Spark!Lab

Spark!Lab is a hands-on invention workspace where children and their families and friends can learn about and engage in the history and process of invention. It is a space to engage the entire family while presenting challenges ranging from simple to complex and allowing all visitors to recognize their inner Inventor!

• Invention is a process.
• Everyone is inventive.
• Invention and innovation have been – and continue to be – an important part of the American Experience.

History, science, engineering, and art are incorporated throughout the lab.  

Activities:

• Invent-A-Vehicle Build a vehicle to be used on another planet. Vehicles are made from reusable materials, and components are on a scale that encourages collaboration and imaginative play.
• Soundscapes Use different parts and pieces to create music and pathways for marbles. See what sounds are made with different configurations.
• Marble Run Learn about geometric shapes, engineering, physics, magnets, number counting, and architectural and structural design while building a marble run.
• Hex Bugs and Kapla Blocks Design a maze for the Hex Bugs. It needs to have 3 beginnings/ending points.
• Spark!Lab Jr Read a book, measure the distance between two objects, examine bugs under a magnifying glass are just a few of the activities awaiting our younger guests.
• STEM Stencils STEM is everywhere! The Solar System. A Cheese Pizza. Music.  Animals. Using the various stencils provided, create a new game. Draw a Flow Chart to describe your day. Plan your next vacation. The Universe is the limit!

Spark!Lab History Month Theme: International Space Station

November: Aviation
Bulletin Board 1:  Bernoulli’s Principle
Bulletin Board 2: Flying Fun Facts

December: Great Observatories
Bulletin Board 1:  James Webb & Hubble Space Telescopes
Bulletin Board 2: Stars & Constellations

Spark!Lab Hands on Learning Activities

Location/Times: Spark Lab (Each event is within Spark!Lab hours of operation 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.)      

• [Daily] Leaf Gliders - Discover the physics of flight using autumn leaves! Guests will engineer and test their own gliders constructed primarily from paper leaves and simple materials, exploring concepts like aerodynamics, lift, and drag.
• [Mondays]- Design and Build a Tom Turkey Trap - In this creative and hands-on STEM challenge, guests will apply the principles of simple machines and engineering design to construct a working turkey trap. Guests will plan their design, select materials, build and test their traps, and then present the mechanics behind their solution. Get ready to use your physics knowledge to make a fantastic contraption!
• Nov. 20th Happy Birthday Edwin Hubble! Join us for a stellar activity that lets you explore the universe like an astronomer! Guests will first become engineers by constructing their very own model of the Hubble Space Telescope using simple materials. This hands-on challenge helps visualize the scale and components of this legendary observatory. After constructing their telescopes, guests can unleash their creativity with Hubble Coloring Pages.
• Nov.23rd- Fibonacci day- This activity offers a visual and hands-on way for guests to explore the Fibonacci Sequence and its relationship to the Golden Ratio and the iconic Golden Spiral. Guests will use stencils of increasing square sizes—corresponding to the numbers in the Fibonacci sequence.

• [Daily]- Ornament Design - Get ready to deck the halls! In this festive, hands-on activity, guests will unleash their creativity to design and build unique holiday ornaments.
• [Mondays]- Jingle Bells in Space! On December 16, 1965, Gemini 6 astronauts Wally Schirra and Tom Stafford completed the first-ever space rendezvous. After successfully demonstrating their orbital maneuvers, the crew surprised Mission Control by playing the first song ever broadcast live from space: "Jingle Bells," using a harmonica and a set of miniature sleigh bells! Build your very own Gemini jingle bells and learn why there is no sound outside the capsule in the vacuum of space!
• Dec. 17th- Wright Brother’s Flight - Celebrate the anniversary of the Wright Brothers' historic December 17th flight by combining aviation history with modern aerospace engineering! In this activity, guests will honor the pioneers of flight by building their own unique NASA ring-wing gliders.
• Dec. 23rd- James Webb Space Telescope (Pack a Space Telescope) - Space telescopes can offer us clearer views of the universe, but getting these large, delicate pieces of equipment into orbit is tricky. Participants learn the challenges faced by engineers in designing and building complicated tools that can fold to fit inside a spacecraft and then unfold again when they deploy in orbit. Guests will design, build, pack, and deploy their own James Webb Telescope models in this activity.

STEAM Literature Series (SLS)

Click here for more information about our SLS program.

Join us Thursdays at 10:30 for stories and hands-on activities!

Content of schedule subject to change