Little Explorers’ S.T.E.A.M. Night: Big Curiosity, Hands-On Learning & Lots of Fun!
Little Explorers’ S.T.E.A.M. Night: Big Curiosity, Hands-On Learning & Lots of Fun!
What happens when more than 225 children, parents, caregivers, volunteers and community partners come together to play, build, experiment and discover?
You get a pretty amazing night of learning through play!
On May 7, 2026, Help Me Grow Livingston and Great Start Livingston welcomed Livingston County families with young children to a FREE Little Explorers’ S.T.E.A.M. Night at Navigator School in Pinckney.
Throughout the evening, little explorers moved from activity to activity with their grown-ups—building, sorting, experimenting, creating, moving, wondering and trying things again and again.
For little learners, S.T.E.A.M. looks a lot like PLAY!
Welcome, Little Explorers!
From the moment families arrived, there was something to explore. Children could move at their own pace, spend extra time at a favorite activity and experience S.T.E.A.M. in ways that made sense for their age and interests.
What Does S.T.E.A.M. Look Like When You’re Little?
S.T.E.A.M. stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math. But for babies, toddlers and preschoolers, those big ideas don’t need to look like school.
They can look like stacking blocks and figuring out why a tower falls. Sending a ball down a ramp and changing its path. Sorting colorful objects. Testing whether something sinks or floats. Mixing colors. Looking closely at a turtle shell or nest. Watching a robot move. Or trying an idea that doesn’t work—and deciding to try it another way.
Young children are naturally curious. Hands-on play gives them opportunities to ask one of the most important questions in early learning:
“What happens if I do this?”
So Many Ways to Explore
Everywhere families turned, there was something new to touch, build, create, test or discover. Community partners created hands-on experiences that gave young children lots of different ways to explore S.T.E.A.M. through play.
| Activity | Community Partner | What Children Explored |
|---|---|---|
| Blocks & Magnatiles | Hamburg Township Library | Building, spatial reasoning, counting, symmetry, balance and early engineering |
| Pom-Poms & Tweezers | Pinckney Community Public Library | Sorting, classifying, counting, patterns and fine motor skills |
| Sink or Float? | Livingston County 4-H | Making predictions, testing ideas, observing and discovering what sinks or floats |
| Play-Doh Creations | Becky Raden & Ruth Chelenyak, Pinckney GSRP | Creating, shaping, spatial thinking, problem-solving and fine motor skills |
| Loose Parts Nature Crafts | Becky Raden & Ruth Chelenyak, Pinckney GSRP | Natural materials, textures, sensory observation, design and creativity |
| Pipette Painting | Kensington Woods Schools | Color mixing, predicting, observing and fine motor skills |
| Nature Investigation | Kensington Woods Schools | Examining natural specimens, using magnifying tools, observing details, comparing shapes and textures and asking questions about the natural world |
| Butterfly Coffee Filters | Little Sprouts Learning Trees & Volunteer | Color mixing, capillary action, symmetry, design and art |
| Robotics | STEAM Syndicate | Robotics, engineering, technology, movement, problem-solving and how things work |
| Ramps & Balls | General Motors | Gravity, speed, force, cause and effect, testing and early engineering |
| Exploring Informational Text | Lisa Pecorilli-Eoll, Livingston ESA | Vocabulary, real-world knowledge, observation, questions and curiosity |
| Gross Motor Exploration | Brighton District Library & Volunteers | Movement, balance, coordination and spatial awareness |
The best part? Children didn’t need to know whether they were “doing science” or “practicing engineering.” They were playing—and along the way they were observing, predicting, building, creating, comparing, communicating, moving, solving problems and trying again.
Learning in Action
🔎 Looking Closely at the Natural World
At the Kensington Woods Schools nature investigation station, children had an opportunity to examine real natural specimens up close. Bones, shells, nests, rocks and other objects became clues for young scientists to investigate.
With magnifying tools in hand, children could look for tiny details, compare shapes and textures, describe what they noticed and ask questions about what they were seeing.
That’s science at its most basic—and most powerful: notice something, get curious, look closer and ask questions.
Ask. Create. Improve.
S.T.E.A.M. Night wasn’t only about giving children fun things to do. We also wanted parents and caregivers to see how easily they can encourage curiosity and problem-solving during everyday play.
Families were introduced to a simple three-step engineering process:
ASK
Wonder together: “What do you think will happen?”
CREATE
Give your child a chance to try their idea: “Let’s try it and see what happens!”
IMPROVE
When something doesn’t work the first time, keep exploring: “What could we change and try next?”
Sometimes the tower falling down is the best part of the experiment. It gives children a reason to wonder why—and an opportunity to try again.
Our Community Brought S.T.E.A.M. to Life
One of our favorite parts of Little Explorers’ S.T.E.A.M. Night was seeing so many different parts of our community come together around young children and families.
A huge thank you to Hamburg Township Library, Pinckney Community Public Library, Livingston County 4-H, Pinckney GSRP, Kensington Woods Schools, Little Sprouts Learning Trees, STEAM Syndicate, General Motors, Brighton District Library, Livingston Educational Service Agency and the many volunteers who helped make the evening possible.
Our partners didn’t just set up tables. They got down on children’s level, asked questions, demonstrated, encouraged experimentation and gave families opportunities to explore together.
This is what a connected early childhood community can look like.
Families + schools + libraries + businesses + community organizations working together so young children can learn, grow and thrive.
And It Was All FREE for Families!
We wanted families to be able to come, explore and enjoy the evening together without worrying about cost.
🍕 Free pizza for everyone.
Families could grab dinner, sit together for a few minutes and then head right back out to exploring.
📚 A free book for everyone.
Everyone who attended was invited to choose a book to take home—children and grown-ups alike! It was one more way to extend the learning, conversation and connection beyond S.T.E.A.M. Night and into families’ homes.
From the hands-on activities to dinner and books to take home, the entire evening was offered at no cost to families.
Thank You to General Motors & Livingston County United Way
Little Explorers’ S.T.E.A.M. Night was made possible through an early childhood community impact grant from General Motors in partnership with Livingston County United Way.
Their support helped us remove cost as a barrier for families by making the event free to attend, providing free pizza for everyone and a free book for everyone, and helping us create an evening where Livingston County families could simply come together, play, learn and connect.
More Smiles, Exploring & Discovery
We took a lot of pictures—and we’re sharing them because they tell the story of the evening better than we ever could. These are the moments we love: children concentrating, families exploring together, community partners sharing what they know and little learners discovering something new.
Thank You, Livingston County!
To every family who joined us, every community partner who created an activity, every volunteer who helped welcome families, serve pizza, share books, set up and clean up—and everyone who got down on a child’s level to play and discover with them—thank you.
More than 225 members of our community came together for an evening centered around our youngest learners, their families and the power of learning through play.
STRONG SYSTEMS. CONNECTED COMMUNITIES.
And lots of curious little explorers!
Keep Exploring with Help Me Grow Livingston
Have questions about your child’s development? Wondering what milestones come next? Looking for activities, programs or resources for your family?
Help Me Grow Livingston helps Livingston County families connect with developmental screening, information and local resources to support young children as they grow.
