Spectacularly Fun Family Time
All events included with admission to Discovery Center unless otherwise noted. General admission: $6 adults; $5 children ages 2-17; free to Members and children under 2.
Star Spangled Weekend / Kaboom! Family Friday
July 3, 4, and 5; 12:00 pm - 4:30 pm
Spud guns, rockets, sparkles and flags! Science and art join hands for this weekend celebration of all things patriotic. Add to the incendiary excitement with your own light and sound creations. We’ll experiment with explosions, launch mini rockets and more! On July 4, leave your car parked here and take the short walk downtown to the parade and fireworks. Family Fridays are sponsored in part by Target and the Illinois Arts Council. Messy Monday with Kim Zierke - Oaxacan Animal Sculpture
Monday, July 6; 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Join us for messy fun in our Art Studio. Kim Zierke will lead activities from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. (on an on-going basis). Messy Mondays are sponsored by the Rockford Area Arts Council and are included with Museum admission. Crime Lab Detective Family Friday
July 10; 11:00 am - 3:30 pm
Extract DNA, examine fingerprints, and crack a secret code as you hone observation skills and pursue clues. Explore Discovery Center’s newest exhibit and use the lab skills of a forensic scientist to separate chemicals and solve the mystery. Missing this event would be a crime. Family Fridays are sponsored in part by Target and the Illinois Arts Council. Messy Monday with Robyn Bernd - Amazing Shrinking Art
Monday, July 13; 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Join us for messy fun in our Art Studio. Robyn Bernd will lead activities from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. (on an on-going basis). Messy Mondays are sponsored by the Rockford Area Arts Council and are included with Museum admission. Creepy Crawlie Critters Family Friday
July 17; 11:00 am - 3:30 pm
Make friends with live critters you would normally avoid! Cuddle up with a cockroach, wiggle like a worm, shake hands with a snake, and try your skills at arthropod art. Assemble an insect, copy some camouflage, or become a game show contestant and find out how bugs taste! The wonder of these incredible creatures will encourage the most timid toucher. Family Fridays are sponsored in part by Target and the Illinois Arts Council. Messy Monday with Rebecca Christiansen - Cup Weaving
Monday, July 20; 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Join us for messy fun in our Art Studio. Rebecca Christiansen will lead activities from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. (on an on-going basis). Messy Mondays are sponsored by the Rockford Area Arts Council and are included with Museum admission. Get in the Game Family Friday
July 24; 11:00 am - 3:30 pm
What would happen if you used a tennis racquet for ping pong? Play with forces and friction, levers and balls as we delve into the science of sports. Meet Rockford Riverhawks professional ball players or get the latest tips from Iron Lion Disc Golf Supply. Test your reflexes, perfect your swing practice your putt, and show off your soccer skills. Come dressed in your favorite sports attire! Family Fridays are sponsored in part by Target and the Illinois Arts Council. Messy Monday with Rae Carbaugh - Texture finger painting
Monday, July 27; 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Join us for messy fun in our Art Studio. Rae Carbaugh will lead activities from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. (on an on-going basis). Messy Mondays are sponsored by the Rockford Area Arts Council and are included with Museum admission. Fairy Tale Friday Family Friday
July 31; 11:00 am - 3:30 pm
Grab your tiara, polish your shield, and rev up your imagination. Come in costume as your favorite princess, knight, or mythical creature. Design a castle, invent ogre ears, and construct a royal crest. Build a house for the three little pigs, climb the beanstalk, attend a tea party, kiss a frog, and try to put Humpty together again. We’ll also check out some fairy tales found in the night sky. Grownups can play, too. Family Fridays are sponsored in part by Target and the Illinois Arts Council. Messy Monday with Alison Agustsson - Glittery Butterflies
Monday, August 3; 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Join us for messy fun in our Art Studio. Alison Agustsson will lead activities from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. (on an on-going basis). Messy Mondays are sponsored by the Rockford Area Arts Council and are included with Museum admission.Construction Zone Family Friday
August 7; 11:00 am - 3:30 pm
Towers and bridges are just the beginning of our building adventures. Using Überstix, LEGOs, or rolled paper dowels, challenge yourself to design unusual edifices, study the strength of shapes, or construct a building that can stand up to an earthquake! Dip into dimensions of demolition, from wrecking balls to Godzilla. Check out green technology, and get a sneak peak at Discovery Center expansion plans! Family Fridays are sponsored in part by Target and the Illinois Arts Council. Messy Monday with Bruce Quast - Cartoon Capers
Monday, August 10; 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Join us for messy fun in our Art Studio. Bruce Quast will lead activities from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. (on an on-going basis). Messy Mondays are sponsored by the Rockford Area Arts Council and are included with Museum admission. The Best of the Best Family Friday
August 14; 11:00 am - 3:30 pm
With explosions and zaps, from stars to storms, Discovery Center education staff members have picked their favorite topics for you to explore. Come test the limits of liquid nitrogen, capture a tornado, wander through the night sky, dabble in chemistry, or catapult your favorite fruit. This Family Friday features all the best of what Discovery Center has to offer! Family Fridays are sponsored in part by Target and the Illinois Arts Council. 
For Email Marketing you can trust
Mythbusters Grant and Kari Coming to Rockford
Behind the Myths
Featuring Grant Imahara and Kari Byron
If you’re a fan of the Discovery Channel hit show MythBusters, then you’re in for a treat this October! Mark your calendars and save the date, October 3, 2009, to see Grant Imahara and Kari Byron from the show MythBusters. The Discovery Center Auxiliary is bringing Imahara and Byron to Rockford for a fundraising event to benefit Discovery Center Museum.
It's a tough job separating truth from urban legend, but the MythBusters do just that. Each week the Mythbusters team take on several myths and use modern-day science to show you what's real and what's fiction. Just like the great educators at Discovery Center, they do more than explain how something may or may not be scientifically possible. Through trial and error they actually demonstrate it!
Behind the Myths will be held at the Coronado Performing Arts Center Saturday, October 3 at 3:00 p.m. The dynamic duo will spend 90 minutes talking about their exploits on the show. Audience members will have the opportunity to ask questions. And laughs will abound as audience members enjoy never-seen outtakes from the hilarious team of myth-busting superheroes. Prior to the event, there will be a 2:00 p.m. VIP reception. Reserved seats go on sale Friday, May 22 and can be purchased online at www.coronadopac.org or through the Coronado Box Office at 815.968.0595. The Coronado Box Office is open Monday – Friday from Noon to 4:00 p.m. during the summer. Reserved seat prices are $100 (includes VIP seating and reception), $55, $40 and $20. Check Discovery Center’s website as additional details become available at discoverycentermuseum.org
To learn more about MythBusters, visit their website at http://dsc.discovery.com/fansites/mythbusters/mythbusters.html
Sponsored to date by Diane Meltmar/Gambino Realtors, Comet Fabricating and Welding, Rockford Bank and Trust, TAC Rockford and media sponsors WIFR and the Rockford Register Star
GRANT IMAHARA
Before becoming a Mythbuster, Grant Imahara was an animatronics engineer and model-maker for George Lucas' Industrial Light & Magic in Marin County, California. Specializing in electronics and radio control Grant has worked with numeous films including Jurassic Park: The Lost World, Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, Galaxy Quest, AI: Artificial Intelligence, Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones, Terminator 3 and Star Wars: Episode III.
Grant’s skill set includes electronics design and fabrication, machining, welding, woodworking, CAD layout, pneumatics, CNC programming, and laser cutting, as well as some mold-making and paint.
KARI BYRON
Without knowing, Kari Byron had been training her whole life to be a Mythbuster. By the age of 5 she was setting up experiments to test on her sister using dolls as crash test dummies. Luckily for her parents, they always caught her right before little sister took a ride down a laundry shoot or was the subject of 360 on a swing set attempt.
After graduating from San Francisco State and traveling the world, Kari began her career as an artist, working in sculpture and painting and holding successful exhibitions at some of San Francisco's leading galleries. Her sculpting skills and love for odd jobs soon led her into the world of model-making and toy-prototyping and a job with Jamie Hyneman at M5 Industries. It was here that Kari got her first big break with the Mythbusters team.