Calendar of Events

Get under the hood at The Discovery! Motor on down to The Discovery for a day filled with hands-on automotive themed activities for car enthusiasts of every age. Join experts from NAPA AutoCare Centers to explore the inner workings of automobiles and the systems that make them go, turn and stop. Here are some of the exciting things happening on this special day:

Hands-on gets serious in The Shop! In this material-specific session of Open Build, you’ll use real tools to build nearly anything you can imagine out of Recyclable Materials. 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 in this space safely.

Visit The Shop to build a midway classic. Using available tools and materials, you can build a classic marble run game to challenge yourself or your family and friends! 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.

Hands-on gets serious in The Shop! In this material-specific session of Open Build, you’ll use real tools like a sewing machine, hot glue and fabric glue to create nearly anything you can imagine out of fabric. 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.

Celebrate Star Wars Day when you create your own light saber handle in The Shop. Using sections of PVC pipe and a variety of decorations, create your own customized light saber base and the use the force in the battle against the darkness. Please note: The Shop offers access to real tools and materials that can cause injury if used improperly. Parents are encouraged to help young tinkerers use the tools and materials safely in this space.

Hands-on gets serious in The Shop! In this material-specific session of Open Build, you’ll use real tools to build nearly anything you can imagine out of cardboard. Best of all, what you create is yours to keep! Please note: The Shop offers access to real tools and materials that can cause injury if used improperly. Parents are encouraged to help young tinkerers use the tools and materials safely in this space.

Join our friends from the Nevada Humane Society for a project in The Shop that will have your pooch or kitty wanting more! Using a variety of materials, you’ll create your choice of a toy for your favorite dog or cat. Your furry friends will thank you. And, best of all, what you make is yours to keep! Please note: The Shop offers access to real tools and materials that can cause injury if used improperly. Parents are encouraged to help young…

Visit The Shop to create a classic wooden pull toy. Choose from a variety of materials and go to work with your choice of woodworking tools to create a toy that will fondly follow you wherever you go! 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.

Coding and computer science are changing the face of nearly every industry on the planet. The Discovery’s Day of Code is your chance to explore the wonders of coding through a variety of hands-on activities. Help a robotic bug reach its nest, understand binary code, instruct a human robot to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, play coding games in the Microsoft STEM Lab, and a whole lot more! It all happens in one giant, code-filled day! Join us…

Hands-on gets serious in The Shop! In this material-specific session of Open Build, you’ll use real tools like a sewing machine, hot glue and fabric glue to create nearly anything you can imagine out of fabric. 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.

Join students and faculty from the University of Nevada, Reno’s Department of Chemistry to explore the wonderful world of chemistry through a variety of hands-on experience and live science demonstrations. Chemistry is the central science, and its principles operate in all aspects of our daily lives. Understanding chemistry is fundamental in understanding the world around us, everything from energy to biology, medicine to materials, and more.

Hands-on gets serious in The Shop! In this material-specific session of Open Build, you’ll use real tools to build nearly anything you can imagine out of a variety of plastics. 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.

Prepare for the summer growing season with a garden box you design and build in The Shop. Using wood and a variety of tools, you can create a garden box to grow your favorite flowers or veggies. Best of all, what you make is yours to keep! Please note: The Shop offers access to real tools and materials that can cause injury if used improperly. Parents are encouraged to help young tinkerers use the tools and materials safely in this space.

Prepare for the summer growing season with a garden box you design and build in The Shop. Using wood and a variety of tools, you can create a garden box to grow your favorite flowers or veggies. Best of all, what you make is yours to keep! Please note: The Shop offers access to real tools and materials that can cause injury if used improperly. Parents are encouraged to help young tinkerers use the tools and materials safely in this space.

Hands-on gets serious in The Shop! In this material-specific session of Open Build, you’ll use real tools to build nearly anything you can imagine out of wood. Best of all, what you create is yours to keep! Please note: The Shop offers access to real tools and materials that can cause injury if used improperly. Parents are encouraged to help young tinkerers use the tools and materials safely in this space.

Visit The Shop to create a beautiful and functional device to harness the power of the sun. Using wax paper, tissue paper, and a variety of other materials, you can create a sun catcher that looks like stained glass. 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 a beautiful and functional device to harness the power of the sun. Using wax paper, tissue paper, and a variety of other materials, you can create a sun catcher that looks like stained glass. 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.

Hands-on gets serious in The Shop! In this material-specific session of Open Build, you’ll use real tools to build nearly anything you can imagine out of cardboard. Best of all, what you create is yours to keep! Please note: The Shop offers access to real tools and materials that can cause injury if used improperly. Parents are encouraged to help young tinkerers use the tools and materials safely in this space.

Calling all paleontologists-in-training! Explore the complex process and important decisions that are made to get fossils out of the ground in this hands-on dig pit activity.

Visit The Shop to create a dinosaur-themed classic wooden pull toy. Choose from a variety of materials and go to work with your choice of woodworking tools to create a prehistoric toy that will fondly follow you everywhere you go! 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 Art Alcove to create an artistic interpretation of your favorite prehistoric creature. Using watercolor, you can paint a whimsical and colorful silhouette of the dinosaur of your choice.

What if dinosaurs still existed today? What would they need to survive? What would they eat? Where would they live? Visit Spark!Lab Smithsonian to use a variety of materials to invent your own modern-day dinosaur. 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.

Calling all paleontologists-in-training! Explore the complex process and important decisions that are made to get fossils out of the ground in this hands-on dig pit activity.

Visit The Shop to create a dinosaur-themed classic wooden pull toy. Choose from a variety of materials and go to work with your choice of woodworking tools to create a prehistoric toy that will fondly follow you everywhere you go! 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.