STEM you can draw.

Spark and Sketch teaches kids ages 6 to 10 the building blocks of science, technology, engineering and math through art. Watch a short video, learn the idea, then play a game that uses it. Every lesson is free.

Play Mirror Magic Play Honeycomb Hunt
Play & Learn

Lessons you can play

Each lesson has three parts: a one-minute video, the big idea in small steps, and a game to try it yourself. More lessons arrive with every new video.

Lesson 1 · Hosted by the Mathematician

Mirror Magic

SymmetryAges 6–1010 min

“I see symmetry everywhere: in spider webs, in leaves, even in your face! Let’s find the line where two halves match.”

The big idea

  1. A line of symmetry cuts a picture into two matching halves.If you folded the picture on that line, the halves would land right on top of each other.
  2. One half is the mirror image of the other.Everything gets flipped. A spot on the far left has a twin on the far right.
  3. Count from the line.If a square is 2 steps to the left of the line, its twin is 2 steps to the right. Same row, same color.
Make it with art

Fold a paper in half and open it. Paint blobs on one side only, fold it shut, press, and peel it open. You just made a symmetric butterfly.

For grown-ups: lines of symmetry (Common Core 4.G.A.3), with an early start for grades 1–3.

Game: Finish the picture

The left half is done. Paint the right half so it mirrors the left. Pick a color, then tap squares.

Your paint

Start next to the dotted line and work outward.

Lesson 2 · Hosted by the Environmental Engineer

Honeycomb Hunt

Shapes & anglesEnvironmental engineeringAges 7–1015 min

“Bees are nature’s engineers! They build with hexagons so no space and no wax gets wasted. How could we build like bees?”

The big idea

  1. A tessellation is a pattern of shapes with no gaps and no overlaps.Floor tiles, brick walls and honeycombs are all tessellations.
  2. Look where the corners meet.All the way around one point is a full turn, which is 360 degrees (360°).
  3. The corners have to add up to exactly 360°.A hexagon corner is 120°. Three of them make 120 + 120 + 120 = 360. A perfect fit!
  4. Bees pick the shape that wastes the least.Honeycomb walls are made of wax, and bees must eat lots of honey to make wax. Hexagons hold the same honey as triangles or squares but need less wall, so the hive saves its food.
  5. Engineers ask the bee’s question.“How do we build it with less material and less waste?” That’s why airplanes, doors and even cardboard use honeycomb shapes inside. They stay strong and light while using less stuff.
Make it with art

Reuse an empty cereal box: cut out a hexagon and use it as a stencil. Trace it, slide it so one edge touches, and trace again. Keep going until the page is a honeycomb, then color it in. Bonus: count how many cells you made from one stencil and zero new cardboard.

For grown-ups: angles as parts of a 360° turn (Common Core 4.MD.C.5), adding angles (4.MD.C.7), and comparing design solutions (NGSS 3-5-ETS1-2).

Game: Which shapes tile?

Pick a shape. Add tiles around the dot and watch the corners add up. Then decide: does it tile with no gaps?

0°0° of 360°360°

Does it tile with no gaps?
Part 2 · Engineer’s challenge

Which hive uses the least wax?

Three shapes tile with no gaps: triangles, squares and hexagons. In each hive below, every cell holds the same amount of honey. Wax walls cost the bees honey to make. Which hive should the bees build?

Tap the hive you think uses the least wax.

Coming next · Hosted by the Architect

The Trinket Box

Fold six squares into a box you can decorate and keep. Kids learn how a flat pattern called a net turns into a 3D shape, then test which nets really fold into a box.

The Kids

Meet the crew

Seven kids, seven kinds of scientists and engineers. Each one wears a hoodie of a favorite animal and leads the lessons they know best. Names and finished art are on the way.

The Book

A picture book is on the way

The whole crew stars in our first picture book: big feelings, big speech bubbles, and a little bit of math hiding on every page.

Spark and Sketch

Picture book · cover coming soon

Where the money goes

Every copy sold helps

  • Makes more free lesson videos
  • Pays for supplies at our in-person events
  • Puts free copies of the book in local schools and libraries
Events

We teach in person, too

Our volunteers bring lessons to fairs, libraries and classrooms. Kids leave with something they made and a STEM idea they can explain.

What a session looks like

  • Watch a lesson video together
  • Build the art project with our volunteers
  • Play the game and take the project home

Upcoming events

Our event calendar is being planned. Check back soon to find us near you.

Shop

Wear the crew

Every purchase funds free lessons. Our shop opens soon on a partner store, and these buttons will take you there.