National Children’s Museum Hosts First-Ever Tinkerfest on October 4

WASHINGTON, D.C. (September 10, 2026) – On Sunday, October 4, 2026, National Children’s Museum brings the power and joy of maker education to downtown DC with its first-ever Tinkerfest sponsored by General Motors. Thanks to the support of TCMA—the private management company that runs the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center—Woodrow Wilson Plaza will be a buzz with activations and workshops led by partner organizations from DC and across the country. National Children’s Museum will also stage special indoor program stations throughout the exhibit floor that invite guests to explore science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEAM) through the discovery-driven process of tinkering.

About Tinkering

The philosophy of tinkering—the process-over-product method of learning and discovery through experimentation and creativity—is the backbone of programming and offerings at National Children’s Museum. As industries race to prepare the next generation for a future none of us can fully predict, the most important skill we can nurture may not be a specific technology, but the capacity to try, fail, adapt, and try again. Tinker and maker spaces offer a safe environment to develop these skills. Tinkerfest champions and spotlights this critical learning style through an immersive day of hands-on, full-family tinkering adventures.

Special Programs

STEAM Pop-Ups

During Tinkerfest and the Tinkerfest Preview, National Children’s Museum will host a variety of indoor pop-up programs designed for children 0 - 12 and their families, each exploring a STEAM concept through the lens of tinkering. Examples include:

• Kaleidoscope Patterns (Science): Use objects, materials, and a system of mirrors to create repeating patterns and reflections, experimenting with adding, removing, and repositioning mirrors to alter what you see.
• Scribble Machines (Technology): Tinker with motors, circuits, and various materials to create a moving machine that draws patterns and sequences.
• Chain Reaction (Engineering): Using blocks, ramps, balls, and other materials, build a series of connected actions in which one movement triggers the next.
• Heat Sensitive Art (Art): Discover how body heat and heat-sensitive vinyl can come together to create works of art.
• Tinkering with Textiles (Math): Put your counting and geometry skills to work using precut felt shapes, patterns, and arrangements to learn the basics of patchwork and quilting.

STEAM Storytime

Little ones can enjoy a reading of Boxitexts by Kim Smith—a story that explores how architects and engineers use creativity, collaboration, and problem-solving to design and build—then become “boxitects” themselves, working together to design and construct a collaborative structure.

Tinkering Corner

The Museum’s Tinkerer-in-Residence, Chitra Sharma, will be running a full-day, drop-in workshop on printmaking. Guests can use everyday objects and toys to create custom print designs and leave their mark on what will become a museum installation.

Children and families can also dive into the science of simple and complex machines via Automata programming: use cams, cranks, and moving parts to build a moving sculpture.

Partner Organizations

Woodrow Wilson Plaza will be activated with Tinkerfest’s partner organization programming, showcasing their work and how tinkering is a crucial method in their field. So far, partner organizations include:

• CentroNía
• Chibitronics
• District of Columbia Public Library
• Friendship Public Charter School
• General Motors
• KID Museum
• The Maker Space at Center City PCS
• International Spy Museum
• National Building Museum
• National Theatre
• Sitar Arts Center
• Spark!Lab

Outdoor partner organizations are only hosting activations at Tinkerfest on October 4. They will not be in attendance for the Tinkerfest Preview on October 3.

Tinkerfest Schedule and Location

Tinkerfest is a full-day event spanning the Museum’s standard hours of operation, with both indoor and outdoor programming available from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm on Sunday, October 4, 2026. For a specific program schedule, please visit the Tinkerfest event page.

For specific pop-up programs offered during the Tinkerfest Preview on October 3, please visit the Tinkerfest Preview event page.

National Children’s Museum is located at 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue NW off the Woodrow Wilson Plaza.

Ticketing

All outdoor Tinkerfest programming is free and available to the public. Indoor programming requires and is included in general Museum admission. Admission to National Children’s Museum costs $18.95 for adults and children one and older. Admission is free for children under one and Museum members. Tickets can be purchased on the Museum’s ticketing page.

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About National Children’s Museum

National Children’s Museum is a dynamic institution in the heart of Washington, D.C., that combines learning elements found in a science center with children’s museum experiences. Through play-based science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEAM) exhibits and programs, the Museum sparks curiosity and ignites creativity for children under the age of twelve and their families. Founded in 1974, the Museum has served Washingtonians for five decades, and since reopening its new location in September 2021, the Museum has established itself as an international destination for play, welcoming more than 225,000 visitors each year across all eight wards, 50 states, and more than 75 countries. Learn more about how to visit the Museum and engage with virtual STEAM resources at nationalchildrensmuseum.org.