Workshops & Special Events happening this season!
October
CLOSED on Mondays
Tuesdays through Thursdays in October-Discovery Cart Activities
Stop by our Discovery Cart to explore something new each week. All activities are self-guided. All cart program components and materials must remain on site unless otherwise noted. Each cart activity may contain small parts not suitable for children 3 and under. FREE with general paid admission.
• 15th-17th: Legos
• 22nd-24th: K’nex
• 29th-31st: Cubelets
Tuesday, October 1st-Sunday, November 3rd-Art Studio Programs
Join us for Pablo Picasso inspired cubism drawings, Frida Kahlo inspired Day of the Dead collages, bug and insect plate rubbings, and crayon resist watercolor eerie mansions. All activities are self-guided with instructions provided. Facilitated programs announced periodically throughout each day. FREE with general paid admission.
Tuesday, October 8th-Sunday, November 3rd-Atomic Glow Putty Discovery Lab Program
We are stirring up something gloppy, goopy, and spooky in the lab for National Chemistry Week and Halloween. Learn about the perplexing properties of polymers and make your own atomic glowing silly putty to take home. Discovery Lab programs announced periodically throughout each day. FREE with general paid admission.
Wednesday, October 16th-National Fossil Family Pop-in Workshop, 1pm-5pm
Stop by anytime between 1pm-5pm to examine real fossils on National Fossil Day with a “picking” activity featuring fossil-rich sediment from Aurora, NC*. Play our Fossil or Fake game and use plaster to create your own fossil cast replica to take home. Children must be supervised at all times. Materials fee of $5 per person for Hands On! Discovery Center members, $7 per person for non-members, while supplies last. (*All fossils and sediment must remain on site for scientific research purposes.)
Thursday, October 24th-BOO!SEUM, 4:30-7:30pm
Join us for our spook-tacular, but not too scary, evening of fun and science! Hands On! is hosting its annual Halloween event, BOO!SEUM which will include experiments, candy, arts and crafts, games, and exploration time in the museum! Stop by anytime between 4:30 and 7:30, however the event ends promptly at 7:30pm. Be sure to wear your most festive costume and bring your own trick-or-treat bag! Stay tuned to our website and social media for more details.
(***Contains small parts and food allergens. While supplies last.) Be sure to check out our Facebook event and website for updates and reminders!
Pricing
• FREE for ages 0-3
• $5 for members ages 4+ (must have current membership card/membership app and photo ID) (includes event and exhibit play)
• $11 per person for non-members ages 4+ (includes event and exhibit play)
• $2 Tesla Experience tickets for members and non-members
Tuesday, October 29th-Fossil and Artifact I.D. Night, 4-6pm
You don’t have to be a paleontologist to find fossils, but identifying them is a whole different story! During Fossil and Artifact I.D. Night, you can bring in any type of fossil, artifact, rock, or mineral and scientists at the museum will provide space for the study of these finds. This event is free and open to the public, but does not include admission to exhibits.
November
CLOSED on Mondays
Tuesday, October 8th-Sunday, November 3rd-Atomic Glow Putty Discovery Lab Program
We are stirring up something gloppy, goopy, and spooky in the lab for Halloween. Learn about the perplexing properties of polymers and make your own atomic glowing silly putty to take home. Discovery Lab programs announced periodically throughout each day. FREE with general paid admission.
Tuesdays through Thursdays in November-Discovery Cart Activities
Stop by our Discovery Cart to explore something new each week. All activities are self-guided. All cart program components and materials must remain on site. Each cart activity may contain small parts not suitable for children 3 and under. FREE with general paid admission.
• 5th-7th: Legos
• 12th-14th: Snap Circuits
• 19th-21st: K’nex
• 26th-28th: Cubelets
Monday, November 4th-Sensory Night, 4-6pm
This event is designed for children with sensory integration needs. Lighting and sound are adjusted as well as many other environmental elements. Hands On! will be closed to the public during this event. Sensory Nights are free, and space is very limited to ensure a consistent experience. Pre-registration is required by Thursday, October 31st and includes immediate family only. Register on our website at visithandson.org.
Tuesday, November 5th-Sunday, December 1st –Awesome Aviation Discovery Lab
Join us while we explore the science of aviation and air pressure for National Aviation month. Try out floating ping pong balls, make a flying paper airplane, and learn about Bernoulli’s principle while watching in amazement as we blow up a 6 foot long bag with air in one breath. FREE with general paid admission.
Tuesday, November 5h-Sunday, December 1st-Art Studio Programs
Join us for a René Magritte inspired surrealist collage, Sonia Delaunay inspired circle drawings, crayon resist watercolor fall leaf paintings, and leaf plate rubbings. All activities are self-guided with instructions provided. Facilitated programs announced periodically throughout each day. FREE with general paid admission.
Saturday, November 16th-Guinness World Record Day
Did you know that Hands On! Discovery Center has a Guinness record holding Tesla Coil?!?! The world’s most powerful, musical bi-polar Tesla coil can be seen today only for discounted rate of $1 per person (in conjunction with paid general admission) in honor of Guinness World Record Day. Children under 4 are free however they must share a seat with an adult.
In addition, try out some fun and silly record setting challenges to see how you compare to the record setters. Record setting challenges are FREE with general paid admission.
Thursday, November 28th-CLOSED for Thanksgiving
December
CLOSED on Mondays
Tuesdays through Thursdays in December-Discovery Cart Activities
Stop by our Discovery Cart to explore something new each week. All activities are self-guided. All cart program components and materials must remain on site unless otherwise noted. Each cart activity may contain small parts not suitable for children 3 and under. FREE with general paid admission.
• 3rd-5th: Legos
• 10th-12th: Snap Circuits
• 17th-19th and 26th: K’nex
• 31st-January 2nd: Cubelets
Tuesday, December 3rd-Sunday, January 5th-Art Studio Programs
Join us for snow-scape collages, Georges-Pierre Seurat inspired pointillism drawings, crayon resist watercolor snowflake paintings, and snowflake plate rubbings. All activities are self-guided with instructions provided. Facilitated programs announced periodically throughout each day. FREE with general paid admission.
Tuesday, December 3rd-Sunday, January 5th- Nano Science Discovery Lab
Join us for science on a super small scale! At the nanoscale, the scale of atoms and molecules, many common materials exhibit unusual properties. Come explore the world of nanotechnology with experiments that interchange each program including reflective thin films, invisibility, and more! The Discovery Lab will be open by announcement periodically throughout each day. FREE with general paid admission.
Tuesday, December 10th-Home School Day, all day (with exception of workshop)
Join us for this special discount day especially for our loyal home school visitors. Come together to network, explore, play, and learn about upcoming home school workshops! To receive the discounted Home School Day rate of $8 per person for general admission, please bring your photo ID and one of the accepted forms of home school identification listed on the Visit page of our website.
Additional activities for Home School Day include:
• VEX Coding and Robotics Workshop for Computer Science Education Week and Hour of Code
-3rd-8th grade (ages 8-13) workshop from 11am-12:30pm
-Kindergarten-2nd grade (ages 5-7) workshop from 3pm-4pm
-Space is limited to first 20 registrants per workshop and pre-registration is required by Tuesday, December 3rd.
-$10 per participant.
-For more details regarding workshops, participant guidelines, and registration information, visit our website: visithandson.org/workshops/.
-Hands On! reserves the right to cancel or postpone the workshop. In the event of a cancellation, registered participants will be immediately notified and granted a full refund.
• Tesla Experience Show
-Additional $2 per person ages 4+. Tickets available at the front desk.
• Paleo Tour
-Additional $2 per person ages 4+. Tickets available at the front desk.
Saturday, December 14th-Trade Up! Elf Workshop, 10am-1pm
Children ages 9 to 14 can explore the tools and sciences of skilled trade career sectors in this hands-on workshop based off of our weeklong Trade Up! summer camp program. Find the right tool for every job with our hand tool and power tool relay. Get crafty with a wood block string art project. Let your ingenuity flow as you plumb an actual utility sink, then shed some light on the situation by creating a custom electronic LED gadget to take home with you! This is a drop-off workshop for the child registered only, parents/guardians/siblings are not permitted in the workshop. A completed Release and Liability Waiver Form is required for each participant.
Space is limited to first 20 registrants and pre-registration is required by Thursday, December 12th. Cost is $40 for HODC members, $45 for home school students and ASTC members, $50 for non-members. *These reduced costs are made possible by the generous support of BrightRidge Broadband. For more details regarding workshops and participant guidelines, visit our website: visithandson.org/workshops/.
Hands On! reserves the right to cancel or postpone the workshop. In the event of a cancellation, registered participants will be immediately notified and granted a full refund.
Saturday, December 21st-“Gingerbread” Houses, Polymer Snow, and Snow Dough Family Pop-in Workshop: 11am-3:30pm
Stop in anytime between 11am and 3:30pm to test your engineering skills by building your own graham cracker and candy “gingerbread” house. Then, make your own polymer snow and peppermint scented snow dough to take home. Children must be supervised at all times. (Contains food allergens and small parts not suitable for children under age 3.) Materials fee of $5 per person, while supplies last.
Monday, December 23rd-Wednesday, December 25th-CLOSED for holiday
Wednesday, January 1st-CLOSED for holiday
For more information about a specific workshop or program please contact: reservations@visithandson.org.
Workshop Guidelines – Please read carefully:
- Space is limited and varies based on the workshop.
- Payment in full and a completed registration form is required to secure place in workshop.
- A full refund will be provided if you cancel a minimum of two weeks in advance. If a cancellation is made less than two weeks in advance, any payments will not be refunded or transferred.
- Museum admission is an additional cost and is not included in any workshop fees.
- All attendees must be within the age ranges specified for each workshop. Proof of age may be requested. If staff has been misinformed of a child’s age, all fees paid will be forfeited and the attendee will be dismissed.
- All attendees must be fully toilet trained. Attendees not fully toilet trained will be dismissed.
- Hands On! reserves the right to cancel any workshop and fully refund payments in the event a workshop is cancelled based on low attendance/registration or unforeseen circumstances.
- Parents/guardians must sign each attendee in and out of the workshop.
- We are unable to accommodate early arrivals, or late pickups. Failure to comply with pick-up times may result in your attendee being unable to register for future workshops.
- Keep toys, books, and all other personal belongings at home. Hands On! is not responsible for lost/ stolen/ damaged items.
- To ensure a fun, effective, consistent, and safe experience, parents/guardians/siblings may not be present in the workshop, however, they are welcome to visit HODC during the duration of the workshop (General admission costs apply).
- We reserve the right to dismiss an attendee based on behavior issues, aggression, foul language, or failure to follow rules.
- All fees paid will be forfeited in the event of dismissal for any reason.
- Coupons and special offers are not applicable with any workshop fees.
