Calendar of Events

It is almost time for A T. rex Named Sue to leave The Discovery. We’re not sure where she’s headed next, but we want to send her off in style, and you can help! In The Shop, we invite you to design and build a launcher to send a toy dinosaur hurling through the air. Using rubber bands and other available materials, you can engineer a contraption that will send your toy dinosaur on an interstellar trajectory. Best of all,…

It is almost time for A T. rex Named Sue to leave The Discovery. We’re not sure where she’s headed next, but we want to send her off in style, and you can help! In The Shop, we invite you to design and build a launcher to send a toy dinosaur hurling through the air. Using rubber bands and other available materials, you can engineer a contraption that will send your toy dinosaur on an interstellar trajectory. Best of all,…

Visit The Discovery after 4:00pm every Wednesday when admission is just $5.00 per visitor! Members and children under age 1 are always free. And best of all, the museum stays open until 8:00pm! The Discovery’s Wednesday discount admission program is presented by Great Basin Federal Credit Union.

Visit The Shop to create a handy easel to hold your favorite family photo. Choose from a variety of materials to create your own version of a photo easel. 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.

Get ready to make, share, craft and be inspired! At this Social Science you’ll explore a variety of tools and techniques used by Makers to foster creativity, encourage hands-on, collaborative innovation and build community. Labs, lectures and programming at this Social Science will include: Bending Light Explore the art and science of neon sign creation with the experts from Color of Neon. Make Juniper Into Gin Ever wondered how to turn juniper berries into gin for that refreshing gin and…

Visit The Shop to create a handy easel to hold your favorite family photo. Choose from a variety of materials to create your own version of a photo easel. 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 your own piece of thermoplastic art and then watch as it shrinks to size before your very eyes. Create things like earrings, bookmarks, keychains, and more, and learn how this amazing material softens when heated, but hardens when it cools. 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 your own piece of thermoplastic art and then watch as it shrinks to size before your very eyes. Create things like earrings, bookmarks, keychains, and more, and learn how this amazing material softens when heated, but hardens when it cools. 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 your own piece of thermoplastic art and then watch as it shrinks to size before your very eyes. Create things like earrings, bookmarks, keychains, and more, and learn how this amazing material softens when heated, but hardens when it cools. 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.

Fused Glass Magnets (3:30pm, ages 6 and up) Make a decorative magnet with fused glass. Visiting Artist Judy Joustra will lead you through the process of fusing pre-melted glass in a variety of shapes and colors onto a mini canvas of white glass. Your beautiful work can then be displayed on your favorite appliance or magnet board. Fused Glass Night Lights (5:30 and 7:00pm, ages 8 and up) Join Judy for an introduction to fusing colorful, pre-melted shapes of glass…

Do you wish your room was bigger? Do you wish you didn’t have to share a bathroom? What about turning your parents’ bedroom into a KIDS-ONLY water park!? Visit The Shop to try your hand at designing, drawing, and building and discover the world of architecture. This event is part of National Architecture Week, a celebration of architecture in our community organized by the Northern Nevada chapter of the American Institute of Architects.

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.

Have you ever wanted to build your own robot from scratch? Visit The Shop to create a Bristlebot using the head of a toothbrush, a battery, and a small motor. Make changes to your design to see if you can make it go faster, straighter, or dance in circles. 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…

Take aim and launch a sugary projectile at the target of your choice! Using PVC pipe and a variety of tools, you can design and build your very own marshmallow launcher in The Shop. Adjust your design for maximum distance and accuracy! 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 on the second Wednesday of every month for Tech!Night, a new program designed to put emerging technology in the hands of museum visitors. Tech!Nights will feature a variety of high-tech tools and techniques, gadgets and games – command a robot, print in 3-D, and even code a new game – happening monthly in Spark!Lab Smithsonian. Visiting Scientist: Joao Paulo Braz For this Tech!Night, Joao Paulo Braz, a Research Assistant in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Nevada,…

Say goodbye to A T. rex Named Sue, when you create a 2D piece of dinosaur art enhanced with an LED. What you create is yours to keep to remember your time with Sue the world famous T. rex! 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.

Say goodbye to A T. rex Named Sue, when you create a 2D piece of dinosaur art enhanced with an LED. What you create is yours to keep to remember your time with Sue the world famous T. rex! 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 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.

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.

Learn the treasured art of weaving on a loom you create in The Shop. Using a variety of yarns, you’ll create a loom that can be the start of a woven item that will keep you warm and cozy in the winter months! 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.