This week at Tiny Sparks Lab, we’re exploring health science in sports—because every athlete has a team of scientists behind them! 🏥 Family Sparks Friday Activity: Body Detective Challenge Today’s activity invites your Tiny Scientist to explore how athletic trainers and sports medicine professionals help athletes stay safe, strong, and ready to play—just like real-life body detectives! Try this together: • Take your Tiny Scientist’s pulse before doing 20 jumping jacks • Do t

Hi, I’m Tonya—and this is my STEM story! Hello Tiny Scientists! My name is Tonya Freeze, and I’m 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 love—whether that’s playing soccer, dancing, or running down the field. I’ve always been curious about how our bodies work. I fir

At Tiny Sparks Lab, we believe children don’t have to wait until they’re “older” to start thinking like engineers. This week’s Discovery Sparks  activity invites your Tiny Scientist to explore the world of software engineering and digital coding —through 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

This week at Tiny Sparks Lab, we’re exploring engineering and technology—because building, designing, and problem-solving are all around us! 🛠️ Family Sparks Friday Activity: Digital Engineer at Work Today’s activity invites your Tiny Scientist to explore how engineers use technology to create, test, and improve ideas —just like real software engineers! Try this together: Look around your home for digital tools  (tablet, phone, laptop, TV, smart devices) Talk about how engin

Hi, I’m Jonathon—and this is my STEM story! Hello Tiny Scientists! My name is Jonathon Wilson, and I’m a software engineer. That means I use coding and software design to create and improve the digital experiences people use every day—like apps, social media platforms, digital storefronts, and more. If people interact with it on a screen, there’s 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

This Black History Month, we’re focusing on representation that matters—because 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 children—so science feels familiar, w

Let’s explore life science together—no 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. There’s no right or wrong—just curiosity. 🌿 Why T

Today’s Discovery Sparks activity invites your Tiny Scientist to slow down, observe, and create. 🎨 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) 🗣️ Conversation Starters for Families: “Which living thing is your favorite?” “What do all living things need?” “Where might this living thing live?” Children learn best when they can

Your Tiny Scientist doesn’t need a lab coat to be a scientist—they already are one. Every time your child asks questions about plants, animals, bugs, or even their own body, they’re engaging in life science . Life science is the study of living things—and 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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