Events

Jun 02

RASDak is an annual bicycle ride to enjoy the beautiful scenery and hospitality of South Dakota, the “Land of Infinite Variety.” South Dakota is home to a variety of landscapes from rolling prairie to the Black Hills. The best way to experience these landscapes is by bike!

The route will take riders through Spearfish, Victoria, Savoy, Elmore, Cheyenne Crossing, Buckhorn, WY, Four Corners, WY, Newcastle, WY, Hill View Heights, WY, Custer, Sanator, Hot Springs, Keystone, Rockerville, Colonial Pine Hills, Rapid City, Nemo, Sturgis, Nisland, Belle Fourche, and ending back in Spearfish. 

Mar 23

For over 600 years, stringed keyboard instruments have served as repositories for human imagination, science, technology, craft, artistry, and music. They are admired for their stature – and oftentimes stunning beauty – alongside their ability to play both melody and harmony. Keyboard innovation has continuously expanded throughout the world, throughout time.



Opening in March 2024, the special exhibition “High Strung: Five Centuries of Stringed Keyboard Instruments” will explore the form, function and development of keyboard instruments from early harpsichords to the modern piano. The special exhibition brings together nearly 20 keyboard instruments from the NMM’s collections - some of which have never before been on exhibit.



Instruments that will be on display include:


• An octave virginal (NMM 4660), from the same workshop as the NMM’s Neapolitan harpsichord, c.1530 (NMM 14408)

• A highly decorated harpsichord by Andreas Ruckers, 1643 (NMM 10000)

• Harpsichord by Nicolas Dufour, 1683 (NMM 5943, pictured below), made in Paris in a native style that fell from popularity by the first decade of the 18th century

• French grand piano, Clavecin à marteaux, (harpsichord with hammers) by Louis Bas (NMM 4653) from 1781. This instrument, the earliest surviving French grand piano, is exceptional, retaining much of its original action parts

• Downward-striking piano by Nanette Streicher und Sohn (NMM 10298), and a small trapezoid hammer instrument by Gottfried Maucher (NMM 4570) – an example of a lesser-known instrument type, similar to the tangentenflugel by Späth and Schmahl, built c.1784 (NMM 4145), which was once a favorite instrument type of Mozart

• Grand piano by Erard (NMM 5984) and Chickering & Sons (NMM 5413), built at a time in which America led the way in piano technology, not only with grand pianos, but also with the large ”square” pianos by makers such as William Knabe & Company (NMM 14447)



“High Strung: Five Centuries of Stringed Keyboard Instruments” will open to the public on March 23, 2024 in the NMM’s Jason & Betsy Groves Special Exhibition Gallery. It will remain open through the calendar year. Support for the exhibition is provided by generous grants from the Clayton and Odessa Lang Ofstad Foundation and the City of Vermillion, SD.

Fee: $Included with Museum Admission

Jun 04

June 4, 11, 18, and 25: Family Fun Tuesdays – Deadwood History, Inc. (DHI) hosts a family friendly event on Tuesday afternoons during the summer at Outlaw Square. On June 4, enjoy a Cowboy Sing-Along with one of the Deadwood Alive reenactors. June 11, Natural History Native Grasses will explore grasses native to the Black Hills and plant grass seeds in a container that children can take home. DHI will feature Hidden in the Midden on June 18. Learn what an archaeologist does and dig through a midden (an old garbage pile) to unearth a variety of artifacts that will help solve puzzling questions. On June 25, Hides, Horns, and Hooves will allow kids to dig into an old trunk that has a variety of hides, horns, and antlers that can be touched and examined. These events take place at Deadwood Outlaw Square following the Shootout; 2:15 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.; these events are free.

July 2, 9, 16, 23 & 30: On July 2, enjoy Old West Bingo - Deadwood's spin on traditional Bingo with a western theme and prizes. On July 9, join us for Build a Guzzler and discover the significance of water in our local wildlife habitat and how humans can contribute to conservation efforts. Photos from the Past will be featured on July 16 - join local archive and photography professionals Tia Stenson and Richard Carlson as they demonstrate a photographic process dating back to 1842 by creating images on light-sensitive paper and processed using water. On July 30, we will celebrate Plesiosaur Day! 95 million years ago dinosaurs and marine reptiles ruled the earth. Learn about the one of a kind plesiosaur and then see it yourself at the Adams Museum. These events take place at Deadwood Outlaw Square following the Shootout; 2:15 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.; these events are free.

Fee: $Free

Jun 03

Our Little Explorers Nature Preschool is South Dakota’s first fully outdoor education program based on Montessori principles that children learn best when they are given the freedom to move, to choose their own work, and follow their interests, operating within boundaries that include respect for themselves, others, and the environment.

Little Explorers Nature Preschool students learn from their environment through guided adventure and build skills with independent hands-on learning. Using Montessori methods, our teachers, with the help of local community guides, develop students’ exploration skills and their understanding of STEM concepts.

Session 1A is for students ages 4-5 and runs June 3-27, every Monday-Thursday from 8:00am to 12:00pm. Dropoff occurs within 15 minutes prior class(meet at the gazebo) and pickup within 15 minutes after the end of class.

Parents or guardians are responsible for dressing their student in appropriate clothing for being outside, including close-toed shoes, and applying their student’s first round of sunscreen. Session 1a students and their caretaker/s are expected to attend the Little Explorers Welcome on Thursday, May 30, 2024, from 5:30-6:30pm at the South Dakota Discovery Center Launchpad, 300 East Capitol Avenue.

Class materials are provided by the South Dakota Discovery Center out of program fees and donations. Shelter from inclement weather is made possible through a partnership with the Izaak Walton League and use of the Pierre Native Plant Arboretum and Nature Area is made possible through a partnership with the City of Pierre. Become a supporter today!

Fee: $468 members

Jun 04

Our Little Explorers Nature Preschool is South Dakota’s first fully outdoor education program based on Montessori principles that children learn best when they are given the freedom to move, to choose their own work, and follow their interests, operating within boundaries that include respect for themselves, others, and the environment.

Little Explorers Nature Preschool students learn from their environment through guided adventure and build skills with independent hands-on learning. Using Montessori methods, our teachers, with the help of local community guides, develop students’ exploration skills and their understanding of STEM concepts.

Session 1B is for students ages 3-4 and runs June 4-27, every Tuesday-Thursday from 3:00pm to 5:00pm. Dropoff occurs within 15 minutes prior class (meet at the gazebo) and pickup within 15 minutes after the end of class.

Parents or guardians are responsible for dressing their student in appropriate clothing for being outside, including close-toed shoes, and applying their student’s first round of sunscreen. Session 1a students and their caretaker/s are expected to attend the Little Explorers Welcome on Thursday, May 30, 2024, from 5:30-6:30pm at the South Dakota Discovery Center Launchpad, 300 East Capitol Avenue.

Class materials are provided by the South Dakota Discovery Center out of program fees and donations. Shelter from inclement weather is made possible through a partnership with the Izaak Walton League and use of the Pierre Native Plant Arboretum and Nature Area is made possible through a partnership with the City of Pierre. Become a supporter today!

Fee: $195 members

Jun 04

STEM Discovery Summer Clubs for grades 6-8

PRICE PACKAGES
SDDC Member: $49
Partner Organization Member: $53
NonMember: $59

Through our STEM Clubs, students EXPLORE with professional educators that EDUCATE using the hands-on SDDC Learning Pathways curriculum to EMPOWER a confident, curious science identity that prepares young people for the future.

The STEM Discovery Summer Clubs provide an experience beyond an at-home Pinterest activity and get students ready for a possible science career!

PLEASE NOTE:
Students must check-in and out at the front desk and must be picked up within 15 minutes of the end of club. A SDDC employee will open doors 15 minutes prior to the start of each club day and all payments must be made in full prior to the start of the club.

Parents and guardians are responsible for dressing their students in appropriate clothing, especially for clubs that are outside, including close-toed shoes, and applying their student’s first round of sunscreen.

If a club has fewer than 6 students registered by noon on the Friday before the club starts, it will be canceled (you will receive notification and a full refund).

Club materials are provided by the South Dakota Discovery Center out of program fees and donations. Become a supporter today!

Our Teaching Framework: The Learning Pathways

All SD Discovery Center programs deliver fun, hands-on exploration that builds passion for and knowledge of science across generations; students, teachers, families, citizens.

Our teaching framework ensures a high-quality class standard that focuses on lasting effects to help students find their path and hone their talents beyond school while developing college and/or career readiness skills (collaboration, creativity, communication and critical thinking) to grow a STEM workforce for South Dakota.

STEAM Discovery Summer Clubs utilizes Learning Pathways aligned with our teaching framework that facilitate individual growth of students in different topics and specialty tracks. Our Learning pathways tracks and specialties are:

EXPLORE: Naturalist, Storytelling, Environment
SCIENCE: Life Science, Physical Science, Space Science
TECH: Engineering, Coding, Entertainment
HEALTH: Fitness, Cooking, Gardening

Fee: $49 Members

May 17

The University of Exeter, England joins us again for our annual Summer Archaeology Field School. Join us as our own Dr. Adrien Hannus, U. of Exeter’s Dr. Alan Outram, and students from around the world continue the excavation of this ancient Indigenous North American village.

Jun 05

STEM Discovery Summer Camps for grades K-5

PRICE PACKAGES
SDDC Member: $79
Partner Organization Member: $89
NonMember: $99

Our campers EXPLORE with professional educators that EDUCATE using the hands-on SDDC Learning Pathways curriculum to EMPOWER a confident, curious science identity that prepares young people for the future.

The STEM Discovery Summer Camps provide an experience beyond an at-home Pinterest activity and get campers ready for a possible science career!

PLEASE NOTE:
Campers must check-in and out at the front desk and must be picked up within 15 minutes of the end of camp. A SDDC employee will open doors 15 minutes prior to the start of each camp day and all payments must be made in full prior to the start of camp.

Parents and guardians are responsible for dressing their student in appropriate clothing for being outside, including close-toed shoes, and applying their camper’s first round of sunscreen.

If a camp has fewer than 6 campers registered by noon on the Friday before the camp starts, it will be canceled (you will receive notification and a full refund).

Camp materials are provided by the South Dakota Discovery Center out of program fees and donations. Become a supporter today!

Our Teaching Framework: The Learning Pathways

All SD Discovery Center programs deliver fun, hands-on exploration that builds passion for and knowledge of science across generations; students, teachers, families, citizens.

Our teaching framework ensures a high-quality class standard that focuses on lasting effects to help students find their path and hone their talents beyond school while developing college and/or career readiness skills (collaboration, creativity, communication and critical thinking) to grow a STEM workforce for South Dakota.

STEM Discovery Summer Camps utilizes Learning Pathways aligned with our teaching framework that facilitate individual growth of students in different topics and specialty tracks. Classes are available from ages PreK through 8th grade, and real-world applications (such as leadership and volunteer opportunities, internships or citizen science projects) for high schoolers.

Our camps are divided into the following age levels:
Seedlings (PreK)
Sprouts (K-2nd grade)
Shoots (3-5th grade)
Saplings (6-8th grade)
Canopy (9th-12th grade interns & SDDC Educators)

Camps are offered in specialty tracks for every age level with specific camp availability rotating on a three-year cycle, allowing for age-appropriate lessons that build upon each other. Our campers can become experts in a real STEM field by taking a different class within a specialty every year.

Our Learning pathways tracks and specialties are:
EXPLORE: Naturalist, Storytelling, Environment
SCIENCE: Life Science, Physical Science, Space Science
TECH: Engineering, Coding, Entertainment
HEALTH: Fitness, Cooking, Gardening

Fee: $79 for members

Jun 05

It’s a party in the 605! Celebrate Aberdeen’s area code, 605, on 6/05! Visit Allevity today to get laser tag games for $6.05!