Calendar of Events

Work with fellow museum visitors in Spark!Lab Smithsonian to create an expansive cardboard city. Build homes, skyscrapers, churches, parks, stores—whatever you can imagine. This is an ongoing collaborative project that will grow and change throughout the day. Please note: This activity includes 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 Discovery will be open 10:00am to 5:00pm on Monday, January 2, 2023 during Washoe County School District’s winter break. Be sure to check out the museum’s calendar of events to find out everything that’s happening at the museum during winter break.

Visit The Shop to combine a variety of materials and your imagination to design and build a simple animation machine. Bring a beautiful winter scene to life with a machine that creates a simple looping animation. 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.

Visit The Shop to create the perfect decoration for winter. Using hammers and nails, you can create a winter-inspired shape to trace with festive winter string. 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.

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.

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.

Using a variety of tools and materials in The Shop, you can create a habitat model for your favorite animal. Where would your animal sleep? Where would it hang out? What would it want to eat? Design and build the ideal habitat for the species of your choice. 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…

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.

Develop or refine your carpentry skills when you build a custom photo frame in The Shop. Using a variety of tools and materials, you’ll create a frame perfect for your favorite photograph. Keep it for yourself or give it as a gift! 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.

In the Spring of 2022, a group of DRI scientists traveled to Greenland with the intent of extracting 4,000-year-old ice cores which tell the story of climate, volcanoes, and human activity. The arduous journey and even more arduous task of drilling and extracting ice cores isn’t without risk or danger. Join us to dive into their research, their journey to Greenland, and to hear the stories they found embedded in the ice. Location: Downtown Reno Library, 301 S. Center Street,…

Ready to engage in battle? Register for one of our one-day classes 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! Age Group Time Member Nonmember Registration Ages 5-8* 10:00 – 11:30am $25 $30 Ages 9-12 1:00 – 4:00pm $30 $35 *Registrants ages 5-8…

Develop or refine your carpentry skills when you build a custom photo frame in The Shop. Using a variety of tools and materials, you’ll create a frame perfect for your favorite photograph. Keep it for yourself or give it as a gift! 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 the perfect Valentine’s Day decoration. Using hammers, nails, and a colorful selection of yarn and string, you can create a unique piece of decor filled with love. 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 materials safely in this space.

Visit The Shop to create the perfect Valentine’s Day decoration. Using hammers, nails, and a colorful selection of yarn and string, you can create a unique piece of decor filled with love. 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 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.

Tickets for this event are sold out. No tickets available at the door.   Now boarding at Platform 9 3/4 for your opportunity to explore the science of witchcraft and wizardry. Take on the Whomping Willow, play Quidditch Remixed, create your own personal wand, explore the potion lab, flex your knowledge in the Potter trivia challenge, and so much more! Fear not, Muggles are encouraged to attend, too. Labs, lectures and experiences at this Social Science will include: Nail The Whomping Willow…

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.

November 2022 marked 100 years since British archaeologist Howard Carter unearthed King Tutankhamun’s tomb. In the years since that legendary find, the tombs of these ancient rulers continue to provide surprising insights into life and death in ancient Egypt. Visit The Discovery during this unique themed week to explore the captivating aspects of Egyptology through a variety of hands-on activities. Create a pharaoh’s crown in The Shop, explore the science of mummification in Spark!Lab Smithsonian, learn to read and write hieroglyphics,…

November 2022 marked 100 years since British archaeologist Howard Carter unearthed King Tutankhamun’s tomb. In the years since that legendary find, the tombs of these ancient rulers continue to provide surprising insights into life and death in ancient Egypt. Visit The Discovery during this unique themed week to explore the captivating aspects of Egyptology through a variety of hands-on activities. Create a pharaoh’s crown in The Shop, explore the science of mummification in Spark!Lab Smithsonian, learn to read and write hieroglyphics,…

November 2022 marked 100 years since British archaeologist Howard Carter unearthed King Tutankhamun’s tomb. In the years since that legendary find, the tombs of these ancient rulers continue to provide surprising insights into life and death in ancient Egypt. Visit The Discovery during this unique themed week to explore the captivating aspects of Egyptology through a variety of hands-on activities. Create a pharaoh’s crown in The Shop, explore the science of mummification in Spark!Lab Smithsonian, learn to read and write hieroglyphics,…

Inspired by author Hiromu Arakawa, visit The Shop to use cardboard and other recycled and consumable materials to design and build mechanical hand. In 2001, Hiromu Arakawa created “Fullmetal Alchemist,” a Japanese manga series. This series has sold over 64 million volumes worldwide. 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 members of the American Mosquito Control Association (AMCA) here at The Discovery and get up close and personal with pesky mosquitos. Visitors will be able to examine mosquitos and their larvae through microscopes, learn about the life cycle of these pests, play games, make crafts, and more.

Inspired by Super Human: Power of Technology, visit The Shop to use cardboard and other recycled materials to design and build a prosthetic. Super Human explores how technological advancements and medical breakthroughs have revolutionized the way we live, opening new possibilities and making the world a more inclusive place. What you create can further those efforts! 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…

Can you outrun a leprechaun? Find out at the 11th Annual Leprechaun Race on Sunday, March 12, 2023. 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?……