** 2025 Carnival Day Photo Gallery **
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Last updated 21-Sep-2026 (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 science shows, including a very special presentation (best for ages 10+) by our own USAFA Professor Emeritus and Cool Science co-founder Dr. Ron Furstenau. This year Dr. Ron will invite students to participate up close in several amazing demonstrations of chemical reactions and ask questions during and after the program. We will also have real scientists and engineers present so you can ask them questions about their jobs and get advice on the steps to take to become a STEM professional. 
Amazing Chemistry with Dr. Ron
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If You're Going
What: Cool Science Carnival Day for Kids ** FREE ** When: Saturday, Oct. 3rd, 2026 10am*-4pm ** Special Chemistry Magic show starts at 9 am ** 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 |
If that's not enough chemistry for you, Dr. Elise Naughton and her students from the UCCS Chemistry Dept. will present her own Chemistry Magic show, setting gummy bears on fire, electrocuting a pickle, making Elephant's Toothpaste and more while spotlighting some of the elements - or rather elephants - from the Periodic Table. And there's even more amazing science magic, with Eddie Goldstein's "Magical Math and Science Show", and Bruce Black's "Science of Magic / Magic of Science!".
But there's a lot more than just shows on Carnival Day! We'll have dozens of hands-on STEAM activity stations featuring rockets, super cold (-320°F) treats, robots (LOTS of robots), live fish and zoo animals, giant building blocks, virtual and augmented reality stations, telescopes, microscopes, fossils, race cars, math puzzles, Insectapalooza, pedal-powered snow-cone stations, catapults, and 3-D printers. If you've never attended Carnival Day, you can check out last year's Carnival Day page to see what to expect.
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Check out more photos from the 2025 Cool Science Carnival Day
But there's more! You can create a terrarium, build your own real Estes model rocket, bake cookies with sunlight, play doctor to diagnose the mysterious illness of a life-sized robotic patient, build and play a real pipe organ, experiment in a gravity well, climb into a full-size USAFA glider, tinker with power tools, filter drinking water, play brain games (and hold real brains), and much more! There are just too many activities to possibly highlight them all here- but they are all listed below, so keep scrolling.
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.
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.
Planning Your Visit
- Pre-Registration: Carnival Day is FREE, but please pre-register online. It's not required, but it helps us to know how many people are coming, kid's ages and how you found out 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 (coming soon) to plan your route through all the fun activities.
- Best Time to Come: We expect about 8,000 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. Check the campus parking map for more information.
- Arrival Check-in/Information Tent: The best place to start is the University Center Lower Plaza Information Tent in the Lower Plaza on this campus map (you may need to enable "3D Map" to see the building names), where you can pick up your Carnival Day Map/Flyer and full Festival Event Schedule. 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), Osborne Center (OCSE), and the Anschutz Engineering Center (AEC). We will post maps and/or volunteers to assist you at the main entrances to each of these buildings.
- Food: Unfortunately, the University Center food court, Cafe 65, will NOT be open this year, and UCCS does not allow food trucks or vendors on campus, so you may want to bring your own picnic lunch or 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). We're also on Instagram and TikTok. Use the hashtag #CSCSF. BTW we post a cool STEAM activity that we like from the internet every day on our Facebook page- check it out and give us a Like!
- Scavenger Hunt Prizes: Our Periodic Table of the Elephants Scavenger Hunt is back again this year! Pick up a Scavenger Hunt sheet when you arrive at our Check-in/Information Tent (see above), and at about 40 of the activity stations below look for a 4" x 5" cartoon of an elephant depicting an element from the periodic table. Write the element name or symbol you find next to the name of the organization hosting that station, and return to the Check-in/Information Tent when you've found at least 30 of the elephants. The first 20 kids with correct answers win a Mark Rober Crunch Labs or KiwiCo science kit. Good luck!
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* Please help us keep this event admission FREE *
Make a suggested donation of $2/child ($5/family)
Donate at Information Tables (cash only) or online through ColoradoGives
Make a suggested donation of $2/child ($5/family)
Donate at Information Tables (cash only) or online through ColoradoGives
Help us promote Carnival Day
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Demonstration Shows, Labs, Tours and Workshops:
Check back - more shows coming soon!
Cool Science and the U.S. Air Force Academy Dept. of Chemistry: Amazing Chemistry & STEM Q&A
Show Times: 10:00 am & 1:00 pm (~50 minutes)
In this special, more intimate experience best for older students, our own Dr. Ron Furstenau will perform several close-up demonstrations (with help from participating students), explain the chemistry involved, and answer questions. We will also have real scientists and engineers present so you can ask them questions about their jobs and get advice on the steps to take to become a STEM professional. (ages 10+, Centennial 186).
UCCS Chemistry and Biochemistry Dept.: Chemical Illusions (A Chemistry Magic Show)
Performance Times: 9:00 am* & 2:00 pm (~50 minutes) * Note that the 9am show starts before the rest of the activity stations open
Dr. Elise Naughton and her chemistry students will demonstrate their own take on the magic of chemistry, including rainbow fire, flaming gummy bears, an electric pickle, a genie in a bottle and of course, Elephant's Toothpaste! (all ages, Centennial 203).
Black's Magic Productions: The Science of Magic / The Magic of Science!!
Show Times: 10:30 am (~50 minutes)
Master Magician Bruce Black will present a fun, educational magic show that demonstrates scientific principles AND actually teaches a few magic tricks by looking at the scientific principles behind some famous magic illusions. (all ages, Centennial 203).
Eddie Goldstein: "The Magical Math and Science Show"
Show Times: Noon (~50 minutes)
World-famous science performer and magician, Eddie Goldstein, combines math and science in this one-of-a-kind show - a totally fun blend of science demos, intriguing explanations, and sleight of hand magic. "Peek behind the scenes” as you learn the scientific principles behind some of magic’s most clever secrets (all ages, Centennial 203).
UCCS Biology: Getting Crafty with Plants
Drop-in Workshop Times: 10 am - noon-ish;
Come learn more about plants, explore our plant museum, and create your own beautiful terrarium or ornament! You can also explore the collection of plants, lizards, and other biology in our museum. (all ages, Osborne B414).
Show Times: 10:00 am & 1:00 pm (~50 minutes)
In this special, more intimate experience best for older students, our own Dr. Ron Furstenau will perform several close-up demonstrations (with help from participating students), explain the chemistry involved, and answer questions. We will also have real scientists and engineers present so you can ask them questions about their jobs and get advice on the steps to take to become a STEM professional. (ages 10+, Centennial 186).
UCCS Chemistry and Biochemistry Dept.: Chemical Illusions (A Chemistry Magic Show)
Performance Times: 9:00 am* & 2:00 pm (~50 minutes) * Note that the 9am show starts before the rest of the activity stations open
Dr. Elise Naughton and her chemistry students will demonstrate their own take on the magic of chemistry, including rainbow fire, flaming gummy bears, an electric pickle, a genie in a bottle and of course, Elephant's Toothpaste! (all ages, Centennial 203).
Black's Magic Productions: The Science of Magic / The Magic of Science!!
Show Times: 10:30 am (~50 minutes)
Master Magician Bruce Black will present a fun, educational magic show that demonstrates scientific principles AND actually teaches a few magic tricks by looking at the scientific principles behind some famous magic illusions. (all ages, Centennial 203).
Eddie Goldstein: "The Magical Math and Science Show"
Show Times: Noon (~50 minutes)
World-famous science performer and magician, Eddie Goldstein, combines math and science in this one-of-a-kind show - a totally fun blend of science demos, intriguing explanations, and sleight of hand magic. "Peek behind the scenes” as you learn the scientific principles behind some of magic’s most clever secrets (all ages, Centennial 203).
UCCS Biology: Getting Crafty with Plants
Drop-in Workshop Times: 10 am - noon-ish;
Come learn more about plants, explore our plant museum, and create your own beautiful terrarium or ornament! You can also explore the collection of plants, lizards, and other biology in our museum. (all ages, Osborne B414).
Hands-on Activity Stations:
Check back - lots more activities coming soon!
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Aerospace Ham Radio Club: Check out the club's emergency communications trailer and use the club's radios to talk to other 'hams' on several amateur radio bands. American Association of University Women: Connect light bulbs, wires, and batteries to create very simple or even more complex electrical circuits. American Guild of Organists- Colorado Springs Chapter: Help build and play a real working 2-octave pipe organ from 128 pieces, complete with keyboard, trackers, pipes, and hand-pumped wind supply. Autism Vision of Colorado: Make dinosaur scratch ornaments and dinosaur tracks with Play-doh. Bricks & Minifigs: Design, build and race a LEGO® derby car on our 4-lane derby car track, then tweak your design to go faster! Catamount Institute: Explore the world of birds through hands-on observation. Use binoculars and bird guides to search for birds hiding nearby! Cave of the Winds Mountain Park: Learn how some caves and rocks form with our Geology Lab, and some of the critters you might find in a cave. Challenger Learning Center of Colorado: An unknown object is on a collision course with Earth! Solve clues and retrieve the code needed to initiate launch of a kinetic impactor and save our planet. Cheyenne Mountain Zoo: [10am to 2pm only] Interact with live animals and touchable biofacts from the ZOOMobile. You might meet snakes, hedgehogs, lizards, or who knows what else. Colorado Parks and Wildlife: Experience why the wildlife and fish native to Colorado are so important at this hands-on activity station with live fish. Colorado Springs Astronomical Society: Safely observe the sun's surface and its atmosphere using our special filtered telescopes. We'll also hand out free solar viewers and UV bead bracelets. Colorado Springs Cadet Squadron - Civil Air Patrol: Cadets will help you build your own paper rocket and launch it with compressed air to fly 300 feet down range- or it may blow up on the launch pad! Colorado Springs Fire Department: Learn how to reduce fire risks in the home and community, fire science, and emerging hazards and fire risks. Colorado Springs Forestry: Learn the benefits trees provide and how we can plant more, and take home a seed to plant yourself. Colorado Springs Rocket Society & Estes Rockets: Build a quality Estes Rocket Model that will take to the skies! COSROCS members will be on stand-by to help with the construction and to answer any questions you may have about rockets (OCSE A327). Colorado Springs Utilities: Learn how filter media and other processes are used to ensure the quality of our water. Colorado State University Spur: Learn about animal health careers in the "Sci on the Fly" Mobile Outreach Learning Lab: animal anatomy; parasites; and dairy farm safety virtual reality. Colorado Tinkering School: Our TinkerMobile has everything needed to unleash your creativity using real tools and skills to design and build go-karts, castles, boats and beyond! Concrete Couch: Do you know the important role insects and arthropods play in the ecosystem? Meet and play with roly-polies and other arthropods. Cool Science:
Coronado High School Boys Tennis: Is there actually science involved in tennis? Come find out. Cougars Gone Wired (D11 FIRST Robotics Team): Robotics in Action: Drive, Play, and Compete with Team 2996 students' full-scale competition robot, and VEX IQ Robot Soccer. Destination Imagination - Colorado: DI Instant Challenge - Got 5 minutes? Solve Something and build creative confidence and problem-solving skills! DarkSky Colorado: Learn how you can help reduce light pollution so we can see the stars and Milky Way once again. Dinosaur Resource Center: Hold and feel some of our amazing fossils and learn about the dinosaurs that ruled the prehistoric world. Donor Alliance: Hold real human organs, examine eye specimens, and learn about the science behind organ and tissue donation. El Paso County Nature Centers: Use magnifying glasses and microscopes to meet the tiny swimming creatures often overlooked in our ponds and streams. Emerge Aquaponics: See how fish and plants thrive in a closed-loop system where fish waste becomes natural fertilizer for plants, which return the favor by cleaning the water for the fish. Exploration Summit: Find out what's coming to Colorado Springs at Exploration Summit, and learn how to protect your skin from ultraviolet rays by experimenting with UV reactive beads. Fort Carson Veterinary Facility: Learn about veterinary anatomy with animal skeletal models and by playing interactive games to identify skeletal bones. Front Range Community College: Learn about optics, lasers and quantum science while experimenting with reflection, refraction, diffraction, lasers and rainbows. Garden of the Gods Visitor & Nature Center & Colorado Springs Parks, Recreation & Cultural Services: Interactive and educational wildlife touch table featuring pelts and bones from native species along with a game and prizes! Girl Scouts of Colorado: Design and build a straw rocket, then experiment with aerodynamics, forces and launch angles to maximize your distance and stability. GO TEAM Therapy, Airport and Crisis Dogs: Our amazing certified therapy dogs help create a welcoming and calming environment, easing anxiety and encouraging positive social interactions. Home Depot: & Universal Water Systems: Build your own waste water treatment system to filter drinking water. Institute for Anatomical Research: Walk through a super-sized map of the circulatory system to understand the flow of blood through the heart, to the lungs, and back to the heart again. IEEE Pikes Peak Section: Play alongside electrical engineers with short, interactive activities involving Snap Circuits, LEDs, switches, magnets, motors, microcontrollers, photonics, PhET simulations, and introductory AI-robotics concepts. Jeff's Bagel Run: Experiment with bagel dough to learn the importance of getting the right mixture of ingredients, and how altitude can impact a recipe. Leonardo da Vinci Museum of North America: Da Vinci Flight Lab - test various flying creations as you explore the science of aerodynamics. Lockheed Martin: Put on a special headset to space based virtual reality scenes, then experience forces and acceleration by taking a ride on a rocket sled powered by you! Manitou Springs High School Robotics: The Steel Mustangs and Headless Horsemen will demonstrate their FIRST Robotics Competition and FIRST Tech Challenge robots, even letting you drive and use tools to disassemble/assemble some. Mathnasium Rockrimmon: Learn the basics of cryptography to encrypt and decrypt messages using three different ciphers, then learn a cool card trick too! MicroMedMaps: Don Meta Quest headsets and battle bacteria in virtual reality with microbeXR! Minerals Education Coalition: Learn about the past, present, and future of the mining industry in the American West and how valuable mineral resources are discovered and mined as you pan for gold in sand- and keep what you find! Missile Defense Agency: Design, build and test your own inflatable ballistic missile to see how far you can make it fly. Mobile Earth + Space Observatory (MESO): Check out our cool space science RV with telescopes, an augmented reality sandbox, a gravity well and more hands-on activities. 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 (OCSE B213). |
openenergi: Power up a bubble machine, a sound system with a DJ, and a frozen watermelon snow cone machine by pedaling one of our 12- Stationary Energy bikes. We'll also bake over 2000 cookies with our large solar oven! Palmer HS Science & Cool Science: Make your own Dippin' Dots ice cream in liquid nitrogen at -320°F. Patrick Henry Elementary School (D-11): Get hands on and take a close look at various plants and animals under large table top magnifiers, as well as 3D printers. Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments & UCCS Office of Sustainability: Learn how ozone impacts plants and make a simple device to help measure air pollution. Pikes Peak Chapter of Trout Unlimited: Learn about macroinvertebrates and fish that live in local waters and how you can help protect them. Pikes Peak International Hill Climb: Get a close up look at race cars from the Pikes Peak Hill Climb and learn what it takes to engineer a successful run up the mountain! Pikes Peak Library District: Join with other engineers to build, create and explore with our soft and giant Big Blue Blocks. Whether constructing towering creations or imaginative designs, there's no limit to what you can build together. Pikes Peak Permaculture: Get dirty by making your own Seed Balls to grow native plants that support the pollinators responsible for much of our region’s food production. 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 State College Engineering: Engineering is in motion with with ping pong launchers and mouse trap cars. Come by and try to launch the ball to hit the target! Pine Creek High School Engineering Club: Use dry ice vapor to show the air flow over various aircraft models while learning about Bernoulli's principle and other aspects of lift. Prairie Hawk Landscape: Learn about local pine trees and the beetles that infect them. Pueblo Zoo: Learn about the structural adaptations of birds, and "feed" a vulture stomach to understand the importance vultures play in the ecosystem breaking down bacteria and viruses. School of Rock Colorado Springs: We will have our House Band students (ages 13-17) perform Classic Rock hits. Schriever & Peterson Space Force Bases: Program and play with our Ozobots and Edison Bots. Slim Rail: Check out our huge electronically controlled railroad, complete with scenery and operating model trains. Space Foundation Discovery Center: Program a variety of Sphero robots. Starbase Peterson: Trebuchets! Experiment with various counter-weights and sandbag projectiles to hit our targets and win prizes! That Science Fairy: Funnels of sand - little engineers can make a water bottle sand timer, or just play! Too Much! Paris Games Ltd.: Transform math learning with TOO MUCH! The math fluency card game for students and families K-6th grades. Trailblazer Elementary School: Practice your map reading and making skills on a scavenger hunt around the UCCS campus and identify your home or favorite place. U.S. Air Force Academy 94th Flying Training Squadron: Climb into a real USAF glider, just like the ones Academy cadets use to learn the basic principles of flying at the largest glider operation in the world, and experience a VR simulation of glider flight over the Academy to learn fundamentals of flight. U.S. Air Force Academy Physics: Physics is Phun! Experience the amazing power of physics with a variety of static electricity and magnetic fields demonstrations. U.S. Air Force Academy LEGACY Project: Create your own simple electrical circuit with an LED, a battery, and a graphite pencil! U.S. Army 1-41IN, Fort Carson: Soldiers from Ft. Carson will demonstrate some of their vehicles, mortar systems, and protective gear. U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Museum: Watch a laser pointer and mirrors demonstrate how the Olympic torch is lit by the sun before the start of the Torch Relay. UCCS Additive Manufacturing and Composite Mechanics Laboratory: 3D Printing: Scan It. Print It. Break It. Test how design decisions affect strength and weight of 3D printed structures; make predictions, and test samples (OCSE A302). UCCS American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics: Watch robotics demonstrations, launch CO₂ rockets, discover what our high-altitude balloons have carried to nearly 100,000 feet, and learn about student experiments flown aboard rockets, balloons, and spacecraft. UCCS American Society of Mechanical Engineers: Mini DIY Submarine Demo- test what makes your sub sink or float when placed into a tub of water. UCCS Anthropology Department: Learn about primate anatomy and examine tactile pads (fingerprints) on primates and on themselves. UCCS Biology: Use microscopes to learn about cells and microbes and see how how cutting-edge fluorescence microscopy can peer even deeper into the cellular world (OCSE B-426). UCCS Biology & 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 Center for Cognitive Archaeology: Study the evolution of the human brain over time with ancient skulls spanning 30 millions years of time. UCCS Chemistry & Biochemistry: Experiment with the amylase enzymes in your own saliva that help break down starches in the food you eat. UCCS Chemistry & Biochemistry Club: Make your own special lemonade that changes color like magic! 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 Cyber Security Programs Office: Join us for cybersecurity activities, games and a VR (virtual reality) experience where K-12 students can learn about cyber by doing! UCCS Design, Build, Fly: Build and test paper airplanes and gliders, learning how center of gravity affects flight stability and performance, then compete for distance. UCCS GES Geomorphology Research Lab: Get wet and sandy building your own stream channel in running water. Students will also demonstrate a LiDAR 3D scanner (a cool green laser!) and other geoscience instruments (Cent 111). UCCS Geology Club: Explore Earth's Treasures with a variety of rocks, minerals, and fossils. UCCS High Altitude Race Engineering: Come see the electric race car built by UCCS students, as well as real Pikes Peak International Hill Climb cars. UCCS Machine Learning & Data Driven Modeling Lab: Use ultrasound device to levitate small foam beads - how many foam beads can you levitate? UCCS MAE Machine Shop: Take a tour of the Engineering Machine Shop- see lathes, mills, 3D printers, and have fun with penny catapults (OCSE A-303). UCCS Math Dept. & Excel Math Center: Decorate paper tiles to become a part of larger aperiodic (non repeating) tessellations, and learn about the Einstein tile! (Kraemer Family Library Room 211, enter from El Pomar Plaza). UCCS Natural History Museum (noon - 4pm only): See more than 800 skeletons, skulls, and preserved specimens ranging from hippos to a saber-toothed tiger. (Osborne OCSE B402) UCCS PERCH Research Lab: Create your own model of a brain with colored clay while learning about the different parts and their functions. UCCS Simulation Learning Center at Beth-El College of Nursing and Health Sciences: Hands-on adventure in healthcare! Listen to heart and lung sounds using a stethoscope, respond to a simulated medical emergency with an EpiPen, and perform a physical assessment on our manikin patient. UCCS Society of Women Engineers: Help Barbie take the ultimate bungee jump. First, run short test drops using five rubber bands, then use math to predict how many bands she’ll need for an epic plunge! We're Cookin' Now! presented by Chef's Kitchen: We'll demonstrate culinary science through multiple interactive and hands-on activities related to cooking and baking at altitude. |
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.
