Discount applies to online ticket purchases for Museum, Village and Factory Tour. Discount does not apply to IMAX tickets, special offers or special events.
Tinker. Hack. Invent. Saturdays Every Saturday, every month (10am - 3pm)
It’s a weekly celebration of American ingenuity. We call it Tinker. Hack. Invent. and it takes place every Saturday. Join our Tinker Task Force and have a blast trying your hand at all sorts of things. Then, on the last Saturday of every month, we open our doors to crafters, basement scientists, hobbyists, inventive foodies, tinkerers — the kind of folks you’ll find at our annual Maker Faire — and ask them to share their expertise and enthusiasm with museum visitors. Americans are famous for their ingenuity and resourcefulness, for their eagerness to improve and explore new ideas. This is your chance to learn firsthand how that spirit is alive and well today. Come explore your own ingenuity. Try your hand at something new, something different. The activities change month to month. Hands-on. How-to, DIY, science and more! The only limitation is your imagination. And it’s free* with museum admission or membership.
*Some supply fees may apply.
Monthly Themes
Imagine Tinker. Hack. Invent. Saturdays multiplied by more! More Community Makers! More hands on tinkering! And much more to see and do! It all adds up to Tinker. Hack. Invent SUPER Saturdays. Join us on Saturday, March 28 and September 26 and January 30, 2016 for our THISuperSaturday inside Henry Ford Museum. Free with Museum admission.
(Activities and community makers are subject to change.)
January
The Power to Go!
Join us as we celebrate Engines Exposed inside Henry Ford Museum. Early autos ran on gasoline, steam, or electricity. Come explore the positives and negatives to these fuel options through cool power demonstrations and hands-on exploration. Tinker with magnets to learn how they help create motion. You can then apply that know-how to assemble an electric car. Car assembly not recommended for children under 8 years of age.
February
Engines Exposed – Internal Combustion
Today cars run on gasoline, but how do internal combustion engines really work? Join us each Saturday in February as we explore how pistons, gears, and valves help turn internal combustion into working mechanical machines!. Young tinkers can get in gear by creating their own Piston Action Character (recommended for children 5 – 10 years) while older makers can use the same mechanisms that are inside our engines to create an awesome automaton. (For children 10 – up. Adult helper recommended) Also see our Power Up demonstration at 10am, 11am, 1pm, & 2pm in front of the Your Place in Time exhibit.
March
Tinkering with Musical Instruments
This month we’ll tinker with making musical sounds. Each Saturday in March we’ll tinker with a different type of musical instrument with everyday items. March 7th - Shake & Rattle, March 14th Drums and Percussion, March 21st – String & Wind, March 28th - Create a whole new sound with your own invention and join in the Music & Sound theme of our first Community Maker Pop-Up event. Activity for ages 7 and up. Adult supervision for hot glue and sharp tool use.
March 28th – NEW Community Maker Pop-Up
Join us for our exciting new quarterly event - Community Maker Pop-Up! We have invited over a dozen Community Makers to help us kick off this new offering that promises to be an all hands-on event! Making sound and music is the theme of the day. Featuring DSO on the Go with Ford, supported by Ford Motor Company Fund, our Community Makers will also
include people whose tinkering passion is innovating unique ways to make fun sounds and music. They will inspire guests of all ages with demonstrations, hands-on activities, and lots of opportunities to join in the festivities.
April
Tinkering with Basic Electronics
Explore the basics of electronics with activities for tinkers of all ages. Everyone will enjoy creating electrical connections with littleBits! They are fun, snap together electronic modules, which allow you to create imaginative electrical connections. (Not recommended for children under 5 years) Guests 12 years and up can also participate in a Learn to Solder Workshop and make their own blinky circuit board. Workshop cost is $7.00 (cash only and must be at least 12 years of age. Workshops start every 30 minutes between 10am & 2:30pm while supplies last)
