Calendar of Events

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.

Blast off into outer space in The Shop when you create your own version of a space ship climbing toy. Using available tools and materials, you can design and build your own classic climbing toy to send a spacecraft to the moon and beyond! What you make 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…

Explore the science of lift and friction when you design and build a lunar hovercraft in The Shop. Using a compact disc and a balloon to supply the air, you can build a hovercraft that will gently float on a cushion of air. 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.

Tackle the harsh and varied landscape of the Red Planet with a motorized rover you design and build in The Shop. Combine a miniature motor with a variety of available materials to create a powered rover that can traverse Mars. 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 Independence Day with a “bang!” Visit The Shop to build a do-it-yourself firework launcher. Using available tools and materials, you can create a festive rocket and a launcher to send it soaring into the night sky. Best of all, what you make is yours to keep for your 4th of July celebration! 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…

Design and build your very own interpretation of what alien transportation might look like in The Shop. Using available tools and materials, you can create an unidentified flying object (UFO) that could bring visitors from other planets to ours. 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.

Create your own space-themed zoetrope in The Shop. Using a variety of materials, you can create a pre-film animation devices that produces the illusion of motion by displaying a sequence of drawings or photographs showing progressive phases of that motion. 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.

Following your travels through The Discovery’s space-themed exhibitions, design and construct a postcard to send to friends and family. And don’t forget to add a battery and an LED for additional intergalactic flair! 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.

Following your travels through The Discovery’s space-themed exhibitions, design and construct a postcard to send to friends and family. And don’t forget to add a battery and an LED for additional intergalactic flair! 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.

Combine cute and cuddly with simple circuitry when you create your very own Circuit Alien in The Shop. Using available materials, you can create a clever little alien and then add LED lights and a battery to make it shine bright on travels through space! 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…

Blast off for the moon and beyond with a compressed air bottle rocket you build in The Shop! Using a recycled water bottle and a variety of other materials, you can design and build a rocket that uses compressed air to take flight. Best of all, what you make 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…

Be ready for school or work with a do-it-yourself zipper pouch you create in The Shop. This no-sew project is a snap—simply use available materials to create a customized and versatile storage solution for pens, pencils, or anything you need to carry. 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.