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Hi, I’m Dr. Tanielle—and this is my STEM story! Hello Tiny Scientists! My name is Dr. Tanielle Brew Smith and I’m a primary care doctor in Florida. As a primary care doctor, I take care of people of all ages —from tiny babies to grown-ups who are over 100 years old (my oldest patient is 101!). I knew I wanted to be a doctor after watching my grandmother, who was a nurse. Seeing her care for others and help people in our community inspired me to do the same. From that moment o

This week’s Discovery Sparks activity is all about slowing down, moving your body, and noticing the amazing changes happening inside you. Whether you’re jumping, running, or dancing in place — your body is always working hard to keep up! 💪🏾✨ Print today’s Listen to Your Body Coloring Sheet  and give your Tiny Scientist a chance to color, move, and discover how their body responds to exercise. 🎨 Color + Explore As your child colors, talk about what’s happening in their body

Science is everywhere — even in the sounds we hear every day. This week’s Family Sparks Friday  invites you and your Tiny Scientist to explore sound  using simple materials and curious questions. No fancy tools required — just a willingness to listen closely. What You’ll Need Small containers (plastic cups, empty spice jars, or snack containers) Rice, beans, pasta, or cereal Spoons or sticks A quiet space to explore How to Explore Place a different material into each containe

When we look back on this year at Tiny Sparks Lab, one thing is clear: our Tiny Scientists have been teaching us just as much as we’ve been teaching them. Through coloring sheets, family conversations, kitchen experiments, and quiet moments of observation, we’ve seen curiosity show up again and again — not loud or flashy, but thoughtful, persistent, and powerful. This year wasn’t about perfect experiments. It was about sparks . What Our Tiny Scientists Showed Us Over and over

This week’s Discovery Sparks activity is all about stepping outside, slowing down, and noticing the tiny wonders hiding in nature. Whether it’s a butterfly fluttering by, mushrooms near a tree, or a ladybug taking a stroll — there’s science everywhere! 🍃🐞✨ Print today’s Nature Explorer Coloring Sheet  and give your Tiny Scientist a chance to color, imagine, and discover the world around them. 🎨 Color + Explore As your child colors, talk about the different plants, insects,

If you’ve ever watched a child try something again…and again…and again, you’ve witnessed perseverance in its purest form. Before kids ever learn the word perseverance , they live it. They keep stacking the blocks after the tower falls. They keep pouring even after the spill. They keep asking “why?” long after the adults are tired. That persistence — that I’m-not-done-yet  energy — is where real learning begins. And the best part? It’s already happening at home. Perseverance I

This week’s Discovery Sparks coloring page takes your Tiny Scientist straight into the kitchen lab ! Kids get to explore how different ingredients dissolve in warm water — a simple, hands-on experiment that builds observation skills and early chemistry thinking. And of course, they get a fun coloring page to bring the adventure to life! 🎨🧪 🧪 Try This Experiment! Materials: 3 clear cups Warm water Sugar Salt Baking soda Spoon for stirring (optional) Steps: 1️⃣ Fill each cup

Hot, cold, warm, brrrr — temperature changes everything ! Today your Tiny Scientist will explore how heat and cold affect everyday materials using one simple experiment. Get ready for shrinking, stretching, squishing, and mind-blowing observations about how temperature changes matter.  🧊🔥🧠✨ Let’s warm up those science brains! 🗣️ Talk About It Ask your Tiny Scientists: ⭐ What happens to things when they get really cold?⭐ What do you think heat does to the same object?⭐ Why

When you watch children play, something incredible unfolds. Blocks turn into towers, spoons become catapults, and suddenly your living room is the headquarters of the world’s tiniest engineering firm. And the truth is — our Tiny Scientists don’t need fancy tools to build big brains. They just need space to explore and experiment their way through the day. Everyday play isn’t “just playing.” It’s problem-solving in disguise. Kids Are Born Problem Solvers Children naturally tin

This week’s Discovery Spark invites your Tiny Scientists to explore one of the coolest forces on Earth — gravity!  With a simple drop test, kids get to observe how different objects fall and make predictions just like real physicists. Grab a ball, grab a feather, and let curiosity lead the way! 🖍️ Download & Print Get your Discovery Sparks  coloring sheet featuring our young scientist + an easy hands-on activity your child can try at home.👉 🧠 Talk About It Encourage your T

When you watch children explore, something magical happens. Their eyes widen, their hands reach, and suddenly the world is full of possibilities  you didn’t even notice. And the truth is — our Tiny Scientists don’t need us to give them all the answers. They just need us to create space for their questions! Child-led learning isn’t about giving up control. It’s about giving children the confidence to notice, wonder, and ask, “What happens if…?” That’s where science truly begin

Get ready for some hands-on fun! Today’s Discovery Sparks Coloring Sheet  gives your Tiny Scientist a chance to imagine, explore, and bring a science scene to life with their favorite colors. 🎨🧪🌈 Coloring isn’t just creative — it helps build focus, fine-motor skills, and confidence. And when you mix art with science? That’s when the real  sparks fly! ⚡💡 🧠 For Tiny Scientists Use your crayons, markers, or colored pencils to make this science scene your own! What do you th

Skittles don’t just taste  like a rainbow — today we’re going to make  one. 🌈👀This colorful kitchen experiment shows your Tiny Scientist how sugar, water, and a little patience can turn a plate of candy into a swirling masterpiece. Let’s explore the sweet science behind melting colors! 🍬✨ 🗣️ Talk About It Ask your Tiny Scientists: ⭐ What do you predict will happen when the warm water touches the Skittles?⭐ Why do you think the colors move but don’t mix right away?⭐ Which

Dr. Erica Benjamin Williams — affectionately known as Dr. B  — is an educator, coach, and science-lover whose mission is simple: spark curiosity, confidence, and joy in every child she encounters. With over a decade of experience teaching and supporting teachers, Dr. B has dedicated her career to making science feel accessible, affirming, and exciting for all families — especially those who don’t always see themselves represented in STEM spaces. Her work blends deep education

Sound isn’t just noise — it’s vibration , movement, and tiny waves traveling through the air. And just like sound, gratitude can spread from one person to another with one small “good vibration.” Today, we’re exploring how sound travels by making a simple homemade guitar. 🎸✨ 🗣️ Talk About It Ask your Tiny Scientists: What happens to the pitch when you stretch the rubber band tighter or looser? How does the vibration make the sound louder or softer? What does the sound remin

Seeing Yourself in Science When I first started teaching, I quickly noticed something that broke my heart a little. My students — bright, curious, and imaginative — rarely saw themselves  in the science materials we used. The scientists in the textbooks didn’t look like them. The lab photos, posters, and videos were missing faces that reflected our classrooms. And when my students went searching online, they saw more “white coats” than they did people of color . Representatio

Ice doesn’t just melt — sometimes it rushes  to melt… especially when salt enters the chat. 🧂👀Today we’re exploring a fun, chilly mystery your freezer already knows: Why does salt make ice melt faster? Let’s investigate this cool little chemistry trick together! ❄️✨ 🗣️ Talk About It Ask your Tiny Scientists: Why do you think the ice cube with salt melts faster? What do you notice happening to the surface of the salty ice? Where have you seen salt and ice used together in r

The Kitchen: Where Curiosity Meets Cooking Let’s face it — if your family’s anything like mine, the kitchen is where everything  happens. Homework at the counter. Dinner bubbling on the stove. Somebody sneaking snacks. Somebody else spilling them. But here’s a secret most people don’t realize: your kitchen is one of the best science labs in the world. Every day, there’s chemistry, physics, and biology happening right between the fridge and the sink. So before dinner’s ready,

Light isn’t just white  — it’s full of hidden rainbows waiting to shine through! 💡✨When light bends, it splits into all the colors that make our world so bright and beautiful. Let’s explore how! 💭 Talk About It Ask your Tiny Scientists: What colors do you see when sunlight shines through a glass or a puddle? Why do you think we can see different colors? What happens when you mix colors on paper versus when you mix light? Encourage them to make predictions and explain their

The Beautiful Chaos of Learning Let’s be honest — science can get messy. Between the vinegar volcanoes, the flour explosions, and that one glitter incident we don’t talk about anymore (R.I.P. my favorite rug), I’ve learned that every mess tells a story. And if you lean in just a little closer, you’ll realize that story is all about discovery. That “oops” moment when the water overflows? Observation. That curious poke into the slimy goo? Experimentation. That wide-eyed “Whoa,