Kid Spark Education is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that believes every student deserves access to STEM education that can change their lives. They help elementary and middle schools disrupt the pattern of educational inequity by providing STEM education early and consistently to all their students. By giving students of all backgrounds and abilities an equal chance to learn and love STEM, they are nurturing a next generation of successful professionals, bold thinkers, and passionate leaders.
All Kid Spark Education programs include free curriculum, STEM Labs, and online professional learning.
Which programs are you interested in?
Please visit Kid Spark Education's website, use the links above, or contact your Regional Manager for more information.
Pre-K - 1st Grade STEM Program
Kid Spark’s Pre-K - 1st Grade STEM Program focuses on helping young students develop important competencies that are prerequisite for a lifetime of STEM learning. While many students learn these fluencies at home, this program helps fill in critical gaps that may exist, especially for underserved and underrepresented students.
All children are natural designers, but they need to learn foundational STEM fluencies in order to think like engineers and scientists. Regardless of their age, all children must acquire these basic fluencies to make sense of more advanced STEM learning opportunities, and to be successful in a technologically-driven world.
CURRICULUM
There are a total of four units of instruction included in Kid Spark’s Pre-K - 1st Grade STEM Program. Each unit of instruction includes a unit overview, four lesson plans, and a unit assessment. Most lessons average 30 - 35 minutes and include opportunities for students to apply what they have learned through creative challenges.
The units include:
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It's All About the Blocks
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I Am an Engineer
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Making Things Strong
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Making Things Move
Register for free to access the entire Kid Spark curriculum and professional development library
FOUNDATIONAL FLUENCIES STEM LAB
The Foundational Fluencies STEM Lab is designed to support Kid Spark’s Pre-K - 1st Grade STEM Program. The carefully curated materials in the lab are child-friendly and unintimidating; the larger scale allows for collaborative learning. Even the most inexperienced students can quickly and easily build sophisticated prototypes, and increase their confidence in STEM.
Each Lab serves up to two (2) students and Includes:
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Engineering Materials - 45 large-scale building components, 50 small-scale building components
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Printed Curriculum Booklets - Includes teacher preparation materials, unit overviews, lesson plans, project building plans, and unit assessments
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Transparent Lid - Includes inventory & organization guide to easily locate and manage materials in the lab
PROFESSIONAL LEARNING
To help educators prepare to use program materials and resources in their classrooms, Kid Spark offers professional learning courses through our online learning management system.
Please contact your Regional Manager for more information.
2nd - 5th Grade STEM Program
In Kid Spark’s 2nd - 5th Grade STEM Program, students jump right into the shoes of a real engineer as they explore applied mathematics, mechanical & structural engineering, and robotics & coding.
Students focus on concepts such as how to make things strong, how to make things move, how to measure, how to use a design and engineering process to solve a challenge, and how to design and program robotic systems. As students progress through the program they gain confidence in their ability to author with technology to solve real-world problems and design new solutions.
CURRICULUM
There are a total of five units of instruction included in Kid Spark’s 2nd - 5th Grade STEM Program. Each unit includes a unit overview, multiple hands-on lessons, and a unit assessment. All lessons follow Kid Spark’s convergent to divergent learning format, which allows students to learn new content and then apply what they have learned through creative invention challenges.
The units include:
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Kid Spark Basics
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Mechanisms & Movement
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Applied Mathematics
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Robotics & Coding 101
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Exploring Sensors
Register for free to access the entire Kid Spark curriculum & professional development library
STEM PATHWAYS LAB
The STEM Pathways Lab supports Kid Spark’s 2nd - 5th Grade STEM Program and covers a broad range of technologies and curriculum. Students get hands-on as they explore concepts in structural and mechanical engineering, applied mathematics, and coding and robotics.
Each lab is designed to accommodate students working collaboratively in teams of 2 - 4 students and includes:
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Engineering Materials - A large assortment of structural building components, articulating components, and robotics and electronic components.
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Spark:Bit Robotics Controller - At the heart of the STEM Pathways Lab is Spark:bit, a Micro:bit-based robotics controller that can be combined with sensors, motors, and other Kid Spark engineering materials to create interactive, robotics systems. Students with little to no coding experience start with simple drag and drop coding and can transition to text-based coding when they are ready.
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Supported by Microsoft’s MakeCode programming environment.
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Compatible with most computer operating systems including Chromebook, MacOS, and Windows.
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Includes Motor Override Mode feature which allows users to power motor and light modules with no programming required.
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Transparent Lid - Includes inventory & organization guide to easily locate and manage materials in the lab
PROFESSIONAL LEARNING
To help educators prepare to use program materials and resources in their classrooms, Kid Spark offers professional learning courses through our online learning management system.
Please contact your Regional Manager for more information.
6th - 8th Grade STEM Program
In Kid Spark’s 6th - 8th Grade STEM Program, students explore challenging STEM concepts from their everyday world, authoring with technology to solve problems and create new solutions. Students explore concepts in structural & mechanical engineering, physics, rapid prototyping & 3D printing, computer science, and robotics.
All supporting curriculum in the 6th - 8th grade program follows Kid Sparks convergent to divergent lesson format which challenges students to learn new STEM concepts and then apply what they have learned in creative ways. These experiences give students the skills and confidence to persist in STEM throughout their lives.
CURRICULUM
There are a total of six units of instruction included in Kid Spark’s 6th - 8th Grade STEM Program. Each unit includes a unit overview, multiple hands-on lessons, and a unit assessment. All lessons follow Kid Spark’s convergent to divergent learning format, which allows students to learn new content and then apply what they have learned through creative invention challenges.
The units include:
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Kid Spark Basics
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Simple Machines
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Compound Machines
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Rapid Prototyping & 3D Printing
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Loops & Variables
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Integrated Engineering Challenges
Register for free to access the entire Kid Spark curriculum & professional development library
STEM PATHWAYS LAB
The STEM Pathways Lab supports Kid Spark’s 6th - 8th Grade STEM Program and covers a broad range of technologies and curriculum. Students get hands-on as they explore concepts in structural and mechanical engineering, applied mathematics, and coding and robotics.
Each lab is designed to accommodate students working collaboratively in teams of 2 - 4 students and includes:
-
Engineering Materials - A large assortment of structural building components, articulating components, and robotics and electronic components.
-
Spark:Bit Robotics Controller - At the heart of the STEM Pathways Lab is Spark:bit, a Micro:bit-based robotics controller that can be combined with sensors, motors, and other Kid Spark engineering materials to create interactive, robotics systems. Students with little to no coding experience start with simple drag and drop coding and can transition to text-based coding when they are ready.
-
Supported by Microsoft’s MakeCode programming environment.
-
Compatible with most computer operating systems including Chromebook, MacOS, and Windows.
-
Includes Motor Override Mode feature which allows users to power motor and light modules with no programming required.
-
-
Transparent Lid - Includes inventory & organization guide to easily locate and manage materials in the lab
PROFESSIONAL LEARNING
To help educators prepare to use program materials and resources in their classrooms, Kid Spark offers professional learning courses through our online learning management system.
Please contact your Regional Manager for more information.
