Test your building skills with toothpicks and marshmallows. Will yours be the tallest?

Batteries are great as a source of energy - they're also fun!

Come to the Library for hands-on learning about circuits, switches and conductors.

Interested in finding out how scientists provide explanations about the world and universe? Join the Ann Arbor Science & Skeptics as they host their 3rd Annual Scientists Fair at AADL and find out!

Scientists from the University of Michigan and other local institutions with expertise in the Big Bang, Particle Physics, Climate Change, Biological Medical Research, Nuclear Power, and Exploring Mars will be available to answer your questions and/or explain scientific concepts.

The purpose of this event is to not only to acquaint you to scientific knowledge, but also to acquaint you with how that knowledge is obtained. You may ask the researchers such questions as: How are theories supported with experimentation? What hypotheses were tested and confirmed? To what extent is there consensus amongst their peers?

You can even ask them to discuss their specific research. This is an excellent opportunity to learn more about science from some of the area’s top local scientists!

Mary Stewart Adams, star lore historian, Fairy Tale Moons creator, and program director for the Headlands International Dark Sky Park (two miles west of Mackinaw City), will weave together contemporary understanding of our celestial environment with the star lore of ages for this engaging journey through the night sky.

Human beings can, on average on clear evenings, see between five and seven thousand objects in the sky. Scientists, using telescopes and satellites, have been able to identify over 900 million. A story is unfolding in this space between the seven thousand objects seen with the naked eye and the 900 million objects identified by scientists - - a story of our understanding of who we are, where we come from, and where this all might be going.

Mary Stewart Adams addresses this subject as a storyteller and sky observer and will discuss the necessity of imagination and inspiration in our developing sense of ourselves in our celestial environment. She will discuss current discoveries such as the comets Pan-STARRS and ISON; the current celestial configuration with Venus as evening star preparing for Winter Solstice; Jupiter's position in our evening skies; the Geminid and Ursid Meteor Showers and much more.

This event is in conjunction with the Fairy Tale Moons exhibit on display at the Downtown Library from December 3 through January 14. For this exhibit, star lore historian Mary Stewart Adams and her sister, artist Patricia DeLisa, researched and explored our best-loved folk and fairy tales in order to reveal, through their art and language, our connection with the stars overhead each month.

Check out some of the books and tales that inspired the artwork of Fairy Tale Moons!

Build your very own roller coaster, then find if out if you're the one who can keep the a marble in motion the longest.

Race to space with challenges and prizes for various skill levels—or just come for advice on getting off the ground with Kerbal Space Program!

RED ALERT! Do you and your pals have what it takes to COMMAND A STARSHIP? Find out at AADL’s all-new event series STARSHIP BATTLE LEAGUE! It’s not quite a holodeck simulation, but it’s as close as you’re going to get to crewing a starship with up to five other players, each with their own console, view and responsibilities.

Learn all about it at this informational meeting and Spaceship Bridge Simulator Demo. We’ll split up into six-person demo teams, test out the Simulator, and discuss AADL’s 2014 Starship Battle League. Don’t miss it!

Meet in room or online to help build the model of Ann Arbor on the AADL server at minecraft.aadl.org.

Using simple household items, you can make a simple motor.

Learn the basics of using iMovie with staff from CTN (Community Television Network) and practice video editing skills. Optional: Bring your own video footage. Classes are filled on a first-come, first-served basis.

Classrooms will open 15 minutes before the class start times. Registration is not required.