Calendar of Events

Every Wednesday beginning at 4:00pm, admission to The Discovery is just $5.00 per visitor! Members and children under age 1 are always free. And best of all, the museum stays open until 8:00pm!

Be inspired by the creativity and innovation of Muppets creator Jim Henson when you visit Spark!Lab Smithsonian to invent your own hand puppet. Using available materials, you can create a unique character all your own and learn about how The Muppets went from idea to hit television sensation.

In The Shop, hands-on gets serious. During Open Build, take your pick from a variety of materials and use real tools to design and build nearly anything you can imagine. Best of all, what you create is yours to keep! Please note: The Shop offers access to real tools and materials that can be dangerous if used improperly. Parents are encouraged to help young tinkerers use the tools and materials safely in this space.

Face your fears and tackle your phobias head-on during an evening of some of the scariest science. Whether your fear is clowns, bugs, electric shock, needles, or just the fear of fear itself, prepare to explore the science of scary. Labs, lectures and programming for this Social Science will include: Why are you scared? Join Cindy Lancaster Ph.D., University of Nevada, Reno assistant professor of clinical psychology, for an eye-opening presentation that will teach you three strategies to help you conquer…

Ready to engage in battle? Register for this class and you’ll learn how to build the ultimate BattleBot using using LEGO® Mindstorm robotics. Then, test your bot’s capabilities when you pit it against your fellow participants in a head-to-head, sumo-style battle. Your objective? Push your competitors’ bot out of the ring to declare victory! Register today for one of two age groups. Age Group Time Member Nonmember Remaining Register Ages 5-8* 10:00 – 11:30am $25 $30 0 spots Ages 9-12…

The Discovery will be open 10:00am to 5:00pm on President’s Day, Monday, February 20, 2020. To find out what’s happening at the museum, be sure to explore the calendar of events.

Ready to engage in battle? Register for this class and you’ll learn how to build the ultimate BattleBot using using LEGO® Mindstorm robotics. Then, test your bot’s capabilities when you pit it against your fellow participants in a head-to-head, sumo-style battle. Your objective? Push your competitors’ bot out of the ring to declare victory! Register today for one of two age groups. Age Group Time Member Nonmember Remaining Register Ages 5-8* 10:00 – 11:30am $25 $30 17 spots Ages 9-12…

Ready to engage in battle? Register for this class and you’ll learn how to build the ultimate BattleBot using using LEGO® Mindstorm robotics. Then, test your bot’s capabilities when you pit it against your fellow participants in a head-to-head, sumo-style battle. Your objective? Push your competitors’ bot out of the ring to declare victory! Register today for one of two age groups. Age Group Time Member Nonmember Remaining Register Ages 5-8* 10:00 – 11:30am $25 $30 16 spots Ages 9-12…

Crafting natural hazard warnings that people take seriously. It’s safe to assume that we’ve all seen a weather forecast and muttered, “I’ll believe it when I see it.” How do we decide when to take warnings about natural hazards seriously? And when do we brush them off, assuming the forecasters are just crying wolf? At this installment of Science Distilled, hear from the researchers probing this decision-making process and the science behind it. A communication expert from the University of Nevada, Reno and a…

Can you outrun a leprechaun? Find out at the 8th Annual Leprechaun Race on Sunday, March 15, 2020. This family-friendly 5K run/walk starts and finishes at The Discovery and will take you on a tour through the streets of the Midtown and Wells Avenue neighborhoods. Don’t despair if the leprechaun beats you to the finish. For every runner, jogger or walker the leprechaun passes, the pot of gold grows in size. Who will benefit from the increased pot of gold?……