As an effort to supplement the science which is taught in schools, this document describes the development and implementation of five out-of-school short courses for middle school children and their parents. The courses meet on Saturdays for five weeks and are intended to be taught at informal science learning sites such as zoos, science museums, nature centers and planetariums. Course activities are intended to increase the scientific knowledge of the participants as well as time that parents and children spend with each other. All of the courses also contain home activities for parents and children to do together. The first section of this document includes the history of this project, the rationale for selecting the courses, and a synopsis of the courses. The courses described are: (1) animal behavior; (2) building telegraphs, telephones, and radios; (3) microcomputers; (4) nighttime astronomy; and (5) winter study. A section on "administrative organization" discusses teaching sites, scheduling, participant registration, publicity and cost. Another section, "instructional organization," explains the teacher's guides, planning considerations and evaluation processes. Appendices include sample publicity brochures, newspaper articles, confirmation letters, a certificate of participation, and references. (TW)