Locations & Dates

2026 Pop-Up Events

Habitot offers a variety of family opportunities for hands-on art, play, and STEM learning, in both outdoor and indoor locations — just right for 1-5 year olds with siblings always welcome!

Mobile Museum Events

Habitot’s full-day Mobile Museum events take place in public parks, libraries, and other venues for families throughout the East Bay. Enjoy our popular Waterworks water play exhibit, Giant Blue Building Blocks, Rocket Launcher, Magnetic Ball Wall, Art and Sensory activities, and Boat and Rocket Maker Stations that will keep kids and adults engaged for hours! 

May 9 – Oakland (No registration necessary)

May 30 – San Leandro Register

June 13 – Oakland (Registration link coming soon)

Sensory Playdates

These half-day indoor events take place in community centers and libraries, offering a rotation of sensory learning experiences that are key for early childhood development: exploring slime, play dough, bubbles, art materials, and hands-on craft and building projects. Playdate themes are often tied to seasonal or multicultural celebrations.

May 17 – Oakland (outdoor + exhibits!) Register

June 27 – Hayward (Registration coming soon)

Build It! Block Parties

These half-day indoor events take place in larger community centers with lots of floor space for open-ended construction and building. Imagine what you will build with our large sets of LEGO’s, DUPLO’s, Keva blocks, and Giant Blue Imagination Playground blocks. These are active play and movement events that encourage both collaborative and individual building projects. Make and take home LEGO constructions!

June 6 – Oakland (Registration coming soon)

Good to Know

Advance registration is recommended for all events as most are fully subscribed. Sign up for timed sessions through Eventbrite — links are posted about three weeks before each event. Day-of walk-ups admitted on a space available basis.

The majority of our 2026 events are FREE, thanks to funding from First 5 Alameda County. Some events are donation based, or offered on a sliding scale and free for EBT families.

Get announcements/links to upcoming events by signing up for our biweekly Totmail newsletter with at-home activities here.

“Mellow Hour” One timed session at each event is designated for neurodivergent children and/or those needing a less stimulating experience or special accommodations. Please email reservations@habitot.org with any accommodations your family would appreciate and we’ll do our best.

What to Expect!

Fun, interactive activity stations for small hands and bodies!

Rocket & Vehicle Launcher

Launch your very own handmade rocket 15 feet into the sky with our hand-cranked air pressure contraption.

Rocket Building & Tinkering

Design, build, and decorate your rocket from recycled materials. Test how high it launches in our new rocket launcher. Decide if your make-and-keep rocket needs anything added to it or taken away. An astronomically fun design activity.

WaterWorks

Playing with water is a learning opportunity! Explore boats, funnels, buckets, and streams to learn about the properties of water, and just have fun!

Boat Making & Tinkering

Build a boat using recycled materials, and test it out in the Waterworks exhibit. If the boat doesn’t float, tinker with it and try again. The boat is yours to keep!

Art & Sensory Play

Explore of a variety mixed media art materials, create art, and promote early childhood development through sensory play with slime, gak, playdough, or foam. All experiences encourage “process” over “product.”

Paintable Wall

Imagine an entire mural created by children on our giant paintable wall! We provide nontoxic washable paint and aprons.

Magnetic Ball Run

Design your very own ball run on our giant magnetic wall with endless combinations of tubes and gutters for carrying balls across and down.

Imagination Playground Blocks

Build a fort, a castle, a ball ramp, or anything you can imagine with Imagination Playground’s big foam blocks. This is a great activity for making new friends as you build together!

Baby Ball Pit

Just for the littlest ones — a waterless pool filled with multi-colored plastic balls. Lots of giggles!

Bubble Stations (at selected events)

Surround a kid in a bubble tower, make bubble wands, and create giant bubbles.

We’re interested in your ideas for future Mobile Museum events: 2-minute survey HERE.

If you or someone you know would like to underwrite the cost of one of these events in your area, or if you have recommendations for corporate sponsors, please email grants@habitot.org Thank you!

Thank you to Mobile Museum Supporters

The majority of our 2026 events are FREE, thanks to funding from First 5 Alameda County. In additional to First 5 Alameda County, 2026 funding comes from Red Oak Realty Opportunity Fund (ROOF), Chevron, and the Alameda Art Commission.

Our 2023-24 Mobile Museum tour was supported by the Specified General Fund for the Museum Grant Program under the California Cultural and Historical Endowment, the City of Berkeley, the Alameda Art Commission, Red Oak Realty Opportunity Fund (ROOF), and Chevron.

The 2022-23 Mobile Museum tour was supported by Kaiser Permanente, the Institute for Museum and Library Services, Red Oak Realty Opportunity Fund (ROOF), the Alameda Art Commission, and Chevron.

The 2021 Mobile Museum tour was supported by the City of Berkeley, the Alameda Art Commission, and Chevron.

Corporate Employee Pop-Up

Habitot now offers pop-up events as Corporate Employee Events! For more information, check out our Corporate Employee Pop-Up Event Page!