Activities

Come learn more about Agricultural Economics, and how we can apply it to our daily lives!

Backyard Farmer has been dedicated to helping gardeners find solutions to their landscape questions for 71 years. Visit the Backyard Farmer Garden on East Campus and ask the Nebraska Extension Master Gardener Volunteers (NE-EMGVs) your landscape questions. They can help with topics from insects, turf and weeds, rots and spots, vegetables, critters, landscape design, and general horticulture/landscape topics. Or wander the beautiful gardens and become inspired!

Can You Find the Queen?

Get the chance to find the queen bee in our live observation hive! She looks different than the other bees and is very important to the hive. She can be tough to spot but with our interactive teaching display you'll learn lots of interesting facts about the inside of a beehive. Come visit the UNL Bee Lab for information on pollinator conservation, planting native plants, and our beekeeping education available to the public! We also offer local honey for sale harvested from the hives in our operation. All proceeds go toward supporting undergraduate and graduate student research and professional development.

Come explore the Department of Biological Systems Engineering, where scientists will “bring engineering to life.” They will showcase the many talents of their faculty, staff and students, with hands-on activities ranging from biomedical engineering to agricultural engineering, and with tractor, robotics and drones demonstrations.

Stop by the Buy Fresh By Local Nebraska booth for more information about local food, and to taste it for yourself!

Come to our free fitness classes at UNL Discovery Days! This class will take place on East Campus. Limited equipment will be provided. Bring your own towel or mat if you would like. We look forward to seeing you at these beginner fitness classes!

June 8: Pilates in the Park
July 13: Yoga in the Park
August 10: Yoga in the Park

Visit our booth to learn about the outreach and partnerships CASNR does with K-12 schools across the state, as well as enjoy some home-grown produce from students in local garden clubs (free will donation greatly appreciated)!

Learn more about agriculture and natural resources careers through cool activities for kids of all ages!

Pick up free dental care supplies and get tips for how to keep your smile healthy!

Husker Racing Baja SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) consists of three regional competitions that simulate real-world engineering design projects and their related challenges. Each year RSO students get together to design and build a single-person off-road vehicle to then compete against other colleges. The Baja SAE series is used to help develop engineering students and give them real-world hands-on experience.

Learn about Nebraska geology all around us from geoscientists at the Conservation and Survey Division (Nebraska Geological Survey). Talk with a geoscientist, engage in hands-on activities, view geological samples, and learn about the types of tools and equipment geoscientists use to collect geological samples and data for research.

Join the Counseling and School Psychology Clinic to learn more about our clinic and the different services we provide to UNL and the community at large. Visit our booth to participate in mental health activities, where you can decorate a journal and learn how to use a deep breathing technique with pinwheels. We will also have stickers and other fidgets available to support mental health!

Come buy a plant (or two), and learn about the importance of our every day plant life!

What does a food scientist do? Make amazing foods, of course, but there's more. Come and learn about what food science is and what new food trends are happening. Blind taste test high-protein snacks and try to guess which have cricket powder in them.

Learn more about food preservation!

The Great Plains Art Museum displays exhibitions throughout the year that highlight the diverse people, cultures, and natural environments of the Great Plains. We are also big fans of the birds in our region, so stop by our booth to create a print of a Great Plains bird to take home! While you're here, learn more about the art at the Museum and our upcoming exhibitions, activities, and programs.

Home of the eight-time National Championship Husker women’s bowling team, the newly renovated Husker Bowling Center is opening their doors for a free round of bowling for participates of this event! Stop in the Nebraska East Union to STRIKE up some fun!

Delve into the intricate dynamics of the vadose zone-linked groundwater system, where we explore not only the natural movement of water but also the impact of human activities such as agriculture. Learn about the movement of fertilizers, including nitrates and ammonia, from fields to groundwater, and understand the implications for groundwater quality. Engage with hands-on displays, educational exhibits, and expert insights to grasp the complexities of this crucial environmental process. Join us to uncover the hidden connections between land use, agricultural practices, and groundwater health.

Join us at the International Quilt Museum for East Campus Discovery Days! Enjoy free admission and a free art project for the whole family to enjoy. Then shop a variety of handmade goods and textile items created by the Asian Community and Cultural Center. A Henna service will also be available for a small fee.

Visitors will be able to experience the history of tractor testing in Nebraska since 1920. We have several tractors on display inside and out ranging from the early teens to 1960s.

Is your family or a member of your group overwhelmed by all the sights and
sounds?
Visit the Lincoln Children's Museum Sensory Tent during the event. This tent is a
special space that parents/caregivers can visit with their children who may be
experiencing sensory overload.
The tent is located at/next to the Lincoln Children's Museum booth.

Stop by the Lied Center booth to get some swag and learn about the 2024-2025 Lied Center season!

Lincoln Children's Museum invites children to create, discover and learn through the power of play!

This booth will provide information in a fun and interactive manner about work being completed by the Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, including invasive species, bats, recreational fishing, and management of natural resources.

In Nebraska 4-H, we believe in the power of young people. We see that every child has valuable strengths and real influence to improve the world around us. We will have an information table with a prize wheel set up for attendees to answer questions. In addition, we will have 1-2 family friendly, educational learning opportunities for individuals or groups to participate in throughout the day.

Stop by the educational booth and visit with a Master Gardener. Learn about pollinators and composting!

Join us at the Nutrition Education Program booth for an interactive and educational experience! Discover valuable tips to stay active, shop and eat healthier, and save money. Sample some of our delicious seasonal family-friendly recipes and learn how to make them at home. Don't miss this opportunity to improve your health and well-being while having a great time! Stop by and join the fun!

Enriching lives by protecting, restoring and utilizing Nebraska's tree and forest resources. Join us for fun giveaways, and learn more about wildfire prevention!

Stop by to learn more about how to garden with nature in mind. We can help you create purposeful beauty in your yard or garden by planting to support pollinators, insects, birds, and other wildlife. We also have information about how to convert your lawn to lower-input garden spaces and how to select and properly plant trees. While you're here, you can purchase plants and trees from our greenhouse here on campus!

Come visit out booth to learn about how the amazing senses of taste and smell work! We will organize fun, easy to do activities for all ages to show the inner workings of our nose and tongue.

Children’s / Families’ all acoustic sing along (ages 0-5, but all ages welcome); this is a sit-on-the-grass (and/or blankets/carpet provided) and kids shake shakers and bells and beat on drums and dance and be silly and laugh. By the music we make together, we show our love & appreciation for young children. We share our mooing, singing, dancing, playing joking, clucking, ABCing, Itsy Bitsy Spidering, popcorning, noses and more….

While Jim King plays (banjo, uke, guitar, nose flute, kazoo, etc) parents, grandparents with kids sit and sing along, clap, dance, play instruments (fruit shakers, rain sticks, Thomas the Train, tambourines, and more) for 5-10-15 minutes, and then (probably) move on; it is designed as a come and go musical activity, join-in-and-have-fun-sing-along-for-young-children. Rest, let the little ones play. No beginning, no ending.

Big Red Pawp-Up is a collaboration between UNL Entomology, Big Red Resilience and Well Being, UNL Libraries, and a number of local therapy dog organizations, including Domesti-PUPs, Healing Heart Therapy Dogs, and Uplifting Paws. This program provides certified therapy dog team visits to both City and East Campus once per month and offers students, faculty, and staff the opportunity to cuddle and shake paws with some furry friends between classes. Join us in June and August and meet our furry friends!

Plant diseases and pests are responsible for over 20% of crop production losses, leading to threatening the global food supply and economy. Learn about the microbes that cause disease, look at the microscopic world, and even take home your own petri dish of "art"!

Join us for a fun experience learning how to rope or showing your skills.

Family and children will use nature materials to make a self portrait or a family portrait. Using a variety of loose parts from natural materials will be provided.

Interested in what is going on in the School of Natural Resources? Come visit us and find out! We have activities from Flying Squirrels to research to learning about birds.

Stop by and get creative with making activities and coloring pages. Learn more about upcoming exhibitions and programs at Sheldon Museum of Art, a free museum with a collection of more than 13,000 works of art, including more than 30 outdoor sculptures displayed year-round on the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s City and East Campuses.

Come learn more about the Learning Lab for Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities!

The Turtle Island Indigenous Youth Growers will be offering a variety of locally grown gifts from the earth - fresh garden vegetables, culinary herbs, and some transplants to bring home for your own garden. All items are grown by students enrolled in the Indigenous Youth Food Sovereignty Program.

Fun with Family History!
Learn about resources to help discover and preserve your family history. Become a history detective by analyzing photographs or transcribing a letter.