Calendar of Events

Even with modern engineering and technology, space travel is still a daunting and detail-oriented task. Visit Spark!Lab Smithsonian to plan your own space mission by deciding what you must take to successfully reach the moon and return to Earth safely.

Get under the hood at The Discovery! Motor on down to The Discovery for a day filled with hands-on automotive themed activities for car enthusiasts of every age. Join experts from NAPA AutoCare Centers to explore the inner workings of automobiles and the systems that make them go, turn and stop. Here are just some of the things happening on this special day:

Visit The Shop to create a sculpture using decorative Washi tape. Combine wire and a wooden base to create an armature to then layer various Washi tape designs on to create nearly anything you can imagine. 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 create nearly anything you can imagine out of yarn, ribbon, twine, mason line, and more! Learn to make t-shirt yarn and try other techniques like weaving, crochet, knitting, and macramé. 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…

Bring the outdoors inside when you visit The Shop to create you own miniature terrarium. Using gravel for drainage, potting soil and your choice of real or imitation plants, you’ll create a self-contained terrarium that requires minimal care. 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.

Bring the outdoors inside when you visit The Shop to create you own miniature terrarium. Using gravel for drainage, potting soil and your choice of real or imitation plants, you’ll create a self-contained terrarium that requires minimal care. 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 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.

Visit The Shop to create a sculpture using decorative Washi tape. Combine wire and a wooden base to create an armature to then layer various Washi tape designs on to create nearly anything you can imagine. 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.

Summon your super powers and get ready to explore the science of comics. Harness Hulk’s rage for a chance to win a prize, create a mask inspired by your favorite comic character, earn your status as a cosplay icon, and much more. This event is certain to have you exclaiming, “Pow! Bang! Zap!” Labs, lectures and experiences at this Social Science will include: Beat The Flash Put your legs to the test in a footrace against time. Can you beat…

Visit The Shop to create a sculpture using decorative Washi tape. Combine wire and a wooden base to create an armature to then layer various Washi tape designs on to create nearly anything you can imagine. 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.

Good news! The Discovery will be open to the public on Monday, April 18, 2022 from 10:00am to 5:00pm. Be sure to check out the museum’s calendar of events to find out everything that’s happening at the museum.

Visit The Shop to create a sculpture using decorative Washi tape. Combine wire and a wooden base to create an armature to then layer various Washi tape designs on to create nearly anything you can imagine. 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.

Bring the outdoors inside when you visit The Shop to create you own miniature terrarium. Using gravel for drainage, potting soil and your choice of real or imitation plants, you’ll create a self-contained terrarium that requires minimal care. 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.

In recognition of Earth Day, The Discovery invites you to explore a variety of activities surrounding urban farming, sustainable food, and reducing food waste. Join partners, Envirolution, Keep Truckee Meadows Beautiful, and Urban Roots for hands-on activities designed to create better understanding of where our food comes from, how to grow your own food sustainably, how to reduce food waste, and more! Museum admission is just $5 per person from 4:00 to 8:00pm.

Bring the outdoors inside when you visit The Shop to create you own miniature terrarium. Using gravel for drainage, potting soil and your choice of real or imitation plants, you’ll create a self-contained terrarium that requires minimal care. 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.

Bring the outdoors inside when you visit The Shop to create you own miniature terrarium. Using gravel for drainage, potting soil and your choice of real or imitation plants, you’ll create a self-contained terrarium that requires minimal care. 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.

Per Patagonia Outlet COVID-19 policy, face coverings are recommended, but not required at this event. “From science to insanity and back again”… Science is a pathway to adventure! What does it feel like to be a scientist? Join us for a family-friendly TED-style talk on the places that science can take us, illustrated with stories and experiences by Ted Hartwell. Bring your five senses as Ted shares his adventures in archaeology, comets and asteroids, community environmental monitoring, and more. He…

Presented as part of the 2022 Northern Nevada Science & Technology Festival, don’t miss this opportunity to take part in a variety of hands-on, robotics activities and explore The Discovery’s nearly 70,000 square feet of exhibits! Build your own circuits, program a robot, see how robots are being used in and around Reno, and more! Come watch as students from FIRST Nevada Robotics demonstrate how their robots can battle it out and solve complex challenges. Join our friends from University of Nevada, Reno…

Bring the outdoors inside when you visit The Shop to create you own miniature terrarium. Using gravel for drainage, potting soil and your choice of real or imitation plants, you’ll create a self-contained terrarium that requires minimal care. 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.

Back by popular demand, paint or draw on the Clear Canvas in Da Vinci’s Corner and then watch as the canvas is washed clean to prepare for the next amazing works of art.

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.

Back by popular demand, paint or draw on the Clear Canvas in Da Vinci’s Corner and then watch as the canvas is washed clean to prepare for the next amazing works of art.

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…