The Discovery

Register for a LEGO® Robot Rumble session and you’ll learn how to build and code the ultimate autonomous, fighting robot using using LEGO® Mindstorms. Then, test your bot’s capabilities when you pit it against your fellow participants in a head-to-head battle. Your objective? Push your competitor’s bot out of the ring to declare victory!

Work with fellow museum visitors in Spark!Lab Smithsonian to design a stadium considering what activities it will host and the best way to accommodate all guests. 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 materials safely in this space.

Visit The Shop to show off your skills in sculpture and get creative with air dry clay. Using clay carving tools and acrylic paint, you can create a decorative relief tile with a three-dimensional effect. 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.

Work with fellow museum visitors in Spark!Lab Smithsonian to design a stadium considering what activities it will host and the best way to accommodate all guests. 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 materials safely in this space.

Visit The Shop to show off your skills in sculpture and get creative with air dry clay. Using clay carving tools and acrylic paint, you can create a decorative relief tile with a three-dimensional effect. 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.

The Discovery will be open 10:00am to 5:00pm on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Monday, January 19, 2026. Be sure to check out the museum’s calendar of events to find out everything that’s happening at the museum.

Join us here at The Discovery every Wednesday for a special morning just for young learners ages 5 and under. Hear stories, climb the clouds, create art, and enjoy the entire museum for a full hour before it opens to everyone! Please note: Admission during Small Wonder Wednesday is limited to families with children ages 5 and under only. Visitors with children age 6 and older can visit the museum beginning at 10:00am.

Get organized for school or work with a homemade wallet of your own design! Join us in The Shop to engineer a functional pouch using Velcro, zippers, or buttons. Sewing skills are not necessary to complete this project. 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.  

Work with fellow museum visitors in Spark!Lab Smithsonian to design a stadium considering what activities it will host and the best way to accommodate all guests. 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 materials safely in this space.

Work with fellow museum visitors in Spark!Lab Smithsonian to design a stadium considering what activities it will host and the best way to accommodate all guests. 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 materials safely in this space.

Get organized for school or work with a homemade wallet of your own design! Join us in The Shop to engineer a functional pouch using Velcro, zippers, or buttons. Sewing skills are not necessary to complete this project. 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.  

Work with fellow museum visitors in Spark!Lab Smithsonian to design a stadium considering what activities it will host and the best way to accommodate all guests. 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 materials safely in this space.

Get organized for school or work with a homemade wallet of your own design! Join us in The Shop to engineer a functional pouch using Velcro, zippers, or buttons. Sewing skills are not necessary to complete this project. 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.  

Join us here at The Discovery every Wednesday for a special morning just for young learners ages 5 and under. Hear stories, climb the clouds, create art, and enjoy the entire museum for a full hour before it opens to everyone! Please note: Admission during Small Wonder Wednesday is limited to families with children ages 5 and under only. Visitors with children age 6 and older can visit the museum beginning at 10:00am.

The future of robotics is promising. But what can robots do to help humans in our daily lives? Visit Spark!Lab Smithsonian to invent a robot using a variety of craft supplies and recycled materials that can aid in daily tasks. 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 materials safely in this space.

We’re embracing this icy season at the Discovery! Take your pick from a variety of bright and sparkly materials in The Shop to create something that dazzles. 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.

Register for a LEGO® Robot Rumble session and you’ll learn how to build and code the ultimate autonomous, fighting robot using using LEGO® Mindstorms. Then, test your bot’s capabilities when you pit it against your fellow participants in a head-to-head battle. Your objective? Push your competitor’s bot out of the ring to declare victory!

We’re embracing this icy season at the Discovery! Take your pick from a variety of bright and sparkly materials in The Shop to create something that dazzles. 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.

We’re embracing this icy season at the Discovery! Take your pick from a variety of bright and sparkly materials in The Shop to create something that dazzles. 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.

May the odds be ever in your favor when you take part in a variety of activities inspired by the popular dystopian series including a bow-and-arrow contest, Hunger Games trivia battle, creating a medicine parachute, designing a custom Tribute, and more! You can also try a “Nightlock Berry” cocktail created by expert mixologist Michael Moberly. Happy Hungry Games! Labs, lectures and experiences at this Social Science will include: Tribute Training Hone your skills and ready yourself for battle with a…

Celebrate the science, technology, and pop culture surrounding one of the most famous non-events in history. Party like its 1999 when you delve into activities inspired by the late 90’s and early 2000’s including booyah buttons, PS2 battles, millennium snapshots, Y2K fashion faux paus, and much, much more! It’s gonna be the bomb.com! Labs, lectures and experiences at this Social Science are still being finalized. Please check back. Due to the popularity of the Social Science event series, we strongly…

Explore the art of the steal at this Social Science inspired by the science and tech used to pull off the biggest heists. Get ready to steal the crown jewels when you take part in activities including stealing the gold, creating Italian Job pasta art, escaping a laser maze, posing for mugshot, and a whole lot more! Make history and get the goods! Labs, lectures and experiences at this Social Science are still being finalized. Please check back. Due to…