Little Shop of Physics News
Young Scientist Joins Oglala Lakota College Outreach Efforts
One of the most memorable moments from our recent teacher workshop at Oglala Lakota College came from an unexpected participant. One of the teachers attending the workshop brought along her 8-year-old daughter, Chadlyn. Rather than simply watching from the sidelines, Chadlyn jumped right into the creative process. Throughout the workshop, she asked thoughtful questions, experimented [...]
May 2026 Newsletter
The latest edition of the Little Shop of Physics newsletter is here and we are celebrating another incredible semester of hands-on science, community partnerships, and curiosity-driven learning! Highlights include: Our 32nd Annual Open House, where nearly 8,000 visitors explored more than 300 hands-on experiments alongside presentations, community partners, and interactive science experiences across CSU’s Lory [...]
B2Gold Namibia Visit
LSOP and B2Gold Namibia are celebrating a 10-year partnership! In 2015, Sherri Lytle with B2Gold Namibia approached us about starting an informal science outreach partnership. We journeyed to Namibia in January 2016 and worked with the B2Gold Education Center to present teacher workshops and programs for secondary school students. These programs lead to a long-term [...]
Reflections from the Colorado Science Conference
On November 7, 2025 we had the joy of presenting at the Colorado Science Conference at the CSU Spur campus in Denver—and what an inspiring day it was! The conference was filled with engaging sessions, fresh ideas, and wonderful conversations with teachers from across Colorado. We loved connecting with so many educators who bring curiosity [...]
January 2026 Newsletter
The latest edition of the Little Shop of Physics newsletter is here—celebrating curiosity, creativity, and over 30 years of hands-on science! Highlights include: Curiosity Unites Us: 30 Years of Shirts — a look back at LSOP’s long tradition of tie-dyed shirts and this year’s theme, Infinite Questions, Unlimited Wonder. Welcoming New Rams at Amplify Welcome, where incoming CSU students jumped [...]
A Week of Collaboration in Norway
Tusen takk—“a thousand thanks” in Norwegian—to our friends at Jærmuseet Science Circus in Nærbø, Norway! I had the joy of spending a week with their incredible team last September, and it was a truly special experience. From the moment I arrived, they welcomed me warmly into their work, their homes, and their lives. I’m so [...]
Summer 2025 Newsletter
The latest edition of the Little Shop of Physics newsletter is here—celebrating another year of hands-on science, creativity, and community! Highlights include: Our 31st Annual Open House, which welcomed over 7,000 visitors and featured 300+ experiments, 30+ partners, and a new Sensory-Friendly Room. A spring break outreach trip to the Navajo Nation, where we connected [...]
May 3—Maxline Brewery Celebration and Fundraiser
Let’s celebrate together! Over the last year Little Shop of Physics engaged over 20,000 K-12 students in hands-on science exploration! Come join us in celebrating the amazing year it’s been! On May 3rd from 1-5pm, Maxline Brewing is graciously donating a percentage of sales to Little Shop of Physics — so come have a beverage with us, as [...]
LSOP Open House
The 31st Annual Little Shop of Physics Open House took place on Sunday, March 2, 2025, at the Lory Student Center at Colorado State University. This year’s event brought together an incredible 7,000 participants for a full day of hands-on science, discovery, and interactive presentations. The Open House showcased LSOPs 300+ hands-on experiments and activities [...]
January 2025 Newsletter
Happy New Year and welcome to our January 2025 edition! This semester, we’ve truly embraced our theme—Science for All! From classrooms in Fort Collins to remote Indigenous communities and even across the globe, we’ve been hard at work sharing the wonder of science. Highlights in this issue: Indigenous Outreach: Discover how we’re building connections and [...]
LSOP in Action: CSU Day of Giving 2024
Little Shop of Physics represented the College of Natural Sciences in the CSU Day of Giving on August 22, 2024! To celebrate, we made liquid nitrogen ice cream for CSU students on the Eddy Quad. This year, Little Shop of Physics received over $3000 of the $250k+ donated for CSU's Day of Giving. We would [...]
CSU Day of Giving
Little Shop of Physics is excited to represent the College of Natural Sciences in the CSU Day of Giving! Much of our work is powered by generous donations from individuals like you, and we appreciate the support! To celebrate, we will make liquid nitrogen ice cream! Thursday, August 22, 2024 12:30-1:30 p.m. Eddy Lawn, CSU [...]
June 2024 Newsletter
June 2024 Welcome to our June 2024 newsletter. The big news: Open House is back, bigger and better than ever! Also inside, LSOP visits a Texas for the total solar eclipse. Check out the updates on our work to connect with Native communities, visit local schools, and work with CSU Spur. And finally, read about [...]
Everything You Need to Know About Solar Eclipses
Here at Little Shop, we find solar eclipses to be very exciting! In celebration of the upcoming solar eclipse on April 8, 2024, we've put out this video! Segments The above video is 2 minutes and 50 seconds long; it's broken up into 4 segments below. Solar eclipses occur when the Moon passes between the [...]
30th Annual Open House
On February 24, 2024 we will host our 30th Annual Little Shop of Physics Open House. This free, public event runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and the first hour is devoted to sensory-friendly exploration. This event will be a mixture of indoor activities and outdoor exploration if the weather permits. For more details [...]
January 2024 Newsletter
We're super excited to share our latest newsletter! The last half year has been extremely busy for the LSOP Crew. We teamed up with Amplify to develop two awesome new programs, worked with indigenous communities, and took part in the grand reopening of the Madison McDonald Observatory. LSOP teamed up with the Physics Department to [...]
Madison McDonald Observatory Grand Reopening
Little Shop of Physics was honored to be a part of the grand re-opening of the Madison Macdonald Observatory on October 6th, 2023! The evening event was free and open to the public and full of festivities! Little Shop of Physics set up hands-on science experiments in Biology 110, and outside the observatory. Physics Professor [...]
Oglala Lakota College Teacher Workshop
LSOP has long partnered with Oglala Lakota College (OLC) on the Pine Ridge Reservation, and teacher professional development is a cornerstone of this partnership. Our first workshop with OLC workshop was in 2008, and we had traveled to Pine Ridge annually to do these workshops up until the pandemic made this impossible. We were thrilled [...]
APS PhysicsQuest 2023: “Making Waves” Kit
“Making Waves” is all about understanding waves, and their application in art and technology through simple hands-on activities involving slinkys, LED’s, ChromaDepth glasses, and more!
LSOP Newsletter Summer 2023
We are excited to announce the launch of our newsletter! Stay up to date on all of the happenings around LSOP. You can also join our email list to receive future newsletters and periodic LSOP updates: https://lsop.colostate.edu/newsletter/
Public Events
Featured Video
LSOP in Action: Native American Community Academy
As part of our Spring Break outreach tour, the Little Shop of Physics visited the Native American Community Academy (NACA) in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Working alongside students from NACA, Central New Mexico Community College, and College and Career High School, our Colorado State University student interns shared hands-on science experiences designed to spark curiosity and [...]
LSOP in Action: Spartan Learning Academy
As part of our Spring Break outreach tour, the Little Shop of Physics visited Spartan Learning Academy in Bernalillo, New Mexico, bringing nearly 100 hands-on science activities for students to explore. Led by Colorado State University student interns, the program transformed classrooms into spaces for curiosity and discovery as students investigated physics through interactive experiments. [...]
AISES Powwow 2025
Last fall, Little Shop of Physics was honored to participate in the annual Powwow hosted by the CSU chapter of AISES. This event brought together students, families, and community members from across the region to celebrate Indigenous culture, community, and education. During the Powwow, the Little Shop of Physics team set up a collection of [...]
LSOP in Action: Fort Washakie School 2025
In October 2025, the Little Shop of Physics crew traveled to Fort Washakie School on the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming. We spent a joyful, high-energy day exploring science alongside incredibly enthusiastic students, filling classrooms with curiosity, laughter, and hands-on discovery. Little Shop of Physics has a longstanding relationship with the Wind River Reservation, and [...]
LSOP in Action: Neutrino Day, 2025
We were thrilled to return to the annual Neutrino Day Festival in Lead, SD, and to share a full day of hands-on science with visitors of all ages! Neutrino Day is a free, public celebration of science hosted each summer by Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF), featuring demos, talks, tours, and community activities centered around [...]
LSOP in Action: Oelrichs Public School
The Little Shop of Physics returned to Oelrichs Public School during our Fall 2025 trip to South Dakota, bringing nearly 100 hands-on science experiments to students from Oelrichs as well as neighboring Red Shirt and Porcupine schools. More than 130 students participated in a day filled with exploration, experimentation, and discovery. One of the most [...]
LSOP in Action: St. Francis Indian School
During our Fall 2025 trip to South Dakota, the Little Shop of Physics team made its first visit to St. Francis Indian School on the Rosebud Sioux Reservation. Throughout the day, more than 550 students from pre-K through 12th grade explored nearly 100 hands-on science experiments, discovering physics through curiosity, creativity, and play. This visit [...]
