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Drop-off Programs

Kids learn through play while parents get a break during our drop-off STEM programming!

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Drop-off & Discover

Our drop-off programs are designed to provide an exciting and enriching STEM environment for your child in a familiar space while you get some time to yourself! Our drop-off programs have exclusive use of the play space so kids can play freely. Snack provided!

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STEM Enrichment

Program participants tinker with all sorts of hands-on STEM activities both in our classroom and our playspace. Research shows that exposure to STEM concepts in early childhood has a long-term positive impact on kids' academic success, in math, science, literacy, and language as well!

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Learning Together

Kids have a chance to bond with peers and make friends as they learn together through play! In our intimate setting, children get the time, space, and attention they need to truly explore. Small group learning leads to more hands-on experiences, more meaningful conversations, and more opportunities to ask “why?” and “what if?”—the building blocks of scientific thinking.

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Trusted Teachers

Our drop-off programs are led by experienced early childhood educators and include familiar faces from our regular staff. Kids thrive when they feel safe, known, and supported. Our educators bring a thoughtful, play-based approach that balances structure, creativity, and hands-on exploration!

Our Drop-off Programs:

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$45 | Ages 18 mo. - 3 years

Thursdays from 9:00 - 11:00 a.m.

STEM Sprouts gives your little one a chance to play, explore, and learn in a familiar, nurturing space—while you enjoy a well-deserved break! This 2-hour drop-off program includes free play in our STEM-themed play space, hands-on exploration of themed activities in our classroom, and snack time (snack included).

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$38 | Ages 3 - 5

Weds & Thurs from 1:30 - 4:00 p.m.

Our 2.5-hour drop-off program offers preschoolers an engaging STEM experience in a small, supportive setting. With exclusive use of our facility and experienced educators, each week features a new theme and a take-home project. Snack is included, and children must be potty independent.

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For ages 18 months - 3 years

Thursdays from 9:00 - 11:00 AM

Our two-hour drop-off program offers young children a calm, enriching STEM experience in a space all their own.

 

With exclusive use of our facility, a maximum of 12 toddlers, and experienced educators, children receive the attention and support they need to explore with confidence. Each week features a new hands-on STEM theme to spark curiosity and discovery, and snack is included for added ease.

Potty independence is not required, so families can feel comfortable joining when their child is ready. With small group sizes and experienced educators, children enjoy a curated, welcoming environment filled with curiosity, wonder, and discovery.

What makes STEM Sprouts special?

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This two-hour drop-off program gives kids a chance to play and learn with peers while you get a break!

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Hands-on STEM activities with new themes each week spark curiosity & facilitate learning through play

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Exclusive use of our STEM-themed playspace allows kids to spread out and explore freely

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Experienced educators with low student-teacher ratios facilitate learning and socialization in a warm and caring atmosphere

STEM Sprouts Class Themes & Descriptions

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JUNE 4: 🐷 FUN ON THE FARM Get ready for fun on the farm as we wash the pigs, rake weeds, build fences, dig through dried hay, play with tractors, and make animal sounds!

JUNE 11: 🐝 BUSY BEES Make bee prints in honey play dough, explore how bees move pollen, transfer nectar and build a hive as we learn why bees are so important in our environment.

JUNE 18: 🌞 Hello Summer Celebrate the first day of summer with us as we experiment with UV-detecting lizards, set up a Teddy Bear picnic, experiment with melting ice, blow bubbles and play mini golf!

*No classes June 22* We are taking a break from classes June 22 - 26 to set up for our summer camp!

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SEPTEMBER 3: 🧪 PLAYFUL POTIONS Get ready to make some bubbly concoctions as you mix and pour colorful, kid-safe chemicals for some surprising results!

SEPTEMBER 10: 🏠️ JR. ARCHITECTS Little builders will dream, design, and create their own structures in this engineering class! Build cozy forts and towering Duplo skyscrapers, design Magna-Tile homes on a glowing light table, dig through a city sensory bin, and engineer a floating city in the water table!

SEPTEMBER 17: 🦊 AMAZING ANIMALS Take a walk on the wild side as we explore different habitats and the living things that inhabit them! From the icy Arctic to the sweltering rainforests and everything in between, we will explore animals and their features that make them amazing.⁠

SEPTEMBER 24: 🍎 FALL HARVEST Bring in the harvest as we learn about what makes fall special! Pick velcro apples off trees, pack gourds into baskets, pluck seeds from sunflowers and wash dirt off veggies!

OCTOBER 1: 🚧 CONSTRUCTION Beep beep! Get ready to scoop dirt with mini construction trucks, build towers of cardboard bricks and demolish them with a wrecking ball, experiment with kid-friendly hammers, and engineer roads through the building site as we get messy in our construction themed class!

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OCTOBER 8: 🌈 CURIOUS COLORS Explore color & light in this hands-on STEM class! Scoop multicolored sponges from water, reveal baking soda & vinegar color surprises, create rainbow shadows, and sort colorful loose parts on the glowing light panel.

OCTOBER 15:🪁 FLOAT & FLY Experiment with the forces of air and wind as we blow bubbles, test materials in the wind tunnel, use air to knock down towers, lift loads with balloons and build with suction cups!

OCTOBER 22: 🎃 PUMPKINS Dig through real pumpkin guts to find seeds, practice hammering into pumpkins, compare pumpkins by size and weight, and roll pumpkins down ramps

OCTOBER 29: 👻 SPOOKY STEM Get spooky as we create our own witches' brew, dissolve fizzing ghosts, explore spiders and their webs and more in this fun and zany Halloween-themed class!⁠

Ready to book STEM Sprouts?

 

STEM Sprouts participants must be between the ages of 18 months - 3 years. Children may be in diapers or beginning potty training (children must come wearing a diaper or pull-up).

We encourage families to book our monthly registration option to help kids build relationships and foster a sense of community. Monthly registration also offers the best value! Single sessions will open at the start of each month.

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For ages 3 - 5

Wednesdays & Thursdays from 1:30 - 4:00 PM

STEM Club is the ideal program for your preschooler to learn about STEM topics through play!

This 2.5 hour drop-off session gives kids a chance to make new friends, learn about STEM concepts through hands-on experiences, and make their own process-oriented maker projects to take home. This program also includes snack: fresh fruit and a choice of packaged snacks from our playspace. 

What makes STEM Club special?

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This two and a half hour program with exclusive use of our playspace gives kids a chance to play and learn freely while you get a break!

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Hands-on STEM activities with new themes each week spark curiosity, increase confidence, & build a foundation of conceptual understanding.

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Open-ended maker projects emphasize process over product and give kids the opportunity to explore creatively and share their learning at home

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Experienced classroom educators provide educational enrichment in small groups so that kids get a chance to ask questions and explore their big ideas

STEM Club Class Themes & Descriptions

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JUNE 2: 🐷 FUN ON THE FARM Learn about all the important work farmers do and wash the pigs, rake weeds, build fences, dig through dried hay, play with tractors, and make animal sounds! Learn about how farmers make butter and take some home to try for yourself!

JUNE 9: 🐝 BUSY BEES Investigate the importance of pollinators as we create model bees to pollinate chalk flowers, squish hexagons into honey play dough, transfer nectar and build a hive. Make a bubblewrap beehive print and add paper bees as we learn about roles in the hive.

JUNE 16: 🌞 Hello Summer Celebrate the first day of summer with us as we experiment with UV-detecting lizards, set up a Teddy Bear picnic, experiment with melting ice, blow bubbles and play mini golf! Learn about why we wear sunblock and make your own UV-detecting bead bracelet.

*No class June 25* We are taking a break from classes June 22 - 26 to set up for our summer camp!

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SEPTEMBER 2 & 3: 🧪 PLAYFUL POTIONS Learn about chemical reactions as we mix and pour all kinds of kid-safe potions. Experiment with changing colors, dissolving materials, bubbles, and baking soda and vinegar and then make your own potion process art to take home! We will also experiment with building molecular models, catch & pop bubbles from a bubble machine, and play around with potion loose parts!

SEPTEMBER 9 & 10: 🏠️ JR. ARCHITECTS Budding builders will dream, design, and create their own structures in this engineering class! Kids will build cozy forts and towering Duplo skyscrapers, design Magna-Tile homes on a glowing light table, dig through a city sensory bin, and engineer a floating city in the water table, then use building blocks and white paint to create their own blue prints to take home.

SEPTEMBER 16 & 17: 🦊 AMAZING ANIMALS Learn about how animals adapt to their environments as we explore different habitats and the living things that inhabit them! From the icy Arctic to the sweltering rainforests and everything in between, we will explore animals and their features that make them amazing.⁠ Kids will then choose some adaptations to make a fun animal mask to take home!

SEPTEMBER 23: 🍎 FALL HARVEST Learn about the fall equinox and bring in the harvest as we learn about what makes autumn special! Pick velcro apples off trees, pack gourds into baskets, pluck seeds from sunflowers and wash dirt off veggies, then experiment with patterns to make your own beaded fall corn.

SEPT 30 - OCT 1: 🚧 CONSTRUCTION Learn about building and demolition as we build walls with cardboard bricks and knock them down with an inflatable wrecking ball, drive trucks through a dirt sensory bin, practice tools skills and work with pulleys. will look at different kinds of tires and drive trucks through paint to make process art to take home! STEM Club participants will also experiment with measuring tapes, Lincoln Logs, and construction site loose parts.

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OCTOBER 7 & 8: 🌈 CURIOUS COLORS Explore the science of light and tinker with color mixing as we reveal baking soda & vinegar color surprises, create rainbow shadows, sort colorful loose parts on the light panel, and solve a rainbow lock‑and‑key mystery box! Kids will create their own colored play dough to take home!

OCTOBER 14 & 15:🪁 FLOAT & FLY Experiment with the forces of air and wind as we blow bubbles, test materials in the wind tunnel, use air to knock down towers, lift loads with balloons and build with suction cups! We will also make cars drive with hand fans, send plastic discs flying through the play space, and practice folding and flying paper airplanes! Kids will use straws and paper to make their own zippy glider to take home.

OCTOBER 21 & 22: 🎃 PUMPKINS Compare and contrast real pumpkins and practice math skills as we weigh and measure, use geometric shapes to make pumpkin faces, hammer golf tees into pumpkins and tickle our fingers through a pumpkin patch sensory bin. Use paper punches to create your own pumpkin shadow puppets! Get busy in our play space moving pumpkins in wagons and playing with pumpkin & fall loose parts.

OCTOBER 28 & 29: 👻 SPOOKY STEM Celebrate Halloween with a little STEM fun as we experiment with fizzing ghosts, explore spiders and their webs, and mix up spooky brews! We’ll also wind up characters to go ‘trick‑or‑treating,’ climb through a giant spider web, and make cool Halloween art with stamps and paint.

Ready to book STEM Club?

STEM Club participants must be between the ages of 3-5 and potty independent (able to communicate the need to use the restroom, manage clothing, wipe independently, and wash hands without assistance).

 

We encourage families to book our monthly registration option to help kids build relationships and foster a sense of community. Monthly registration also offers the best value! Single sessions will open at the start of each month.

Peek Inside STEM Club

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For ages 3 - 5

Select Fridays from 5:00 - 7:30 PM

STEM Club is the perfect opportunity for your preschooler to learn about STEM topics through play! This 2.5 hour drop-off program gives kids a chance to make new friends, learn about STEM concepts through hands-on experiences, and make their own process-oriented maker projects to take home. This program also includes snack (fresh fruit and a choice of crunchy snacks from our play space). Caregivers will have an opportunity to select their child’s snack upon arrival, and kids may bring a snack from home if desired.

What makes Parent's Night Out special?

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Two and a half hours of childcare means kids a chance to play and learn with peers while you get a break!

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We serve a kid-friendly dinner of pizza, veggies & juice at 6 PM 

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Exclusive use of our STEM-themed playspace allows kids to spread out and explore freely

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Open-ended makerspace materials give kids free reign to create whatever they imagine!

STEM Club Class Themes & Descriptions

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JAN 6: 🪇 SOUNDS LIKE FUN Learn about the science of sound as we experiment with pitch, volume and rhythm! Try different musical instruments, guess mystery sounds, use kitchen utensils to test out how different pots and pans sound and engineer your own shaker to bring home.

JAN 13: 🌋 ROCKS, FOSSILS & VOLCANOES Learn about different kinds of rocks and how they form as we use playdough to make model fossils, take a closer look at geodes on the light table, sift through sand in a model fossil dig, and experiment with kid-safe volcanic eruptions! Make your own sparkling watercolor geode to take home.

JAN 20: 🏰 FAIRYTALES The Gingerbread Man, Rapunzel, Jack, and The Billy Goats Gruff need our help! Use catapults, parachutes, slides and building skills to solve problems for these familiar friends. Make a an optical illusion toy to turn a frog into a price!

JAN 27: 🌨️ GROUNDHOG DAY & WEATHER Learn about the science of weather and making predictions as we read about this wacky holiday and construct different cloud types, build a groundhog den, and experiment with rain, wind & model tornados! Make your own groundhog shadow puppet to take home.

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FEB 3: 🧠 HUMAN BODY Learn more about what makes us tick as we listen to heartbeats, examine X-rays, inflate lungs, assemble skeletons, and make organs out of playdough! Learn about how fingerprints are unique and make art with your fingerprints to take home.

FEB 10: 💗 VALENTINE’S STEM Spread the STEM love as we celebrate Valentine’s day with themed STEM activities including fizzy baking soda hearts, flying rose petals in the wind tunnel, coffee filter chromatography, and a rose petal rice sensory bin! Make a cute clothespin “love bug” to take home.

FEB 17: 🌀 PLAYFUL PATTERNS Explore visual and textured patterns as we make patterns with playdough, sand, crayons, colored beads, and light! Use patterned collage paper and washi tape to pair together a paper pattern quilt to take home.

FEB 24: 👃 FOLLOW YOUR NOSE Investigate your sense of smell as we mix fresh herbs into play dough, draw on sandpaper with cinnamon sticks, activate tea bags with warm water, and play with a citrus sensory bin! Test your smelling skills by matching scents and painting scratch and sniff art to bring home.

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MARCH 3: 🪺 BIRDS, NESTS & EGGS Learn about different birds & their adaptations including nest types, beak shape, diet and colors! Learn which bird makes a nest with its own spit and make your own papier-mâché to mimic the process!

MARCH 10: 🚗 THINGS THAT GO Investigate force & motion as we roll cars, float boats, fly planes, twist cranks, and launch rockets. Use makerspace supplies to personalize your own rolling box car!

March 17: 🐣 WELCOME SPRING Investigate signs of spring as we collect eggs, examine flower buds, match mother and baby animals, and make pretend chicks chirp, then create a flowering spring branch to take home.

MARCH 24: ⚖️ BALANCING Experiment with weight and levers as we investigate different balancing toys & games, compare weights with scales, balance our bodies on stepping stones and create a collaborative hanging mobile! Use makerspace supplies to build a “balancing buddy” to take home.

MARCH 31: 🧪 SCIENCE SURPRISES Jump into kid-friendly chemistry as we pop bubbles, whisk up taste-safe foam, use chemical reactions to inflate balloons, and experiment with pH indicators before we make our own marbled “magic milk” print.

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3709-A University Drive Durham, NC 27707

919-213-8527

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