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Get hands-on with the history and the process of invention! Try all sorts of ways to get creative!

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Tinker Ball

Tinker Ball is back! Playing around with objects and ideas helps us see that there may be more than one solution.

Computer-generated sketch of tree picker machine
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Design a 21st Century Farming Device

What types of farming will your device be used for? Who will use your invention?

Computer-generated drawing of solar panels in the shape of a houseplant charging a cell phone
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Create a Solar-Powered Invention

Create a solar-powered invention with virtual materials—or design your own parts and pieces.

Rocket launcher made from wood and other materials
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Design a Spacecraft

Design a spacecraft with virtual materials—or create your own parts and pieces.

Computer-generated image of a shopping cart
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Reinvent the Shopping Cart

Reinvent a shopping cart with these virtual materials—or create your own parts and pieces.

U-Sketch pick your color green orange blue lavender purple black

Story Tags

  • Agriculture and horticulture (Relevance: 1.5873015873016%)
  • Assistive technology (Relevance: 1.5873015873016%)
  • Behind-the-scenes (Relevance: 23.809523809524%)
  • DIY/Maker Movement (Relevance: 7.9365079365079%)
  • Design (Relevance: 4.7619047619048%)
  • Education (Relevance: 6.3492063492063%)
  • Inclusion (Relevance: 1.5873015873016%)
  • Industry and manufacturing (Relevance: 3.1746031746032%)
  • Invention at Play (Relevance: 9.5238095238095%)
  • Invention process (Relevance: 7.9365079365079%)
  • Kid inventors (Relevance: 12.698412698413%)
  • Kid-friendly (Relevance: 57.142857142857%)
  • Medicine, health, and life sciences (Relevance: 4.7619047619048%)
  • Music (Relevance: 3.1746031746032%)
  • Photography, film, television, and video (Relevance: 3.1746031746032%)
  • Play (Relevance: 4.7619047619048%)
  • Spark!Lab (Relevance: 100%)
  • Spark!Lab Network (Relevance: 31.746031746032%)
  • Toys and games (Relevance: 3.1746031746032%)
  • Women inventors (Relevance: 6.3492063492063%)
  • kids (Relevance: 1.5873015873016%)
Computer-generated image of people in a mass transit vehicle
DO Try This at Home!

Create a Mass Transit Vehicle

Create a mass transit vehicle (bus, plane, boat, train, spacecraft or something totally new) with virtual materials—or create your own parts and pieces.

A scooter made by a child
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Invent a Toy

Invent a new toy with virtual materials—or create your own parts and pieces.

Computer-generated parts to invent something to help clean up the ocean
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Help Clean Up the Ocean

Use virtual materials—or create your own parts and pieces—to build a 3D model of your invention that could help clean up the ocean.

Computer-generated object moving through a pipe
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Invent a Device That Can Move Through a Pipe

Invent a device that can move through a pipe with these virtual materials—or create your own parts and pieces.

3 Sparky stick figures tumbling around a drawing of a light bulb.
DO Try This at Home!

Design a Stadium

Design a stadium with virtual materials—or create your own parts and pieces.

Sparky logo
DO Try This at Home!

Invent a Musical Instrument

You can invent an instrument using common items found around your house. What type of instrument will you create?

Cover of Let’s Go Shopping with Peter and Penny children’s book
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Let’s Tell a Story!

Stories tell us how inventions came to be and what inspired the inventors.

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.

Computer-generated design work surface
DO Try This at Home!

Design an Innovative Voting Poster

Design a poster that will encourage people to vote in every election.

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!

An array of craft materials
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At-Home Inventors

Lots of inventors worked from home – what will you invent?

Now What? game graphic
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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
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Spark!Lab Activities

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

Sparky logo
Spark!Lab

Frequently Asked Questions about Spark!Lab

Draper Spark!Lab is a hands-on invention activity center where visitors learn that invention is a process and that everyone is inventive.

DO Try This at Home!

Puzzle Blocks

Playing with games and puzzles helps hone our ability to recognize and understand categories, patterns, and associations.

See More Stories

VIEW 2686 Matching Results

Found 2686 Stories

  • Agriculture and horticulture (Relevance: 5.1377513030529%)
  • Air and space (Relevance: 6.5897244973939%)
  • Chemistry (Relevance: 2.9784065524944%)
  • Food and drink (Relevance: 3.0528667163068%)
  • Industry and manufacturing (Relevance: 7.2598659717051%)
  • Medicine, health, and life sciences (Relevance: 4.5793000744602%)
  • Military technology (Relevance: 3.2390171258377%)
  • Mining and drilling (Relevance: 3.4623976172748%)
  • Patents and trademarks (Relevance: 11.392405063291%)
  • Photography, film, television, and video (Relevance: 3.5368577810871%)
  • Power generation, motors, and engines (Relevance: 3.4623976172748%)
  • Spark!Lab (Relevance: 3.3879374534624%)
  • Telegraph, telephone, and telecommunications (Relevance: 3.0528667163068%)
  • Textiles and clothing (Relevance: 3.2762472077439%)
  • Transportation (Relevance: 5.8451228592703%)
  • Women inventors (Relevance: 3.0528667163068%)
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