Rice University’s Athletics Department will host more than 3,500 local elementary schoolchildren for its seventh annual School House Mania when the Owls men’s basketball team tips off against the University of St. Thomas at 11:15 a.m. Dec. 19 at Tudor Fieldhouse.

School House Mania provides an educational field trip along with the fun of watching a college basketball game. The event promotes education and challenges students to learn in a fun way.

Prior to the game, the Rice University School Mathematics Project (RUSMP) will lead students in math and science activities from 9:45 to 11 a.m.

Who: Over 3,500 schoolchildren from the Houston area.

What: School House Mania will feature a men’s basketball game between Rice and St. Thomas, a pregame presentation by RUSMP and lunch for students provided by PepsiCo’s Food for Good program. Students will leave the game with an educational workbook that teaches STEM concepts through sport.

The pregame math and science program will include:

A “Welcome to Rice” slideshow, which includes math facts to introduce students to the campus.

A “Sammy Says” activity in which students use their bodies, hands and fingers to answer math questions in a “Simon says” format.

A “What’s My Number?” activity in which students will be given clues to determine the jersey number of Rice basketball team members.

A “Transformation Shuffle” dance, which introduces students to geometric transformations.

A “Tour of Houston” slideshow that incorporates math and science.

When: Thursday, Dec. 19. Pregame event from 9:45-11 a.m., student lunch and the basketball game at 11:15.

Where: Rice University, Tudor Fieldhouse, 6100 Main St.

RUSMP has been promoting Rice beyond the hedges in pre-K-12 education by providing support to precollege institutions across the state since 1987. It offers numerous programs for leaders, teachers and students to support schools and school districts. This is RUSMP’s sixth year to collaborate with Rice’s Athletics Department on School House Mania, which brings STEM — science, technology, engineering and math — education from Rice to Houston-area students.

Members of the news media who want to attend School House Mania should RSVP to Matt Wilson, senior editor of news and media relations at Rice, at matt.wilson@rice.edu or 713-348-3930.

Representatives from the Rice Athletics Department and the Rice University School Mathematics Project will be available for interviews during the event.

Rice Athletics thanks EOG Resources and Constellation, an Exelon company, for their financial support of School House Mania.