As students all over the Charlotte region get a well-deserved respite from going to school, Discovery Place Science is celebrating with some Cool Chemistry that guarantees to entertain audiences of all ages – and may even help keep learning in the mix during Winter Break. But don’t worry, these lessons don’t come with a final exam!

Music to your ears
Kick off the holiday season with some festive tunes and fairytale favorites featuring chemistry, coils and more.
During Chemistry Carols, celebrate with our staff, volunteers and fellow visitors as we sing familiar holiday tunes with new science lyrics. Festive song sheets will be provided, so you can easily fa-la-la-along!

Then, make it an Electric Holiday by visiting our Discovery Place Theatre where you can experience our amazing musical Tesla Coil in action as it features a sparking and arc-ing selection of classic holiday songs like you’ve never heard them before.

Plus, sit a spell and listen to a beloved holiday tale during Story Time with Paige and Reid.

MAKE it happen
Once your music lesson is complete, it’s time to get into some hands-on holiday fun that features, what else, chemistry!

In the Explore More Collections lab on the first level of the Museum, join us as we create Chromatography Ornaments using the chemical properties of chromatography, which is the laboratory technique used to separate a mixture. You’ll be able to separate different pigments to create your own beautiful ornament to take home for yourself or a loved one. Then make another ornament in Silver Chemistry, where you will be using a chemical silvering process to make your holiday décor.

Put your engineering skills to the test in our Thinker Space, where we’ll see if you are up for a holiday challenge in a little something we’re calling Stay Afloat. Can you create the floating miniature sleigh that holds the most weight without sinking? There’s only one way to find out!

If you are still in the mood to make, our KidScience area is featuring daily Winter Wonders that include a snowstorm in a jar, Epsom salt painting, sensory snow play and crayon relief painting. Stop in during your visit to see which one’s on tap for the day!

Keeping it cool
It wouldn’t be winter without cold temperatures, and we are taking it to the extreme with liquid nitrogen. This gas, in its liquid state, lands somewhere around -320 degrees Fahrenheit (told you we are going extreme!) and can quickly freeze anything that comes in contact with it.

We’ll be showcasing this quality in our Cold Science show where we will experiment with and discuss liquid nitrogen. Plus, we’ll spend some time making Liquid Nitrogen Ice Cream at the Stage over Winter Break, too! Come try a tasty treat made with liquid nitrogen before your very eyes. We’ll even add in a few holiday flavors to amp up the fun.

A welcome warm-up
If the cold isn’t your thing, we’re ready to turn up the heat for you in Keeping Warm with Chemistry inside the Explore More Me lab on the second level of the Museum. Here, you’ll learn all about how your body keeps warm when it’s cold outside as we heat things up with some colorful, hands-on chemistry.

Inside our Explore More Life lab, you can also learn how Amazing Polar Bears stay warm in the winter – and touch real polar bear fur!

Head south
Still trying to get warm after all this Winter Break fun? Head to the island nation of ¡Cuba! in our latest traveling exhibition from the American Museum of Natural History.

With a close look at Cuba’s unique natural history, including its native species, highly diverse ecosystems and geology, ¡Cuba! also explores Cuba’s history, traditions and culture through breathtaking displays, film and interactive elements.

¡Cuba! the exhibition is here for a limited time only. Don’t miss this chance to get to know and experience more about a country that, although just 94 miles from the U.S., is still surrounded in mystique.