Calendar of Events

Get organized for school or work with a homemade wallet of your own design! Join us in The Shop to engineer a functional pouch using Velcro, zippers, or buttons. Sewing skills are not necessary to complete this project. 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.  

Join us to build your own insect and bee hotel! Perfect for nature enthusiast. This hands-on activity helps support local ecosystems. Create a cozy habitat for beneficial insects while learning about their vital role in our environment.* Please note: The Shop offers access to real tools and materials that can be dangerous if used improperly. Parents/caregivers are encouraged to help young tinkerers use the tools and materials safely in this space.

Join us to build your own insect and bee hotel! Perfect for nature enthusiast. This hands-on activity helps support local ecosystems. Create a cozy habitat for beneficial insects while learning about their vital role in our environment.* Please note: The Shop offers access to real tools and materials that can be dangerous if used improperly. Parents/caregivers are encouraged to help young tinkerers use the tools and materials safely in this space.

In honor of earth day, in this hands-on activity, visitors can invent a device that will help keep Lake Tahoe’s beaches and shores clean using a variety of materials. What will you invent to help preserve one of America’s most beautiful lakes and the jewel of the Sierra? Please note: Spark!Lab offers access to tools and materials that can cause injury if used improperly. Parents are encouraged to help young inventors use the tools and materials safely in this space.

Join us to build your own insect and bee hotel! Perfect for nature enthusiast. This hands-on activity helps support local ecosystems. Create a cozy habitat for beneficial insects while learning about their vital role in our environment.* Please note: The Shop offers access to real tools and materials that can be dangerous if used improperly. Parents/caregivers are encouraged to help young tinkerers use the tools and materials safely in this space.

In this hand-on lab, participants will explore 3D printing in various forms, creating a better understanding of its applications and potential. This immersive lab includes an introduction to 3D printing including real-world uses. Participants will learn the history of the technology, create their own designs using 3D pens, and explore Tinkercad, the software used to create intricate 3D designs. Following the lab, participants’ designs will be printed and available for pickup the following weekend. Use of laptop computers, software, and…

In honor of earth day, in this hands-on activity, visitors can invent a device that will help keep Lake Tahoe’s beaches and shores clean using a variety of materials. What will you invent to help preserve one of America’s most beautiful lakes and the jewel of the Sierra? Please note: Spark!Lab offers access to tools and materials that can cause injury if used improperly. Parents are encouraged to help young inventors use the tools and materials safely in this space.

Join us to build your own insect and bee hotel! Perfect for nature enthusiast. This hands-on activity helps support local ecosystems. Create a cozy habitat for beneficial insects while learning about their vital role in our environment.* Please note: The Shop offers access to real tools and materials that can be dangerous if used improperly. Parents/caregivers are encouraged to help young tinkerers use the tools and materials safely in this space.

DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid, is a molecule found inside cells that carries the genetic information needed for an organism to develop and function, essentially acting as the “blueprint” for life. In this hands-on activity in The Discovery’s Microsoft STEM Lab, participants will explore DNA from protein folding to strawberry DNA extraction, learning what DNA is, how it works, and why it is so important.

In honor of earth day, in this hands-on activity, visitors can invent a device that will help keep Lake Tahoe’s beaches and shores clean using a variety of materials. What will you invent to help preserve one of America’s most beautiful lakes and the jewel of the Sierra? Please note: Spark!Lab offers access to tools and materials that can cause injury if used improperly. Parents are encouraged to help young inventors use the tools and materials safely in this space.

Join us to build your own insect and bee hotel! Perfect for nature enthusiast. This hands-on activity helps support local ecosystems. Create a cozy habitat for beneficial insects while learning about their vital role in our environment.* Please note: The Shop offers access to real tools and materials that can be dangerous if used improperly. Parents/caregivers are encouraged to help young tinkerers use the tools and materials safely in this space.

Join us to build your own insect and bee hotel! Perfect for nature enthusiast. This hands-on activity helps support local ecosystems. Create a cozy habitat for beneficial insects while learning about their vital role in our environment.* Please note: The Shop offers access to real tools and materials that can be dangerous if used improperly. Parents/caregivers are encouraged to help young tinkerers use the tools and materials safely in this space.

Humans have long endeavored to travel among the stars. To do so, we need innovative spaceships that go farther and faster than ever before. Visit Spark!Lab Smithsonian to invent a spacecraft using recycled materials, considering things like how it will be powered, where it will travel, who will be at the controls, and other important aspects of the mission. Please note: This activity includes access to tools and materials that can be dangerous if used improperly. Parents are encouraged to help young inventors…

Visit The Shop to create the perfect decoration for spring. Using hammers and nails, you can create a spring-inspired shape to trace with yarn. Best of all, what you make is yours to take home! 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.

The Force is strong with you! Celebrate Star Wars Day at The Discovery when you explore a variety of activities inspired by the famed movie franchise. As the ageless and wise Yoda once said, “Do. Or do not. There is no try.”

The Force is strong with you! Celebrate Star Wars Day at The Discovery when you explore a variety of activities inspired by the famed movie franchise. As the ageless and wise Yoda once said, “Do. Or do not. There is no try.”

Humans have long endeavored to travel among the stars. To do so, we need innovative spaceships that go farther and faster than ever before. Visit Spark!Lab Smithsonian to invent a spacecraft using recycled materials, considering things like how it will be powered, where it will travel, who will be at the controls, and other important aspects of the mission. Please note: This activity includes access to tools and materials that can be dangerous if used improperly. Parents are encouraged to…

Celebrate Mother’s Day with a greeting card that glows! Visit The Shop to use a variety of available materials along with a battery, LED and copper circuitry to create a card that shines like the mothers in your life. 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.

Humans have long endeavored to travel among the stars. To do so, we need innovative spaceships that go farther and faster than ever before. Visit Spark!Lab Smithsonian to invent a spacecraft using recycled materials, considering things like how it will be powered, where it will travel, who will be at the controls, and other important aspects of the mission. Please note: This activity includes access to tools and materials that can be dangerous if used improperly. Parents are encouraged to…

Flowers make a heartfelt gift for that special someone. Join us to explore the art and science of flower arrangement in this hands-on STEM Lab. In this lab, participants will learn the technical aspects of flower arranging and also explore the symbology of certain flowers and what their placement within the arrangement means. Best of all, what you create will make the perfect Mother’s Day gift!

Humans have long endeavored to travel among the stars. To do so, we need innovative spaceships that go farther and faster than ever before. Visit Spark!Lab Smithsonian to invent a spacecraft using recycled materials, considering things like how it will be powered, where it will travel, who will be at the controls, and other important aspects of the mission. Please note: This activity includes access to tools and materials that can be dangerous if used improperly. Parents are encouraged to…

Celebrate Mother’s Day with a greeting card that glows! Visit The Shop to use a variety of available materials along with a battery, LED and copper circuitry to create a card that shines like the mothers in your life. 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.

Visit The Shop to create your own mini Nevada, full of natural wildlife and flora. Using clay and other materials, visitors design their own ecologically accurate diorama. 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.

Visit The Shop to create your own mini Nevada, full of natural wildlife and flora. Using clay and other materials, visitors design their own ecologically accurate diorama. 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.