Last updated 27-Aug-2023 (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! As always there will be several exciting demonstration shows, including our own USAFA Professor Emeritus and Cool Science co-founder Dr. Ron Furstenau present his popular Chemistry Magic show with lots of color changing "potions" and explosions! |
If You're Going
What: Cool Science Carnival Day for Kids When: Saturday, Sep. 30, 2023 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 |
But there's a lot more than just shows on Carnival Day! We'll have dozens of hands-on STEAM activity stations featuring rockets, robots, race cars and electric vehicles, telescopes, live animals, and much, much more. We'll have the schedule up by mid-September, but for now you can check out last year's Carnival Day for an idea of what to expect.
All of this is presented by Cool Science and dozens of participating companies, schools, museums, clubs, nonprofits and other organizations from throughout eastern Colorado. Best of all, it's FREE (including parking) and fun for all ages!
Don't forget that Carnival Day is just one of dozens of great Colorado Springs Cool Science Festival events for all ages. Check out the full 16+ day schedule for more information.
You can also join our mailing list to keep updated on the festival and Carnival Day.
We still need lots of help to pull this off. Ask about volunteer opportunities for groups and individuals.
All of this is presented by Cool Science and dozens of participating companies, schools, museums, clubs, nonprofits and other organizations from throughout eastern Colorado. Best of all, it's FREE (including parking) and fun for all ages!
Don't forget that Carnival Day is just one of dozens of great Colorado Springs Cool Science Festival events for all ages. Check out the full 16+ day schedule for more information.
You can also join our mailing list to keep updated on the festival and Carnival Day.
We still need lots of help to pull this off. Ask about volunteer opportunities for groups and individuals.
Help us promote Carnival Day
Carnival Day Poster/Flyer (265KB PDF)
Carnival Day Poster/Flyer (4 per page for handouts, 306KB PDF)
Carnival Day Poster/Flyer (4 per page for handouts, 306KB PDF)
Planning Your Visit
- Pre-Registration: Carnival Day is FREE, but please pre-register online 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, you can download a copy of our Carnival Day Map/Flyer (available by late September) to plan your route through all the fun activities.
- Best Time to Come: We expect about 6,000 people to attend throughout the day, so 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 parking map for more information.
- Arrival: Our activities will be spread across much of the UCCS central main campus, inside and outside the University Center (UCTR), Centennial Hall (CENT), and Osborne Center (OCSE) (see campus map). We will have 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 just to the right of "KFL" on this campus map).
- Food: We expect the University Center food court, Cafe 65, will be open until 2pm as well as the coffee shop, also in the University Center. The variety and quantity of food available may be limited, however, so you may want to bring your own snacks.
- Weather: We'll go rain or shine. If it is raining, snowing or extremely cold we will move most of the outside activities indoors, and of course the majority of our activity stations are already 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, and we're on Instagram and TikTok. Use the hashtag #CSCSF.
- T-Shirts: Remember this day all year with our official Cool Science Festival T-shirt (design coming soon). Children's and adult's sizes will be available at the lower University Center (UCTR) Information Table for a $20 donation to Cool Science (cash only). A limited number of left-over T-shirts from previous years may be available for a reduced donation.
* 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
Demonstration Shows, Tours and Performances:
Full schedule will be available in late September
Cool Science and the U.S. Air Force Academy: Chemistry Magic Show
Show Times: Coming soon (~50 minutes)
Always a fan favorite, experience the wonders of chemistry with our own Dr. Ron Furstenau performing his signature magic show for all ages. "Potions" will change colors, explode and even freeze right before your eyes (all ages, Centennial 203).
Theater Across Borders: Project 206: A Great Bones Adventure!
Show Times: Coming soon (~20 minutes)
There are 206 bones in the human body, and Gavin the Explorer will need every last one to complete a daring rescue mission. Can he outwit the shadowy agent who wants to steal the lab’s secrets for herself? Watch out for spies, giant X-rays, prosthetics and chases in low gravity (all ages, location TBD).
UCCS Computer Science Bioinformatics Lab: When Artificial Intelligence Meets Biology
Presentation Times: 11:00 am; 12:00 and 1:00 pm (~40 minutes)
This enlightening presentation will delve into the dynamic fusion of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and computational biology techniques. Learn how scientists harness the power of AI algorithms and leverage genomic data to address pertinent biological problems (teens and adults, Osborne (OCSE) - A210).
U.S. Air Force Academy: Pop-up Planetarium
Show Times: coming soon (~20 minutes)
Pop into our inflatable planetarium to watch "The Sun, Our Nearest Star." (all ages, location TBD).
U.S. Air Force Academy Physics: Physics is Phun!
Show Times: coming soon
Watch- and experience- the amazing power of physics with a variety of angular momentum and magnetic forces demonstrations (all ages, location TBD).
Show Times: Coming soon (~50 minutes)
Always a fan favorite, experience the wonders of chemistry with our own Dr. Ron Furstenau performing his signature magic show for all ages. "Potions" will change colors, explode and even freeze right before your eyes (all ages, Centennial 203).
Theater Across Borders: Project 206: A Great Bones Adventure!
Show Times: Coming soon (~20 minutes)
There are 206 bones in the human body, and Gavin the Explorer will need every last one to complete a daring rescue mission. Can he outwit the shadowy agent who wants to steal the lab’s secrets for herself? Watch out for spies, giant X-rays, prosthetics and chases in low gravity (all ages, location TBD).
UCCS Computer Science Bioinformatics Lab: When Artificial Intelligence Meets Biology
Presentation Times: 11:00 am; 12:00 and 1:00 pm (~40 minutes)
This enlightening presentation will delve into the dynamic fusion of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and computational biology techniques. Learn how scientists harness the power of AI algorithms and leverage genomic data to address pertinent biological problems (teens and adults, Osborne (OCSE) - A210).
U.S. Air Force Academy: Pop-up Planetarium
Show Times: coming soon (~20 minutes)
Pop into our inflatable planetarium to watch "The Sun, Our Nearest Star." (all ages, location TBD).
U.S. Air Force Academy Physics: Physics is Phun!
Show Times: coming soon
Watch- and experience- the amazing power of physics with a variety of angular momentum and magnetic forces demonstrations (all ages, location TBD).
Hands-on Activity Stations:
More coming, keep checking this page for updates
Aerospace Radio Club Colorado Springs:
Check out the club's emergency communications trailer and use the club's radios to talk to other 'hams' on several amateur radio bands. ARKA Group: Satellite Sleuths: Adventures in Space Communications. Learn how satellites send important information across space to people on the ground. AIAA Rocky Mountain Section: Learn about rocketry as engineers from the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) help you build and launch Alka-Selzer rockets and water pressure rockets. Bearbotics Robotics Team: D-38's FIRST robotics team will show you how to drive some of their robots and demonstrate some of their projects, including small-scale battlebots, 3D-printed drones and AI Art. Cave of the Winds: Learn how some caves and rocks form with our Geology Lab, and some of the critters you might find in a cave. Cheyenne Mountain Zoo: [Note: 10 am to 2 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 - Pikes Peak Composite Squadron: How do airplanes fly? Learn about Bernoulli's Principle with paper airplanes, mask making and fun demonstrations. Colorado Springs Astronomical Society: Safely observe the sun's surface and its atmosphere using our special filtered telescopes. Members will also hand out free solar eclipse viewers and demonstrate how to safely observe the upcoming solar eclipses using common household items. Colorado Springs Utilities: Discover what your energy future may look like. Charge your phone on our Solar Charging Station, experience a heat pump and determine which metal is the best sacrificial anode to protect pipes from rusting. Denver Museum of Nature and Science: Explore loads of fun interactive science- and nature-based activities in the "Curiosity Cruiser" - DMNS's mobile museum on wheels. Donor Alliance: Play with Charlie, a life-size operation game, to learn about transplantable organs and talk with volunteers that have been personally touched by donation! Emerge Aquaponics: Come see the amazing adventure of aquaponics- fish, plants and microorganisms working together to create sustainability in Colorado and around the world. Girl Scouts of Colorado: Build and decorate a paper rocket then use straws to launch it. Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region: Learn the science of clicker training animals by trying it yourself with a (human) partner. Are you smarter than a dog? iFLY Colorado Springs: Learn how forces and physics make indoor skydiving possible by flying miniature objects in our vertical wind tunnel. Kelly Bull Permaculture Design: Learn how worms can turn your trash into a treasure- high-quality nutritious compost. Hold a worm and see them in action! Keysight Technologies: Experience and build electrical with activities such as a circuit maze game, a Code & Go Robot mouse, an oscilloscope demonstration with musical instruments, an LED light show about digital signals and programming, hand-held microscopes, and more! League of Women Voters of the Pikes Peak Region: Rock the Vote! Learn about the importance of voting for STEAM education while you paint a rock. Lockheed Martin: Put on a special headset to explore STEM with virtual reality scenes then take a ride on a rocket sled powered by you! Macaroni KID Colorado Springs: Picture yourself as a real scientist and enjoy a super fun booth full of crafts, games, a spin wheel of prizes, bubbles, temporary tattoos and lots of give-aways! Missile Defense Agency: Learn how a ballistic missile operates while designing, building and launching your own inflatable missile. Minerals Education Coalition: Professionals from the Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration (SME) will explain how valuable mineral resources are discovered and mined as you pan for gold in sand. Nature & Wildlife Discovery Center: Explore our skins and skulls touch table, learn about our resident raptors and even meet and greet with some live birds of prey. National Space Science & Technology Institute: Check out the Mobile Earth & Space Observatory (MESO), with telescopes and several more hands-on activities. |
Pikes Peak Children's Museum:
Details coming soon. Pikes Peak Library District: Join Pikes Peak Library District (PPLD) in our exploration of force, motion, and visual effects as you create a Penny Spinner. Pikes Peak Mycological Society: Examine several types of Colorado mushrooms and learn how to find them in the wild. We'll also demonstrate how fungi are farmed in our fungus habitat. Pikes Peak Permaculture: Learn about the importance of growing native plants as food for pollinators as you get dirty by making your own Seed Balls or Earth Dumplings with clay and compost. Pikes Peak Regional Science and Engineering Fair: Middle and high school science fair participants will present their projects and explain the difference between a science demonstration and an experiment. Pikes Peak Soap Box Derby: See the internal workings of a Soap Box Derby car cut in half then take a gravity-propelled ride in a real derby car to get the feel of racing. Rocky Mountain Robotics: Meet the students from ASD-20's robotics team as they demonstrate this year's FIRST Robotics competition robot and show you how they built it. Royal Crest Dairy, Palmer HS Science and Cool Science: Learn about dairy products while making tasty ice cream in less than 2 minutes using liquid nitrogen at -320°F. Southeast Colorado Renewable Energy Society (SECRES): Use the sun's energy to cook S'Mores, and learn about solar thermal, photovoltaic (PV) and other renewable energy technologies. Space Foundation Discovery Center: Details coming soon. Starbase Peterson: You're the detective using paper chromatography on various water soluble markers to determine what brand of marker was used for our sample. Sustainable Educational Experience: Learn how your taste buds work, how to identify herbs and how you can change the flavors of foods by combining different ingredients. Top Ladies of Distinction / Top Teens of America: Members of the Mountain West Chapter will show you how to make gigantic soap bubbles. U.S Air Force Academy Computer and Cyber Sciences: Learn how to crack codes and transmit secret messages; explore deep learning and help train an artificial intelligence (AI); and program Arduino robots to follow a digital scent or react to a light sensor and follow a line! U.S. Air Force Academy iGEM Team: Learn the importance of tick awareness and how to check for ticks. We will also have an interactive demo of our lyme-disease detection patch. U.S. Army 749th EOD Team: Soldiers from Ft. Carson will help you operate a real military Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) robot and try on a bomb suit. U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): Play some fun games to learn about protecting our environment. UCCS American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics: Demonstration of astrodynamics and aerodynamics systems, including a cubesat (small satellite), a regeneratively cooled rocket engine, and pop rockets! UCCS American Society of Mechanical Engineers: Learn about Computer Aided Design (CAD) tools as student instructors guide you through an introductory project using SolidWorks. UCCS Bug Club: Insectpalooza! Come experience insects, spiders & all things arthropod - live and preserved- housed in the UCCS Biology Dept ! We also have feeding demonstrations & interactions with select critters. (OCSE B314) UCCS Chemistry & Biochemistry: Experiment with the enzymes in your own saliva that help break down the food you eat. UCCS Cognitive Development Lab: Is it easier to remember pictures or words, and why do you think that? Play our fun memory game and win prizes to learn how you remember information. UCCS Electrical and Computer Engineering: We'll demonstrate UCCS student's Arduino Robot projects then you can play with our LEGO Robots in the robotics lab (ENGR 230). UCCS Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering: Test various airplane wing shapes in a real wind tunnel. UCCS Natural History Museum: See more than 800 skeletons, skulls, and preserved specimens ranging from hippos to mountain lions to a saber-toothed tiger! (Osborne OCSE B402) |
Colorado Springs Cool Science Carnival Day Sponsors
Colorado Springs Cool Science Carnival Day Partners
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.