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Kids + Families Activities + Programs

Experience new ways to discover the world with your family. Check out our unique events and programs for visitors of all ages and explore the intersection between learning and fun. 

Upcoming Events

A holographic ball of light appears, unexpectedly exploding and dissolving as you walk into it. 
Aperture Lucida

Thursday, July 1, 2021–Sunday, October 10, 2021

Experience the delight of illusion in this new work by artist and inventor Tristan Duke. Upon first encounter, Aperture Lucida presents as a blank, monolithic cube centered in a large white space. As you approach, a holographic ball of light appears, unexpectedly exploding and dissolving as you walk into it. 

Stories of Change

Thursday, July 1—Sunday, November 28, 2021

Humans have an amazing capacity to cope with and adapt to change. And some changes bring opportunity. Humans also can be the agents of change—we can reimagine our futures, or work to create a more supportive, just, and sustainable society. Share your stories of change.

visitors interacting with Sensor Fusion exhibit
Sensor Fusion

Thursday, July 1—Sunday, November 21, 2021

How can an autonomously driven car see what’s around it? Sensor Fusion is an immersive digital experience that illustrates how a computer combines data from many sensors to create a real-time view of the world.

Colorful soap film
Something Wonderful . . .

Thursday, July 1–Thursday, September 30, 2021

Visual delights, ingenious craft, and luminous phenomena. Something wonderful awaits you in this collection of artist-made films.

Oct
10
OUT OF SIGHT

Sunday, October 10, 2021–Sunday, January 9, 2022

Discover celebrated artist Lawrence Weiner’s playful ground-based mural on the Exploratorium’s Plaza. Open-ended text arranged in a hopscotch pattern invites viewers to navigate the work by their own impulse, interpreting it and interacting with it along the way.

Oct
10
ODC Dance Jam performers jump off a dune at Ocean Beach.
RECESS: Dance Activation of OUT OF SIGHT

Sunday, October 10, 2021 • 1:00–4:15 p.m. PT
7 minute performances on the hour starting at 1:00 p.m.

In collaboration with the Exploratorium, Fort Mason Center for Arts and Culture, and ODC Dance Jam, New York–based choreographer Catherine Galasso creates RECESS, a performance intervention in response to Lawrence Weiner’s installation OUT OF SIGHT.