In April, join us for a fun and relaxing day of drawing and reading with therapy dogs! Instructors will teach you how to make creative patterns through the Zentangle method that allows people of all ages to express their creativity and enjoy the art-making process—no art experience necessary. Pair your drawing with a sensory-friendly opportunity to read aloud with certified therapy dogs from New York Therapy Animals.

Join Cooper Hewitt for hands-on experiences and creative play in celebration of Art of Noise Tune in to gallery tours, experience Devon Turnbull’s listening room, pull your own letterpress concert poster, or try your luck at music bingo. All ages are invited to drop in throughout the day—no registration required.   DETAILS Print Your Dream Concert Poster   12:00-5:00 PM   Create a poster inspired by your...

Drop in to the museum on the second Saturday of each month for hands-on family activities!  In March, get creative together and make a custom band t‑shirt with Bushwick Print Lab. Families will learn the basics of screen printing—from sketching and cutting a paper stencil to pulling colorful ink across a screen with a squeegee.

Drop in to the museum during February’s mid-winter school break for hands-on family activities! On Thursday, join us to explore the Carnegie Mansion and make a paper greeting card inspired by the Gilded Age!

Drop in to the museum during February’s mid-winter school break for hands-on family activities! On Wednesday, join us to design and build your own pull toy with animated parts! Visit the exhibition Made in America: Industrial Photography of Christopher Payne to explore how things are made, from musical instruments to telescopes. Then use your design skills to prototype your own kinetic toy! 

Drop in to the museum during February’s mid-winter school break for hands-on family activities! On Tuesday, explore the world of sound! Check out music‑listening devices—from early 1900s radios to a jukebox, hi‑fi systems, speakers, and modern headphones—in Art of Noise, an exhibition about how music has been heard and shared over the last 100 years.   Find out how sound travels and learn about electromagnetism by building your very own paper‑cup speaker to take home. Music isn’t just something we hear—it’s something we see, too! Discover how concert posters and album covers express the feeling of different styles of music like folk, rock, punk, and hip‑hop. Then put sounds and images together by designing your own band button. 

This February, explore the world of sound! Check out music‑listening devices—from early radios to a jukebox, hi‑fi systems, speakers, and modern headphones—in Art of Noise, an exhibition about how music has been heard and shared over the last 100 years. Find out how sound travels and learn about electromagnetism by building your very own paper‑cup speaker to take home.  

This January, join us for a special game day at the museum. Design your own board game: Create a story for your game and choose from a variety of materials to make your board. Write challenge cards and craft your own player pieces out of clay.As a family, explore design by playing a round of the museum’s own Design Around Town board game. Invite your family members to come up with creative solutions to design challenges at an ice cream shop, a school, a stadium, and more. 

Join us to celebrate the opening of Made in America: The Industrial Photography of Christopher Payne! Visit the exhibition to explore how things are made, from felt hats and pianos to semiconductors and rockets. Transform wool through wet felting to create your own handcrafted felt keychains or ornaments.

Join us this summer for hands-on activities inspired by Making Home—Smithsonian Design Triennial. Families are invited to sketch, print, or build together. On Wednesday, July 30, inspired by the abundant textile patterns in Nicole Crowder and Hadiya Williams’s dining room installation The Offering, design your own placemat! Create stamps using foam and cardboard and print with fabric paint on linen! Take your placemat home to use at your table.

Join us this summer for hands-on activities inspired by Making Home—Smithsonian Design Triennial. Families are invited to sketch, print, or build together. On Wednesday, July 16, try out fun drawing prompts and sketch in the museum’s garden or cool off and be inspired by the mansion’s interiors. Create your own Cooper Hewitt postcard with what makes New York City home to you and mail it to a friend!

Join us this summer for hands-on activities inspired by Making Home—Smithsonian Design Triennial. Families are invited to model, sketch, print, or build together with creative projects related to the exhibition. On Wednesday, July 2nd, discover how architects creatively tackle issues like weather, materials, and tiny spaces. Then, try your hand at architectural mini-challenges with clay, cardboard, and other materials inspired by the exhibition.

In June, celebrate Pride by designing your own placemats to welcome loved ones to your table. Draw inspiration from works in Making Home—Smithsonian Design Triennial, including the PIN-UP film Dream Homes, which tells the story of three LGBTQIA+ communities exploring daily life and ensuring everyone feels at home, and The Offering, by Nicole Crowder and Hadiya Williams, which explores how textiles and table settings can help express who we are and provide a sense of belonging.

Design urban habitats for the feathered friends among us! Learn about bird-friendly designs and create your own model skyscraper.

Make yourself at home for a game day at the museum!