Calendar of Events
Past Events › Hands-on Activity
Open Build: Cars
Prepare to take to the road when you visit The Shop to design and build your very own automotive creation. Using available tools and materials, and a variety of wheels, you’ll have the chance to design and build the next great automotive innovation. 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.
Find out more »Open Build: Cars
Prepare to take to the road when you visit The Shop to design and build your very own automotive creation. Using available tools and materials, and a variety of wheels, you’ll have the chance to design and build the next great automotive innovation. 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.
Find out more »Crash Test Cars
One event on April 13, 2019 at 10:30 am
One event on April 14, 2019 at 12:00 pm
Visit Spark!Lab Smithsonian and use the process of invention to build a car that’ll protect its precious cargo. Using available materials and the invention process, you can create a vehicle that will protect a raw egg in the event of a crash. Even if your egg breaks, you can tweak your design and test it again, and again, and again! Please note: Activity available while egg supply lasts. Spark!Lab Smithsonian offers access to tools and materials that can be dangerous if…
Find out more »DIY Car Catapult
Drivers, start your engines! Celebrate the grand opening of the new Super Service Center with a visit to The Shop. Using available materials and a little ingenuity, you can design and build a catapult that will propel your favorite toy car to record speed! 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.
Find out more »Crash Test Cars
Visit Spark!Lab Smithsonian and use the process of invention to build a car that’ll protect its precious cargo. Using available materials and the invention process, you can create a vehicle that will protect a raw egg in the event of a crash. Even if your egg breaks, you can tweak your design and test it again, and again, and again! Please note: Activity available while egg supply lasts. Spark!Lab Smithsonian offers access to tools and materials that can be dangerous if…
Find out more »Crash Test Cars
Reno, NV 89501 United States
Visit Spark!Lab Smithsonian and use the process of invention to build a car that’ll protect its precious cargo. Using available materials and the invention process, you can create a vehicle that will protect a raw egg in the event of a crash. Even if your egg breaks, you can tweak your design and test it again, and again, and again! Please note: Activity available while egg supply lasts. Spark!Lab Smithsonian offers access to tools and materials that can be dangerous if…
Find out more »DIY Car Catapult
Drivers, start your engines! Celebrate the grand opening of the new Super Service Center with a visit to The Shop. Using available materials and a little ingenuity, you can design and build a catapult that will propel your favorite toy car to record speed! 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.
Find out more »DIY Car Catapult
Drivers, start your engines! Celebrate the grand opening of the new Super Service Center with a visit to The Shop. Using available materials and a little ingenuity, you can design and build a catapult that will propel your favorite toy car to record speed! 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.
Find out more »Visiting Artist: Katie Steenberg
Celebrate Earth Day by making beautiful flowers from recycled material. Using repurposed and recycled materials such as plastic bottle caps, food containers, newspaper and cereal boxes, we will create a artistic interpretation of the flowers of spring time. About Katie Steenberg Kat Shepard has a diverse artistic background but always centers her work on the celebration of nature and our relationships with the natural world. Found objects and sustainability have been a consistent source of inspiration. She has worked in performing…
Find out more »DIY Race Track
Get ready to race toward the checked flag when you design and construct your very own race track in The Shop. Using cardboard and other available materials, you can create a twisting, turning, undulating race track for your favorite toy cars. Connect your track to a friend’s for even more fun! 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…
Find out more »DIY Race Track
Get ready to race toward the checked flag when you design and construct your very own race track in The Shop. Using cardboard and other available materials, you can create a twisting, turning, undulating race track for your favorite toy cars. Connect your track to a friend’s for even more fun! 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…
Find out more »Rubber Band Cars
The future of transportation is in your hands! Visit The Shop to use available tools and materials to create a miniature car that uses a rubber band for power. Experiment with a variety of rubber bands to see which will make your car move faster, slower or travel farther? 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…
Find out more »Rubber Band Racers
Reno, NV 89501 United States
The future of transportation is in your hands! Visit The Shop to use available tools and materials to create a miniature car that uses a rubber band for power. Experiment with a variety of rubber bands to see which will make your car move faster, slower or travel farther? 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…
Find out more »DIY Motor Planes
Visit The Shop to create your own motorized model airplane. Using available tools and materials, and a motor and battery, you can design and build a motorized airplane model that will spin and wiggle down the runway! 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.
Find out more »DIY Motor Planes
Visit The Shop to create your own motorized model airplane. Using available tools and materials, and a motor and battery, you can design and build a motorized airplane model that will spin and wiggle down the runway! 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.
Find out more »Explore Bubbles
Bubbles can be fascinating, beautiful and fun. But did you know bubbles can also help you explore scientific concepts such as elasticity, surface tension, chemistry, light, and even geometry? As part of the National Math Festival, explore the science and math behind bubbles with a variety of hands-on bubble activities throughout the museum. Join artist Kit Huntington, creator of Bubbleution, to create giant soap bubbles. With Bubbleution, Kit provides interactive entertainment with a fantastic display of giant bubbles for all to…
Find out more »DIY Motor Planes
Visit The Shop to create your own motorized model airplane. Using available tools and materials, and a motor and battery, you can design and build a motorized airplane model that will spin and wiggle down the runway! 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.
Find out more »Mother’s Day Shrinky Dinks
One event on May 11, 2019 at 10:30 am
One event on May 12, 2019 at 12:30 pm
Give Mom a gift made with love and your own hands when you create a shrinky dink in The Shop. Using available thermoplastic, you can decorate and shrink an item into a charm or bobble of your own design. 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.
Find out more »Tech!Night May
Visit The Discovery on the second Wednesday of every month for Tech!Night, a new program designed to put emerging technology in the hands of museum visitors. Tech!Nights will feature a variety of high-tech tools and techniques, gadgets and games – command a robot, print in 3-D, and even code a new game – happening monthly in Spark!Lab Smithsonian.
Find out more »Mother’s Day Shrinky Dinks
Give Mom a gift made with love and your own hands when you create a shrinky dink in The Shop. Using available thermoplastic, you can decorate and shrink an item into a charm or bobble of your own design. 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.
Find out more »Upcycled T-shirt Totes
Join us in Spark!Lab Smithsonian to turn an old, worn out t-shirt into versatile tote bag. Bring your own t-shirt, or grab one of ours, and follow the simple instructions to easily transform a tired t-shirt into a tote bag perfect for daily use. Activity presented in partnership with:
Find out more »Mother’s Day Shrinky Dinks
Give Mom a gift made with love and your own hands when you create a shrinky dink in The Shop. Using available thermoplastic, you can decorate and shrink an item into a charm or bobble of your own design. 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.
Find out more »Open Build in The Shop
One event on June 15, 2019 at 9:30 am
One event on June 29, 2019 at 9:30 am
One event on July 13, 2019 at 9:30 am
One event on July 26, 2019 at 9:30 am
One event on August 10, 2019 at 9:30 am
One event on August 31, 2019 at 9:30 am
One event on September 7, 2019 at 9:30 am
One event on September 21, 2019 at 9:30 am
One event on October 12, 2019 at 9:30 am
One event on October 23, 2019 at 2:30 pm
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.
Find out more »DIY Spinning Tops
Visit The Shop to create a toy that uses rotational inertia to entertain. Using available tools and materials, you can design and build your own version of this classic toy. 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.
Find out more »