Start small. Think big.
Sundays, noon to 4 p.m., unless otherwise noted.
Ingenuity In Action is a series of special activities and events that
offer you the science about how the world around us works and that show
you how engineers and scientists solve challenges and find new ways of
doing things. The series includes special activities and
demonstrations, weekend workshops, and the Ingenuity Lab, where you can
engage your creative brain and use a variety of materials to design,
build, and test your own innovations.
Explore a new theme every month
- October—Mars
- November—Flying Things
- December—Winter Warmth and Conservation
- January—Bridges
- February—Animal Adaptations
- March—Recycling and Reuse
- April—Oceans/Water
- May—Solar Energy
Get your Ingenuity in Action Passport to Innovation!
Pick up your passport at the front desk. Then join us every month for a
new Ingenuity in Action theme and get your passport stamped, making you
eligible to win special prizes.
October is your month to learn all about the red planet!
• Ingenuity Lab—Drop by the lab to engage your creative brain and use a variety of materials to design, build, and test your own innovations. This month, try your hand at building a Mars Rover that can handle the terrain and atmospheric conditions of the Red Planet. Free with admission.
• Activities and demonstrations—Enjoy a guided tour of Mars from a real Mars scientist using Science On a Sphere®. Use our outdoor erosion tables to create erosion patterns and examine images of the Martian surface for evidence that water once flowed on that planet. Free with admission.
• Weekend workshops—Get the extra attention and insight you deserve, with Ingenuity workshops. Reserve your space in advance.
Family Ingenuity Workshop: Mars and Other Planets Up CloseSunday October 11, 10:00-10:50 a.m. and 11:10 a.m.-12:00 noon
Come join us for a whirl through the Solar System as we learn about Mars and other planets in our family planetarium workshop. Has there been life on Mars? What would it take to live on that planet? Zoom through space as you find out these answers and more!
Parents and kids ages 5–8
$34 for first adult and child ($25 for members); $11 for each additional person
Sign Up Now
Kids Ingenuity Workshop: Build and Program a Lego Mindstorms Rover
Sunday October 4 and 18, 1:30–3:00 p.m.
Building a rover to explore the Martian surface takes a whole team. Everything must be considered—from the wheels for the rocky surface, to the arm movements, to remote travel. Come be part of the team.
Ages 8–12
$18 each ($16 for members)
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November is your month to fly!
• Ingenuity Lab—Drop by the lab to engage your creative brain and use a variety of materials to design, build, and test your own innovations. This month, create your own flying things and test them in our wind tube or fly them around the room. Free with admission.
• Activities and demonstrations—Make a kite and see how it flies; 1:00–3:00 p.m. in the Forces that Shape the Bay. Learn how to build a paper airplane that will glide, do loop-the-loops, and soar; 11:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m. in the Idea Lab. Free with admission.
• Weekend workshops. Get the extra attention and insight you deserve with Ingenuity workshops. Reserve your space in advance.
Family Ingenuity Workshop: Twirl, Whirl, and FloatSunday November 15, 10:00-10:50 a.m. and 11:10 a.m.-12:00 noon
Toys for young and old. Can you make it move? Can you float it in the air or in the water? This workshop brings out the tinkerer in you as you try your hand at different toys to make and take home.
Parents and kids ages 3–8
$34 for first adult and child ($25 for members); $11 for each additional person
Sign Up Now
Kids Ingenuity Workshop: Design a Plane
Sunday November 1 and 15, 1:30-3:00 p.m.
We send people and packages in planes all the time, but who made the planes and how do they fly? Learn a bit about the basics of flight, then modify a plane and test and tweak your design to make your own flying machine. Put your problem-solving power to the test!
Ages 8–12
$18 each ($16 for members)
Sign Up Now
December is all about winter warmth and conservation!
All Sundays in December except December 6, and ALL WEEK from December 21 through December 30 (excluding December 24/25).
• Ingenuity Lab—Drop by the lab to engage your creative brain and use a variety of materials to design, build, and test your own innovations. This month, try your hand at designing clothes that keep your body comfortable in the cold and the heat! Free with admission.
• Activities and demonstrations—Get the math facts behind snowflakes. See some real ones and make your own; 11:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m. in the Idea Lab. Learn about Earth’s changing ice and snow cover, as captured by NASA spacecraft at Science On a Sphere®. Free with admission.
• Weekend workshops. Get the extra attention and insight you deserve with Ingenuity workshops. Reserve your space in advance.
Family Ingenuity Workshop: Winter AnimalsSunday December 13, 10:00-10:50 a.m. and 11:10 a.m.Ð12:00 noon
Find out the difference between warm-blooded and cold-blooded, and learn how several animals survive the winter. Can a snake live in the snow? How do bears make it through the winter? Come meet and pet some of the gentle animals from our Animal Discovery Room to learn more about the animal kingdom.
Parents and kids ages 3Ð8
$34 for first adult and child ($25 for members); $11 for each additional person
Sign Up Now
Kids Ingenuity Workshop: Design a House
Sunday December 20, 1:30Ð3:00 p.m.
Heating and cooling your home takes energy, though a good architectural design can take care of a lot of what your heater or air conditioner would otherwise doÉand be better for the environment, as well. Experiment with materials and structures, then design your own green model-house.
Ages 8Ð12
$18 each ($16 for members)
Sign Up Now
