Family-friendly Discovery Days explore themed natural history topics through hands-on activities, engaging community partners, exhibit exploration, and more – all included with your general admission!

Discovery Days: Women & Girls in Science Event
February 7, 2026
11:00am – 3:00pm

Who runs the world? Girls and women in science! From the mother of radiation, Marie Curie, to making their marks in space like Mae Jemison, women have been catalyzing scientific research into the new age for decades! Join us for a day of experiencing these incredible minds and contributions!

Join in the celebration of women and girls in science with activities including:

  • Space Shuttle Project, inspired by Mae Jemison: Explore engineering concepts as you design your own space shuttle.
  • Handprint X-Ray, inspired by Marie Curie: Make a translucent handprint with an X-ray effect.  
  • Ready? Launch!, inspired by Amelia Earheart: Why – and how -- does a launcher give your paper airplane extra speed?    
  • Binary You, inspired by Margaret Hamilton: Code your name using simple computer coding.
  • Swirling Vortex, inspired by Mary Jackson: Navigate the wind tunnel – will your cargo survive? 
  • Strawberry DNA, inspired by Rosalind Franklin: Discover the double helix and extract DNA.  
  • Lunar Lander, inspired by Katherine Johnson: How would you design a lander to land safely on the Moon?  
  • And more!

Also, view the Institute’s rare first edition of On the Origin of Species, Charles Darwin’s landmark 1859 publication that introduced the theory of evolution by natural selection and forever transformed our understanding of the natural world. This exceptional volume will be on public display from February 7–15, 2026.

Discovery Days: Science Behind the Game Minecraft
March 21, 2026
11:00am – 3:00pm

Experience the real-life science that you encounter in your virtual worlds! While at this Discovery Day of gaming, watch exciting science demonstrations and participate in hands-on craftshops of science all themed to your favorite video game!

Have fun joining the discovery of the science behind the game with activities like:

  • Flint & Steel: Ignite your spark the way Jack Black does!
  • Creepy Explosion: Be sure to catch one of the booming liquid nitrogen demonstrations.
  • Craft tables: Make your own tools or items.
  • Building Challenge: Construct various structures to withstand the elements.
  • Crismon Circuity: Build circuits that can power a light, motor, buzzer, or more.
  • Sword Fighting: Learn how to hold and use a blocky sword.
  • Tool Demonstrations: You’ve used them in the game, now learn how to use them in real life.
  • Cave Art: Enter our cave and interact with cave drawings.
  • Biomes and Mobs: Meet creatures and identify their habitats.
  • Rock, Block, Stock: If you’ve ever yearned for the mines, search for the real minerals that you have been mining for years.
  • And more!

Discovery Days: Birds of Prey
April 11, 2026
11:00am – 3:00pm

Step into the wild and wonderful world of raptors! Get up close to live raptors, chat with their handlers, and dive into hands-on activities about flight, feathers, adaptations and more.

Activities will include:

  • Beak Secrets: Discover the purpose of beak design as you race against time.
  • Lunchtime Leftovers: Dig in to find out what YOUR owl was eating!
  • Eyes to the Skies: Scan for birds on the Cranbrook grounds.
  • Bird Boogie: Can you dance like a bird?
  • Dino to Now: Explore the journey from dinos to modern raptors.
  • Name that Bird: Play a game to identify common metro-area raptors.
  • Who’s Your Mamma?: Can you match the baby raptor to its parents?
  • Soaring Eagles: Make a paper glider to explore how raptors soar on the wind.
  • Masking Up: Make Your Own Great Horned Owl Mask.
  • And more!

Discovery Days: Community Science
May 2, 2026
11:00am – 3:00pm

Curious about community science but unsure how to jump in? Spend the day exploring hands-on ways to contribute to real research happening right in your neighborhood. Chat with CIS staff and local partners, try out easy tools, and discover projects you can join from home.

Possible activities and topics may include:

  • Tools of the Trade: Get comfortable with popular community science apps and simple field methods.
  • Biodiversity Boost: Practice identifying birds, insects, plants, and other living things.
  • Night Sky Wonders: Explore projects that focus on stars, darkness, and the nighttime environment.
  • Water Watchers: Learn how everyday observations can support water quality studies.
  • Species on the Move: Find out how to spot and report invasive species.
  • …and plenty more!

Discovery Days: Rock On!
June 13, 2026
11:00am – 3:00pm

Rocks are wonderful! Whether you are interested in minerals, fossils, space rocks or Earth processes, there is a hands-on activity here for you.

Activities to include:

  • Mineral Gallery Scavenger Hunt: Find them all and win a prize!
  • Breaking Up: Investigate geodes with our geologist and then crack open your own (geode purchase required).
  • Walking Tour: Take a guided tour of the CIS Boulder Trail.
  • Earth on the Move: Join an auditorium program about volcanoes and earthquakes.
  • Earthquake Proof: Build a home that can withstand an earthquake.
  • Identification Station: Test the tools geologists use for mineral identification.
  • Space Rock Challenge: Can you separate the meteorites from the imposters?
  • Minerals in our Homes: Match the unexpected ways that minerals are used in housing construction.
  • Fossil Process: Explore how fossils are made with a hands-on activity.