Calendar of Events

Saddle up to explore the original and the final frontier all in one exciting night. Get hands-on with science and fun inspired by the wild west and galaxies far, far away. Conquer a buckin’ bronc, play with alien slime, test your ranch hand skills, and more! Cowboys, cowgirls and city-slickers are all invited to attend! Labs, lectures and experiences at this Social Science will include: Mending Fences Round up a team of four to compete in this relay-style race to…

The Discovery is excited to unveil its newest resident: a 25-foot-long, 12-foot-tall Allosaurus—a fearsome carnivorous dinosaur that roamed the Earth 150 million years ago. A distant cousin of the Tyrannosaurus rex, the Allosaurus wields dagger-like teeth, razor-sharp claws and powerful hind legs. Measuring in at approximately 25 feet in length, the meticulously constructed cast offers visitors a formidable glimpse into an ancient past. In celebration of The Discovery’s newest fossilized friend, the museum will host “Dino Days” from June 24…

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.

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.

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.

Visit The Shop to put your creativity and your crafting skills to the test when you design your very own stuffed dinosaur. With the help of the museum’s educators, you’ll use available materials to design and fill your own plush dino. 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 practice the safe use…

Visit The Shop to put your creativity and your crafting skills to the test when you design your very own stuffed dinosaur. With the help of the museum’s educators, you’ll use available materials to design and fill your own plush dino. 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 practice the safe use…

Join The Discovery in celebrating STEM professionals from the LGBTQ community. We welcome visitors of all ages for a day of Pride-inspired science, technology, engineering and math activities. Visitors will have the opportunity to learn about modern LGBTQ+ scientists and engineers and the valuable contributions they are making that help us better understand the world around us through a variety of hands-on activities: Stomp Rockets Build a stomp rocket inspired by NASA astronaut Sally Ride. Coding Robots Explore the exciting…

Visit The Shop to create a robot friend using a variety of materials including cardboard. Use real tools and combine a variety of materials to create your version of a robot that can help you accomplish daily tasks. Best of all, what you make is your to keep! Please note: The Shop offers access to real tools and materials that can be dangerous if used improperly. Parents/caregivers are encouraged to help young tinkerers use the tools and materials safely in…

Visit The Shop to create a robot friend using a variety of materials including cardboard. Use real tools and combine a variety of materials to create your version of a robot that can help you accomplish daily tasks. Best of all, what you make is your to keep! Please note: The Shop offers access to real tools and materials that can be dangerous if used improperly. Parents/caregivers are encouraged to help young tinkerers use the tools and materials safely in…

Young biologists will delight in this hands-on activity that uses soft, plush frogs to learn about frog anatomy in a non-intimidating manner. The activity merges fun with education, fostering an understanding of biology without using real specimens, making it accessible and appealing for budding biologists of any age.

Visit Spark!Lab Smithsonian to design a mini ecosystem. Learn about the balance of nature when you assemble layers of rocks, soil, plants, and decorations. Through guided instruction, visitors will understand how these elements interact to create a sustainable environment within a closed container. 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.

Visit The Discovery to explore things are an incredibly small scale! Using microscopes and accompanying slides, you can take an enlightening dive into the microscopic world. Under expert guidance, participants will learn how to operate microscopes and examine various slides, ranging from plant cells to microorganisms, gaining an appreciation for the complexity and diversity of life at the microscopic level.

Visit Spark!Lab Smithsonian to design a mini ecosystem. Learn about the balance of nature when you assemble layers of rocks, soil, plants, and decorations. Through guided instruction, visitors will understand how these elements interact to create a sustainable environment within a closed container. 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.

Discover the building blocks of life when you extract DNA from an ordinary strawberry. Museum visitors will extract, isolate, and observe the DNA of a strawberry using everyday materials like dish soap, salt, and alcohol to understand more about the building blocks of life and pursuits in the field of genealogy. Please note: This activity uses basic household chemicals that can be harmful or used improperly. Parents/caregivers are encouraged to help young scientists use the materials safely.

Learn interesting and surprising things about your own eyes and how they work when you witness the dissection of a bovine (cow) eye. Museum Educators will perform the dissection a cow’s eyeball to reveal how the many parts work together to provide vision. Note: This demonstration contains material that may be sensitive for younger museum visitors. Parents/caregivers should exercise discretion when attending this demonstration.

Young biologists will delight in this hands-on activity that uses soft, plush frogs to learn about frog anatomy in a non-intimidating manner. The activity merges fun with education, fostering an understanding of biology without using real specimens, making it accessible and appealing for budding biologists of any age.

Visit The Discovery to explore things are an incredibly small scale! Using microscopes and accompanying slides, you can take an enlightening dive into the microscopic world. Under expert guidance, participants will learn how to operate microscopes and examine various slides, ranging from plant cells to microorganisms, gaining an appreciation for the complexity and diversity of life at the microscopic level.

In Spark!Lab Smithsonian you can get hands-on with the process of invention: Think It, Explore It, Sketch It, Create It, Try It, Tweak It and Sell It. In this activity, you can use The Discovery’s massive collection of LEGO building blocks to create prototypes (Create It) of your most clever invention. Build your prototype, test its usability (Try It), and then refine as needed (Tweak It).

At this installment in the Science Distilled series, audience members will be taken on a deep-dive into the surprising space where creativity and science commingle. Come learn why science needs creative minds and how creativity can be inspired by science. This event in the series is presented in conjunction with Artown and will feature a short documentary film, speaker presentations, and audience Q&A. Location: Desert Research Institute, Stout Conference Room, 2215 Raggio Pkwy, Reno Times: Doors open at 6:30pm, presentation…