STEM Programs offers hands-on activities such as chemistry experiments, physics experiments, rocket engineering, and rocket launches. Children take part in chemical reaction experiments, experiments with green glowing liquids, and experiments with mystery substances that change from solid to liquid in seconds. The program also includes hovercraft rides, cotton candy making, and activities involving electricity, magnetism, optics, biology, autonomous robots, strange objects flying through the air, and messages written in secret code.
• Ages: 3–12 years old
Mad Science of Northern Illinois STEM Programs is part of Mad Science, which was founded in 1985 in Montreal, Canada, by Ariel Shlien and Ron Shlien. Mad Science uses an inquiry-based learning approach in its after-school programs, which are hands-on and cover different science topics, and each after-school class includes an educational take-home item. The program offers interactive workshops that are curriculum correlated to state and provincial standards, as well as special event shows and assemblies that are science-themed performances for audiences of different sizes and ages. Virtual and in-person options are available, and offerings also include summer and vacation camps, birthday parties with ready-to-go goody bags containing multiple science-themed toys, and stage shows and fun stations described as hassle-free, adaptable, and action-packed. Mad Science is a global enrichment company with over 150 locations in more than 20 countries, has been in business for over 30 years, and states a mission “to inspire children through science, sparking lifelong imagination and curiosity,” along with a vision in which every year 5 million children experience Mad Science.
Last updated February 5, 2026.
• Ages: 3–12 years old
Mad Science of Northern Illinois STEM Programs is part of Mad Science, which was founded in 1985 in Montreal, Canada, by Ariel Shlien and Ron Shlien. Mad Science uses an inquiry-based learning approach in its after-school programs, which are hands-on and cover different science topics, and each after-school class includes an educational take-home item. The program offers interactive workshops that are curriculum correlated to state and provincial standards, as well as special event shows and assemblies that are science-themed performances for audiences of different sizes and ages. Virtual and in-person options are available, and offerings also include summer and vacation camps, birthday parties with ready-to-go goody bags containing multiple science-themed toys, and stage shows and fun stations described as hassle-free, adaptable, and action-packed. Mad Science is a global enrichment company with over 150 locations in more than 20 countries, has been in business for over 30 years, and states a mission “to inspire children through science, sparking lifelong imagination and curiosity,” along with a vision in which every year 5 million children experience Mad Science.
Last updated February 5, 2026.
Is this your business? There is no cost, but you will be asked to sign up or log in.