Start small. Think big.

Ingenuity Lab – Sundays, 12:00 noon to 4:00 p.m. Free with admission.

The Ingenuity Lab at Lawrence Hall of Science offers you the science about how the world around us works. It shows you how engineers and scientists solve challenges and find new ways of doing things. Engage your creative brain and use a variety of materials to design, build, and test your own innovations.

Explore a new theme every month

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.

Passport to Innovation Official Contest Rules and Eligibility

January is your month to develop your own bridge design!

Ingenuity Lab – Free with admission.

Drop by the Ingenuity Lab this month to use a variety of materials to design, build, and test your own bridges. What does it take to span the gap? Experiment with bridge-building styles to see which one you like best.

Weekend workshops

Sign up for a workshop to get some extra attention and insight into the monthly theme. Details below. Reserve your space in advance.

Family Ingenuity Workshop: Blocks, Beams, and Bridges
Sunday, January 24, 10:00-10:50 a.m. or 11:10 a.m.–12:00 noon
Construct beam bridges over a “river” using wooden cubes, pattern blocks, and other building materials. Test a 4-foot-long model of the Golden Gate Bridge to discover how suspension cables work.
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 Bridge
Sunday, January 3 or 17, 1:30–3:00 p.m.
Design and build your own bridge. Test its ability to hold up weight and withstand an earthquake, then tweak, change, and perfect your design.
Kids ages 8–12
$18 each ($16 for members)
Sign Up Now

February is all about our amazing animal friends!

Ingenuity Lab – Free with admission.

How do rabbits jump? How do geckos climb walls? Come to the Ingenuity Lab this month to find out. Use a variety of materials to build models that will help you understand animal adaptations.

Weekend workshops

Sign up for a workshop to get some extra attention and insight into the monthly theme. Details below. Reserve your space in advance.

Family Ingenuity Workshop: Animal Adaptations
Sunday, February 21, 10:00-10:50 a.m. or 11:10 a.m.-12:00 noon
Watch how a snake can climb with no hands, a lizard can escape a predator, and a rabbit can make a fast getaway.
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: Animal Inspirations
Sunday, February 7 or 21, 1:30–3:00 p.m.
Get up close and personal with a few of our Animal Discovery Room critters and investigate how they move. Use this inspiration to design a mechanism for motion in your own robot.
Ages 8–12
$18 each ($16 for members)
Sign Up Now

This March turn trash into amazing mechanical machines!

Ingenuity Lab – Free with admission.

Drop by the Ingenuity Lab this month to use recycled materials for building and testing your own working machine. Machines can be attached to a variety of pens to create unique art and turn your trash into treasures!