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Found 80 Stories
An adult man is working with a young girl on an activity in SparkLab
Spark!Lab

About Spark!Lab

Draper Spark!Lab is where museum visitors become inventors.

Ralph Baer playing his Telesketch game, 1977
Encouraging Innovative Thinking

Ralph H. Baer Endowment for Invention Education

Contributions to the Ralph H. Baer Endowment will support invention education through the Lemelson Center.

A hand waving over a sensor mounted on a text label
Blog

Inventing a Touchless Button

The path from idea to working invention.

A town made of paper and craft materials, with a hospital, a NASA rocket, and other buildings
Blog

Innovating the Spark!Lab Experience during a Pandemic

Springfield Museums’ Spark!Lab pioneered methods to safely reopen their hands-on space to the public.

Cartoon-like drawing of a wrench with the words “tweak it”
Blog

Spark!Lab Reboot: Reflect and Tweak

Inventive thinking can turn interruptions into opportunities.

Hand tools and a CNC router
Blog

Missing the Physical World of Spark!Lab

What ever happened to touching stuff as a means of experience?

Invent It Challenge logotype
Encouraging Innovative Thinking

Spark!Lab Dr. InBae & Mrs. Kyung Joo Yoon Invent It Challenge

The Spark!Lab Dr. InBae & Mrs. Kyung Joo Yoon Invent It Challenge is a fun way to practice the invention process by actually creating something new that matters to the world, either by yourself or with a team of friends.

An array of parts from which a creature can be made; includes blue polyester fur, hinged aluminum rods, miscellaneous Lego bits and 3D-printed parts, and small balls made into eyes.
Blog

Encouraging Inventive Thinking Over Winter Break

Use the time and resources you have to foster inventive thinking in your family this winter break!

Sparky logo
DO Try This at Home!

Calling Young Inventors!

Spark!Lab’s 2020 Dr. InBae and Mrs. Kyung Joo Yoon Invent It Challenge needs you!

Now What? game graphic
DO Try This at Home!

Spark!Lab's Now What? Invention Game

Unexpected problems often call for inventive solutions.

A young girl works on the Invent a Skate Park activity
DO Try This at Home!

Spark!Lab Activities

You can explore the history and process of invention through Draper Spark!Lab activities at home, too!

Triangular Brownie Inventor Badge
Blog

Calling All Brownie Girl Scout Inventors

Bring your Brownie troop to Spark!Lab, where everyone is an inventor!

3D printed wearable components
Blog

Game Controllers for All

Developing an adaptive game controller activity

A toy mouse in a yellow, wedge-shaped car
DO Try This at Home!

The Power of a Challenge

Some famous inventions have come about because of a competition. What will you invent if challenged?

Cover for book Not a Box showing a line drawing of a rabbit standing next to a box
Blog

My Favorite Invention Books

We’ve filled the Spark!Lab Thinking Spot with children’s books that promote inventive creativity.

3 Sparky stick figures tumbling around a drawing of a light bulb.
Blog

How Many People Does It Take to Rotate a Spark!Lab?

Counting heads and hands that took part in the August transition.

An older woman and a very young boy work together on a hands-on activity
Blog

What Does It Take to Make a Spark!Lab?

Looking at your world through the lens of invention.

A yellow comment card completed by an eight year old Spark Lab visitor. The card prompts the visitor to fill out responses to what they invented, what they learned, what they loved, and what they didn't like. This visitor invented a new kind of top, learned that when they spin something it stays up straight, they loved inventing it, and they didn't like all the work.
Blog

Evaluation in Spark!Lab

We iterate our process not just by doing the job, but also by improving how we do it each time.

A grouping of different colored #D-printed plastic pieces that form a prosthetic hand with 2 articulated fingers. The fingers are green plastic with orange wishbone-shaped pieces connecting the joints. The hand is connected to an electronic control box.
Blog

Reinventing the Prosthetic Hand Activity

Using lessons learned to make pivotal tweaks.

A young girl and boy are sitting on the floor, testing their inventions of vehicles with wheels and sails. The little girl seems to be blowing into the paper sail of one vehicle.
Blog

What Does Literacy Look Like in Spark!Lab?

We craft various open-ended experiences in the invention lab, helping visitors show off a vast array of skills, knowledge, and abilities.

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