Last updated 22-Aug-2021 (be sure to refresh your browser)
For many of our most devoted young fans Cool Science Carnival Day for Kids IS the festival! Carnival Day at UCCS (even though it wasn't called that yet) actually began in 2009, and was such a huge hit that it was a no-brainer when we decided to expand it the following year to create the multi-day celebration of all things STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art & Math) that we all enjoy now. Cool Science Carnival Day for Kids at UCCS is truly STEAM on steroids! We'll have exciting demonstration shows, talks, laboratory tours and demos, music, rockets, drones, animals, bugs, solar energy, telescopes & microscopes, rocks, fossils, robots, electronics, virtual reality computers, a fire engine, slime, an electric race car, liquid nitrogen ice cream & more. You can even build a real bridge and lots of other fun hands-on STEAM activities and exhibits for kids (primarily K-8th grades). All of this is presented by Cool Science and dozens of participating companies, schools, museums, clubs, nonprofits and other organizations from throughout eastern Colorado. It's all FREE (including parking) and fun for all ages! Check out some photos from previous Carnival Days. And if you can't wait for the excitement be sure to check out the videos from last year's virtual Carnival Day. Note: We will be following all UCCS campus COVID-19 guidelines during this event. Right now that means masks will be required (regardless of vaccination status) inside all buildings on campus. Everyone will also be required to pre-register and provide information necessary for any potential contact tracing. Check this page often for any updates to these policies. Don't forget that Carnival Day is just the first of dozens of great Colorado Springs Cool Science Festival events for all ages. Check out the full 9-day schedule for more information. We still need lots of help to pull this off. Ask about volunteer opportunities for groups and individuals. |
If You're Going
What: Cool Science Carnival Day for Kids When: Saturday, Oct. 9, 2021 10am-4pm Where: Univ of Colorado- Colo Spgs 1420 Austin Bluffs Pkwy., Colorado Springs (map) Who: Primarily for kids K-8th (fun for all!) Why: Because STEAM Rocks! How: With your help, please donate below ** Masks required inside all campus buildings **
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Planning Your Visit
- Pre-Registration: Carnival Day is FREE, but please register online (link coming soon) to help us to know how many people are coming, kid's ages and how you found our about the event. It only takes a couple minutes.
- Pre-Arrival: If you like to prepare for big events in advance, download a copy of our Carnival Day Map/Flyer (link coming soon) to plan your route through all the fun activities.
- Best Time to Come: In a "normal" year we expect nearly 6,000 people to attend throughout the day. Of course with COVID concerns this is not a normal year, but it's always best to arrive earlier.
- Parking: All campus parking lots are FREE on Carnival Day, but fill up quickly, so check the campus map for more information. [Insider parking tip- Lot 103 is a little used parking lot next to the UCCS Farmhouse at the extreme east end of campus; start with all the SWELL activities there (see below), then ride the shuttle to the central campus for the rest of the activities!]
- Arrival: Our activities will be spread across much of the UCCS central main campus, inside and outside the University Center (UCTR), Centennial Hall (CENT), Gallogly Events Center (GEC), Engineering & Applied Science (ENGR) and Osborne Center (OCSE) (see campus map). We will have Information Tables with maps and volunteers to assist you at the main entrances to each of these buildings, but a good place to start is the lower University Center plaza on the east side of the El Pomar Center (EPC on the campus map).
- Food: It's going to be a long day of fun and exciting activities, so you may need to energize yourself. We'll have more information soon about food services that may be available on campus.
- Weather: We'll go rain or shine. If it is raining, snowing or extremely cold we will move many of the outside activities indoors.
- Social Media: Help us spread the word. Please share this page with your friends (Facebook "Like" and "Share" buttons above) and share your comments and photos with us on our Carnival Day Facebook event page (and be sure to like us on our Facebook page too). You can also tweet to us @CScoolscience. Use the hashtag #CSCSF.
- T-Shirts: Remember this day all year with our official Cool Science Festival T-shirt (coming soon). Children's and adult's sizes will be available at all Information Tables for a $15 donation to Cool Science (cash only).
* Please help us keep this event admission FREE *
Suggested donation $2/child ($5/family)
Donate at Information Tables (cash only) or online through ColoradoGives
Suggested donation $2/child ($5/family)
Donate at Information Tables (cash only) or online through ColoradoGives
Demonstrations, Shows, Workshops and Lab Tours:
(more coming soon!)
(more coming soon!)
Cool Science: Chemistry Magic Show
Show Times: 10:00 am & 3:00 pm, (~50 minutes)
Always a fan favorite, experience the wonders of chemistry with Prof. Ron Furstenau in our signature magic show for all ages. "Potions" will change colors, explode and even freeze right before your eyes (all ages, Centennial 203).
Hands-on Activity Stations:
(more coming soon!)
(more coming soon!)
Cheyenne Mountain Zoo: [Note: 11 am to 3 pm only]
Interact with live animals and touchable biofacts from the ZOOMobile. You might meet snakes, hedgehogs, lizards, or who knows what else. Civil Air Patrol - Colorado Springs Cadet Squadron: Cut out your own paper rocket, add a nose cone and fins then use a compressed air launcher to blast off! Colorado Springs Astronomical Society: Safely observe the sun's surface and atmosphere- 93 million miles away- using our special filtered telescopes. It's more than just a yellow ball! Cool Science: Sound Exploration Lab: Learn about sound, waves and music as you play with some of our coolest stuff. Bean Boat Challenge: Design an aluminum foil boat and test how many beans it will hold without sinking. Liquid Nitrogen Ice Cream (with Royal Crest Dairy): we're making tasty ice cream in less than 2 minutes at -322°F. Dinosaur Resource Center: "Let's Talk About Dinosaurs!" with skulls, claws and all kinds of fun dinosaur stuff. Falcon School District 49: Step on board the IGNITE Expeditions Mobile Learning Lab, the first educational school bus in Colorado equipped with augmented and virtual reality stations. Girl Scouts of Colorado: TBD. Inventa Academy: TBD. |
National Space Science & Technology Institute:
Check out the Mobile Earth & Space Observatory (MESO), with telescopes and several more hands-on activities. Pikes Peak Library District (Children's Dept.): TBD. Pikes Peak Mycological Society: Explore the magical kingdom of fungi: how mushrooms grow, their role in the ecosystem, and new exciting science behind mycoremediation and human health. Pikes Peak Regional Science Fair: Middle and high school students will present their science fair projects and explain the difference between a science demonstration and an experiment. Planet Walk Colorado Springs: Walk a scale model of the inner planets of our solar system and learn about the Sun and planets along the way. Royal Crest Dairy and Cool Science: Learn about dairy products while making tasty ice cream in less than 2 minutes using liquid nitrogen at -322°F. St. Mary's High School: TBD. UCCS AIAA Student Club: Rockets for all ages: three different rocket building activities depending on how experienced a rocket scientist you are. UCCS Cognitive Development Lab: TBD. UCCS HyperFalcos Hyperloop Team: Watch our little "puppy pods" race around a mini hyperloop hi-tech transportation track and learn about our design for the 2020 Hyperloop Pod competition. UCCS Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering: TBD. UCCS Physics and Energy Science: Learn what the large Foucalt pendulum in the Osborne lobby shows and how it works. UCCS Simulation Center: Meet a robotic child manikin named Charlotte from UCCS's Helen and Arthur E. Johnson Beth-El College of Nursing and Health Sciences Simulation Learning Center and help keep her from going into shock. You can also "drive" a telepresence robot located across campus. Western Museum of Mining and Industry: TBD. |
Thanks to all of our Cool Science volunteers and the participating organizations that make Carnival Day possible!
Disclaimer: Please be aware that by attending this event, you consent to your likeness being used, without compensation, in photography for use in any and all media, whether known or subsequent. You release Cool Science, its successors, assigns and licensees from any liability whatsoever of any nature.
Disclaimer: Please be aware that by attending this event, you consent to your likeness being used, without compensation, in photography for use in any and all media, whether known or subsequent. You release Cool Science, its successors, assigns and licensees from any liability whatsoever of any nature.