Calendar of Events

Visit Spark!Lab Smithsonian to invent your own flying machine! Using a variety of materials, you can invent a contraption that will take a human into the sky. This challenging STEAM activity requires inventors to consider key concepts of flight including lift, weight, thrust, and drag. Best of all, what you invent is yours to keep! Please note: This activity includes access to tools and materials that can be dangerous if used improperly. Parents are encouraged to help young inventors use the tools and…

Visit Spark!Lab Smithsonian to invent your own flying machine! Using a variety of materials, you can invent a contraption that will take a human into the sky. This challenging STEAM activity requires inventors to consider key concepts of flight including lift, weight, thrust, and drag. Best of all, what you invent is yours to keep! Please note: This activity includes access to tools and materials that can be dangerous if used improperly. Parents are encouraged to help young inventors use the tools and…

Join author Kevin Sullivan and illustrator Michael Furuya for a special reading of their new book, “Good Night Tahoe.” This dream-like “good night” journey takes the reader on a tour to meet Lake Tahoe’s native and common baby animals while they are enjoying recreational activities in some of the most remarkable places that make the lake region so magical. Beddy-bye bear is boating; the coyote is camping in Carson City; the raccoon is rafting in Reno; the trout is tubing in Truckee;…

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…

Visit Spark!Lab Smithsonian to invent your own flying machine! Using a variety of materials, you can invent a contraption that will take a human into the sky. This challenging STEAM activity requires inventors to consider key concepts of flight including lift, weight, thrust, and drag. Best of all, what you invent is yours to keep! Please note: This activity includes access to tools and materials that can be dangerous if used improperly. Parents are encouraged to help young inventors use the tools and…

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 plastic 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: Spark!Lab Smithsonian offers access to tools and materials that can be dangerous if used improperly. Parents are encouraged to…

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 plastic 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: Spark!Lab Smithsonian offers access to tools and materials that can be dangerous if used improperly. Parents are encouraged to…

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 plastic 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: Spark!Lab Smithsonian offers access to tools and materials that can be dangerous if used improperly. Parents are encouraged to…

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 plastic 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: Spark!Lab Smithsonian offers access to tools and materials that can be dangerous if used improperly. Parents are encouraged to…

Hands-on gets serious in The Shop! In this material-specific session of Open Build, you’ll use real tools to create nearly anything you can imagine out of textiles materials like fabric, yarn, and more. 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.

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 plastic 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: Spark!Lab Smithsonian offers access to tools and materials that can be dangerous if used improperly. Parents are encouraged to…

Join partners One Truckee River and Keep Truckee Meadows Beautiful (KTMB) for a fun-filled evening of watershed discovery for adults and kids! IN this 1.5 hour program, we’ll start with an interactive storytelling activity about the history of the Truckee River Watershed for the whole family. Then the adults will break off to take a River-Friendly Living class with One Truckee River, while kids participate in a “Watershed Warriors” lesson led by KTMB. For Kids (recommended for ages 5-12) KTMB’s Watershed…

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 plastic 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: Spark!Lab Smithsonian offers access to tools and materials that can be dangerous if used improperly. Parents are encouraged to…

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 plastic 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: Spark!Lab Smithsonian offers access to tools and materials that can be dangerous if used improperly. Parents are encouraged to…

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 plastic 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: Spark!Lab Smithsonian offers access to tools and materials that can be dangerous if used improperly. Parents are encouraged to…

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 be dangerous if used improperly. Parents are encouraged to help young tinkerers use the tools and materials safely in this space.

Visit The Discovery’s Spark!Lab Smithsonian to explore nano technology by creating a thin film. A thin film is a layer of material ranging from less than a nanometer (one billionth of a meter) to several micrometers thick. Everyday examples of thin films include soap bubbles, oil slicks on water, and anti-reflection coating on eyeglasses. Scientists are developing thin films to use as computer memory and in solar cells. Please note: This activity includes materials that can be dangerous if used improperly. Parents are encouraged…

Join partners One Truckee River and Keep Truckee Meadows Beautiful (KTMB) for a fun-filled evening of watershed discovery for adults and kids! In this 1.5 hour program, we’ll start with an interactive storytelling activity about the history of the Truckee River Watershed for the whole family. Then the adults will break off to take a River-Friendly Living class with One Truckee River, while kids participate in a “Watershed Warriors” lesson led by KTMB. For Kids (recommended for ages 5-12) KTMB’s Watershed…

Visit The Discovery’s Spark!Lab Smithsonian to explore nano technology by creating a thin film. A thin film is a layer of material ranging from less than a nanometer (one billionth of a meter) to several micrometers thick. Everyday examples of thin films include soap bubbles, oil slicks on water, and anti-reflection coating on eyeglasses. Scientists are developing thin films to use as computer memory and in solar cells. Please note: This activity includes materials that can be dangerous if used improperly. Parents are encouraged…

Visit The Discovery’s Spark!Lab Smithsonian to explore nano technology by creating a thin film. A thin film is a layer of material ranging from less than a nanometer (one billionth of a meter) to several micrometers thick. Everyday examples of thin films include soap bubbles, oil slicks on water, and anti-reflection coating on eyeglasses. Scientists are developing thin films to use as computer memory and in solar cells. Please note: This activity includes materials that can be dangerous if used improperly. Parents are encouraged…

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…

Be ready to catch the autumn breezes with a kite you build in the The Shop. Using available tools and a variety of paper, you can design and build a bird kite that will soar on the winds at the end of a string. 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…

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 be dangerous if used improperly. Parents are encouraged to help young tinkerers use the tools and materials safely in this space.

Be ready to catch the autumn breezes with a kite you build in the The Shop. Using available tools and a variety of paper, you can design and build a bird kite that will soar on the winds at the end of a string. 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…