BRIGHT SPARKS MISSION
Helping young children think bravely like scientists.
Bright Sparks Play Lab creates joyful, sensory-informed STEM experiences where young children can move, experiment, make a mess, try again, and follow their own ideas.
Children are invited to participate in ways that honor their bodies, their pace, and their curiosity, while families build connection and community alongside them.
At the heart of every lab, children experience:
Curiosity.
“What is your hypothesis?”
Discovery through their senses.
“What do you feel?”
Resilience.
“Scientists try again.”
COMMUNITY IMPACT
Every young child deserves access to science and engineering they can touch, feel, and experience.
That’s why Bright Sparks creates free or low-cost community events that increase access to early science experiences for young children.
Science starts before children know it is science.
Young children are naturally curious. They wonder, test, build, fail, and try again. Bright Sparks is designed to grow that spark so they can see themselves as scientists.
FREE OR LOW COST COMMUNITY SCIENCE EXPERIENCES
FOR CHILDREN AGES 1-5+THEIR GROWN-UPS
LIST OF PAST ACCESSIBLE COMMUNITY SCIENCE + ENGINEERING PLAY
TODDLER ENGINEERS LAB: SIMPLE MACHINES
Simple Machines · August 2026
A Bright Sparks Fellowship Project by Sarina Shah
Sensory play by Fabiola Velasquez Rendon
with FIRST 5 Santa Clara County
ICE LAB
States of Matter, Friction + Chemical Reactions · July 2026
RAINBOW + BUBBLES LAB
Color Mixing + Bubble Chemistry · July 2026
A Bright Sparks Fellowship Project featuring Emilia Franco, Sarina Shah + Isabella Fonseca
CRECIENDO JUNTOS
The Science of Sound + Music · June 2026
with Sunday Friends Foundation
SPRING OPEN LAB
Plants, Magnetism + Gravity · April 2026
with FIRST 5 Santa Clara County
TOUCH-A-TRUCK FUNDRAISER
The Science of Ramps + Wheels · April 2026
for San Jose Parents Nursery School
FALL DISCOVERY LAB
Absorption, Air + Leaf Boat Engineering · October 2025
UPCOMING COMMUNITY SCIENCE
SAN JOSÉ PUBLIC LIBRARY COMMUNITY CELEBRATIONS
October 2026
Bright Sparks Fellowship
Growing early childhood STEM leaders and innovators.
Bright Sparks supports emerging early childhood STEM leaders and innovators as they develop new ways for young children to experience science through their senses.
Fellows work closely with Bright Sparks program designer and occupational therapist Jen Godin through a structured mentorship process. They co-design experiences, build prototypes, pilot ideas with tiny scientists, and ultimately lead their work with children and families in the community.
WE SPARK MORE IMPACT TOGETHER.
Bright Sparks is grateful to our Fellows and Volunteers, and to community partners at First 5 Santa Clara County, Sunday Friends Foundation, Mountain View High School, San José State University, San José Public Library, for helping bring joyful science experiences to young children and families.
