top of page


â Discovery Sparks: The Science of Your Heart & Muscles in Motion
Hello Tiny Scientists! Today weâre exploring an exciting piece of your body science â how your heart and muscles work when you run, jump, and play! Whether youâre bouncing a basketball or racing your friend down the yard, your body is doing amazing work behind the scenes. When you move fast, your heart starts beating quicker to pump oxygen-rich blood to your muscles. Your muscles then use that oxygen to make energy â kind of like how a car needs gas to go! đ Todayâs Discover
Erica Benjamin
Feb 212 min read
Â
Â
Â


â Family Sparks Friday: Sports Science at Home!
This week at Tiny Sparks Lab, weâre exploring health science in sportsâbecause every athlete has a team of scientists behind them! đĽ Family Sparks Friday Activity: Body Detective Challenge Todayâs activity invites your Tiny Scientist to explore how athletic trainers and sports medicine professionals help athletes stay safe, strong, and ready to playâjust like real-life body detectives! Try this together: ⢠Take your Tiny Scientistâs pulse before doing 20 jumping jacks ⢠Do t
Erica Benjamin
Feb 201 min read
Â
Â
Â


âTiny Sparks: My STEM Story
Hi, Iâm Tonyaâand this is my STEM story! Hello Tiny Scientists! My name is Tonya Freeze, and Iâm an Athletic Trainer. That means I am part of a healthcare team that helps athletes stay safe, strong, and healthy. I work to prevent injuries before they even happen, and if someone does get hurt, I help them heal so they can get back to doing what they loveâwhether thatâs playing soccer, dancing, or running down the field. Iâve always been curious about how our bodies work. I fir
Erica Benjamin
Feb 172 min read
Â
Â
Â


đť Discovery Sparks: Exploring Software Engineering & Digital Coding
At Tiny Sparks Lab, we believe children donât have to wait until theyâre âolderâ to start thinking like engineers. This weekâs Discovery Sparks  activity invites your Tiny Scientist to explore the world of software engineering and digital coding âthrough imagination, observation, and creativity. Software engineers use computers to build, design, test, and improve  the digital tools we use every day. From apps and games to websites and online stores, engineers are problem-solv
Erica Benjamin
Feb 72 min read
Â
Â
Â


đ Family Sparks Friday: Engineering Everywhere!
This week at Tiny Sparks Lab, weâre exploring engineering and technologyâbecause building, designing, and problem-solving are all around us! đ ď¸ Family Sparks Friday Activity: Digital Engineer at Work Todayâs activity invites your Tiny Scientist to explore how engineers use technology to create, test, and improve ideas âjust like real software engineers! Try this together: Look around your home for digital tools  (tablet, phone, laptop, TV, smart devices) Talk about how engin
Erica Benjamin
Feb 61 min read
Â
Â
Â


âTiny Sparks: My STEM Story
Hi, Iâm Jonathonâand this is my STEM story! Hello Tiny Scientists! My name is Jonathon Wilson, and Iâm a software engineer. That means I use coding and software design to create and improve the digital experiences people use every dayâlike apps, social media platforms, digital storefronts, and more. If people interact with it on a screen, thereâs a good chance someone like me helped build it! My love for technology started early. As a kid, I loved video games and wanted to kn
Erica Benjamin
Feb 32 min read
Â
Â
Â


Happy Black History Month from Tiny Sparks Lab!
This Black History Month, weâre focusing on representation that mattersâbecause when children see themselves reflected in books, illustrations, and learning spaces, they begin to imagine themselves in those fields with confidence and possibility. At Tiny Sparks Lab, that intentionality shows up everywhere. In We Are Scientists, the characters are thoughtfully designed to reflect the brilliance, curiosity, and everyday experiences of Black childrenâso science feels familiar, w
Erica Benjamin
Feb 11 min read
Â
Â
Â


Family Activity: Life Safari
Letâs explore life science togetherâno travel required! Activity:  Life Safari  Go on a short walk outside, look out a window, or explore your backyard or neighborhood. Together, look for living things , such as: Plants Insects Birds Pets People Talk about what you see: What does it look like? What do you think it needs to live? Where do you think it lives? You can draw what you find, talk about it, or just observe together. Thereâs no right or wrongâjust curiosity. đż Why T
Erica Benjamin
Jan 311 min read
Â
Â
Â


Discovery Sparks: Nature Explorer
Todayâs Discovery Sparks activity invites your Tiny Scientist to slow down, observe, and create. đ¨ Discovery Sparks Activity: Nature Explorer  Use the coloring sheet to: Color plants, animals, and insects Circle the living things Talk about what living things need to survive (air, water, food) đŁď¸ Conversation Starters for Families: âWhich living thing is your favorite?â âWhat do all living things need?â âWhere might this living thing live?â Children learn best when they can
Erica Benjamin
Jan 311 min read
Â
Â
Â


Your Child Is Already a Life Scientist!
Your Tiny Scientist doesnât need a lab coat to be a scientistâthey already are one. Every time your child asks questions about plants, animals, bugs, or even their own body, theyâre engaging in life science . Life science is the study of living thingsâand your child naturally observes, wonders, and makes sense of the world around them every day. You can support this curiosity by slowing down and noticing together : A plant growing near your home A bird, bug, or pet Changes i
Erica Benjamin
Jan 271 min read
Â
Â
Â


Discovery Sparks: Listen to Your Body
This weekâs Discovery Sparks activity is all about slowing down, moving your body, and noticing the amazing changes happening inside you. Whether youâre jumping, running, or dancing in place â your body is always working hard to keep up! đŞđžâ¨ Print todayâs Listen to Your Body Coloring Sheet  and give your Tiny Scientist a chance to color, move, and discover how their body responds to exercise. đ¨ Color + Explore As your child colors, talk about whatâs happening in their body
Erica Benjamin
Jan 31 min read
Â
Â
Â


Perseverance Starts Small â And It Starts at Home!
If youâve ever watched a child try something againâŚand againâŚand again, youâve 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 âwhy?â long after the adults are tired. That persistence â that Iâm-not-done-yet  energy â is where real learning begins. And the best part? Itâs already happening at home. Perseverance I
Erica Benjamin
Dec 16, 20252 min read
Â
Â
Â


âď¸ Family Sparks Friday: The Great Temperature Test!
Hot, cold, warm, brrrr â 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.  đ§đĽđ§ ⨠Letâs warm up those science brains! đŁď¸ Talk About It Ask your Tiny Scientists: â What happens to things when they get really cold?â What do you think heat does to the same object?â Why
Erica Benjamin
Dec 12, 20252 min read
Â
Â
Â


Raising Future Problem Solvers â How Everyday Play Builds Critical Thinking Skills
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 worldâs tiniest engineering firm. And the truth is â our Tiny Scientists donât need fancy tools to build big brains. They just need space to explore and experiment their way through the day. Everyday play isnât âjust playing.â Itâs problem-solving in disguise. Kids Are Born Problem Solvers Children naturally tin
Erica Benjamin
Dec 9, 20252 min read
Â
Â
Â


Tiny Scientists Take the Lead: Letting Kids Ask the Questions â Child-Led Learning in Action
When you watch children explore, something magical happens. Their eyes widen, their hands reach, and suddenly the world is full of possibilities  you didnât even notice. And the truth is â our Tiny Scientists donât need us to give them all the answers. They just need us to create space for their questions! Child-led learning isnât about giving up control. Itâs about giving children the confidence to notice, wonder, and ask, âWhat happens ifâŚ?â Thatâs where science truly begin
Erica Benjamin
Dec 2, 20252 min read
Â
Â
Â


đ Family Sparks Friday: The Magic Skittle Color Spread
Skittles donât just taste  like a rainbow â today weâre going to make  one. đđThis colorful kitchen experiment shows your Tiny Scientist how sugar, water, and a little patience can turn a plate of candy into a swirling masterpiece. Letâs explore the sweet science behind melting colors! đŹâ¨ đŁď¸ Talk About It Ask your Tiny Scientists: â What do you predict will happen when the warm water touches the Skittles?â Why do you think the colors move but donât mix right away?â Which
Erica Benjamin
Nov 29, 20252 min read
Â
Â
Â


đś Family Sparks Friday: The Sound of Gratitude
Sound isnât just noise â itâs vibration , movement, and tiny waves traveling through the air. And just like sound, gratitude can spread from one person to another with one small âgood vibration.â Today, weâre exploring how sound travels by making a simple homemade guitar. đ¸â¨ đŁď¸ 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
Erica Benjamin
Nov 21, 20252 min read
Â
Â
Â


âď¸ Family Sparks Friday: The Melting Magic of Salt + Ice
Ice doesnât just melt â sometimes it rushes  to melt⌠especially when salt enters the chat. đ§đToday weâre exploring a fun, chilly mystery your freezer already knows: Why does salt make ice melt faster? Letâs investigate this cool little chemistry trick together! âď¸â¨ đŁď¸ 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
Erica Benjamin
Nov 14, 20251 min read
Â
Â
Â


Science in the Kitchen: 5 Things You Can Do Before Dinnerâs Ready
The Kitchen: Where Curiosity Meets Cooking Letâs face it â if your familyâs 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 hereâs a secret most people donât realize: your kitchen is one of the best science labs in the world. Every day, thereâs chemistry, physics, and biology happening right between the fridge and the sink. So before dinnerâs ready,
Erica Benjamin
Nov 11, 20253 min read
Â
Â
Â


đ Family Sparks Friday: The Colors of Light
Light isnât just white  â itâs full of hidden rainbows waiting to shine through! đĄâ¨When light bends, it splits into all the colors that make our world so bright and beautiful. Letâs explore how! đ 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
Erica Benjamin
Nov 7, 20251 min read
Â
Â
Â
bottom of page
