Pittsburgh area high school students came together at the University of Pittsburgh to address world water crises and spread awareness. Without a formal structure, creativity thrived and students took ownership of their campaigns.

A national video game design contest takes the game controller out of kids’ hands and replaces it with the reins. The National STEM Video Game Challenge, an initiative of the Smithsonian Institution in partnership with the Joan Ganz Cooney Center and E-Line Media, is soliciting applications for its fourth annual game design competition. High school and middle school students are invited to submit entries by February 25, 2015.

The Maker Education Initiative is coming to Pittsburgh this summer. And along with 3D technology, robots, and rideables, these techie mentors aim to give kids more than just great summer memories.

As the sizes and prices of 3D printers shrink, students—and their teachers—are discovering new and creative ways to put them to work.

This holiday season, spark a lifelong love of STEM learning with gifts that give the kids in your lives a chance to tinker: a visit to the MAKESHOP, a roll of duct tape, a mini circuitry kit, and much more.

How educators are using “design thinking” to help kids develop key critical thinking and problem solving skills.

Education and technology innovators from Pittsburgh joined international colleagues at the Mozilla Festival for “less yack, more hack.”

Partnerships with museums, libraries and youth organizations help ensure that kids stay engaged and learning all summer long.

As technology empowers today’s kids to explore, create, and share their interests in new ways both in and out of school, ensuring access to quality arts education for all our students is an imperative.

The MakeShop is a new three-room learning space invites children to design and construct objects as part of maker culture, a growing DIY movement for all ages.

Here at Spark, we’re big supporters of learning-through-doing. We love projects that get children’s hands dirty and their minds working at the same time. We’re always excited to hear about successful programs that put this practice into action, which is why the work of eighth graders at the School at Columbia caught our eye. A […]

Check out the interesting talk Mark Frauenfelder gave at TEDxKids in Brussels a few weeks ago. Mark Frauenfelder is the Editor in Chief for Make magazine, a publication that uses technology to create do-it-yourself projects. As Mark explains in his talk, this same emphasis on design can augment the educational experience of children when used […]