Explore, Play, Discover: Websites, Activities, and More

Get outside and explore geometry (and other math) all around you.

Kid-friendly explorations and experiments for curious minds.

By looking at satellite and climate data that's available on the Web, surfers can follow storms into shore and be there in time to catch the biggest waves.

An ordinary metal spoon can make some astounding sounds!

Our reactions may be trained, but the devices that make music sound "sad" are real enough.

Touch supercooled water drops with an ice crystal and trigger them to freeze instantly.

To understand how skaters turn in midair, try this little experiment.

Experiment with water, temperature, and light to see what makes a seed come out of its shell.

Explore the surprising side of color.

Everything you ever wanted to know about bubbles, but were afraid to ask.

In February 2009, the Exploratorium hosted Darwin Days, a series of presentations, debates, and discussions exploring the ways scientists continue to learn from and apply their knowledge of evolutionary biology to a broad range of pursuits.

Activities and History

Learn about the body's vital defense force.

A collection of auditory illusions found in indigenous folk practices, popular music, and scientific research.

Listen to internationally recognized authorities on human thought and behavior, including Temple Grandin and Paul Ekman.

Our reactions may be trained, but the devices that make music sound "sad" are real enough.

A model for heart development

Make a scale model of the Solar System and learn the REAL definition of "space."

The lure of Terra Australis Incognita begins with the Ancient Greeks and ends with modern cruise ships.

Meet Bart Hopkin, who listens closely to the subtle sonic qualities of wood, water, and pipes as he creates new instruments.

Pickling is the art of manipulating the microbial garden in foods.

Make your own refracting telescope from a pair of reading glasses.

What is a gear ratio? And how do gears help make the bicycle so efficient?

Find the answers to common Sport! Science questions.

Put on a mask and see how we communicate with our bodies as well as with our faces and words.

Search a geological map of Ethiopia for fossils.

If you want to dig a ditch in the Arctic, you'd better bring more than a shovel.

What happens to sandy or fine-grained soils when an earthquake shakes them up? Try this simple activity to find out.

Sometimes we can learn about outer space when space objects come to us.

Learn about common techniques for peering inside the body in order to diagnose disease and injury.

In September 2004, the Exploratorium covered a conference in the Galapagos Islands, organized by the National Center for Atmospheric Research, that considered the implications of El Niño forecasting.

What do you really know about what you see?

What makes Antarctica inhospitable to life also makes it ideal for astronomy.

Find out why people who love birthday parties should move to Mercury.

Turn your phone into a pocket science laboratory with tools to measure light, motion, sound, and more.

Stories about science, art, and human perception—from 1998. 

Explore the scientific, historical, and cultural context behind a new opera about the first atomic bomb test.

Rube Goldberg-inspired cause and effect contraptions using everyday materials and found objects.

Search a geological map of Ethiopia for fossils.

The more astronomy changes, the more it stays the same. This series of images juxtaposes ancient and modern study of the celestial bodies.

For most of us, science arrives in our lives packaged neatly as fact. But how did it get that way?

How do different sounds combine to make the unique audio environments of specific places? Build the soundscapes of a beach and a train station.

Show yourself how a pinch of salt can take the bitter taste away.