Hands-On Discovery
Ramps, magnets, water, seeds, magnifying glasses, real tools. Children ask a question, try something, watch what happens, and try again — the root of every scientific habit.
Our Approach
Play. Connect. Grow.
Children here spend their days building, testing, making, and figuring things out — in a group of six, with a teacher who has the room to follow where each child's curiosity goes. Balanced routines and real relationships hold it all together.
The heart of our approach
Five connected pillars
We focus on the whole child — supporting their body, mind, and heart through everything we do.
Making & Creating
Art, music, building, and pretend play with open-ended materials — where there is no one right answer, so children learn to invent their own.
Independence
We wait before we rescue. Pouring their own water, working out a disagreement, finishing the hard puzzle — competence is built one "I did it myself" at a time.
Six Children Per Teacher
Half of California's legal maximum for preschool. Small enough that we notice what a child is curious about today — and build tomorrow around it.
A Happy Child Learns More
All of the above rests on a child who feels safe, known, and delighted. Joy is not the reward for learning here — it is the engine of it.
Two languages, no pressure
A bonus that comes with the day. Children don't study German here — they live alongside it in song, story, and play. No German at home required.
Book a tourDiscovery & STEM
Real science, at three years old
Early STEM isn't worksheets or screens. It's a ramp that's too steep, a tower that keeps falling, and a child who tries it eleven more ways. We set up the question and then get out of the way.
Investigate & Test
Ramps, magnets, water, light, seeds, scales, magnifying glasses. Predict, try, watch what happens, adjust — the scientific method before anyone names it.
Build & Engineer
Blocks, loose parts, cardboard, and real child-sized tools. Structures that fall down are the lesson, not the failure.
Make & Imagine
Open-ended art, music, and pretend play with no right answer — so a child has to think of something nobody handed them.
Nature & Movement
Two hours outdoors, gardening, weather, bugs and mud. The original science lab, and the one that also grows healthy bodies.
"Every child has potential. When we support their whole self and meet them with love, they can shine in their own beautiful way."
Heike Planka
Founder · Mom · Educator · Advocate
A day at SparkLab
Predictable rhythm, room to wonder
A gentle, repeatable flow between energy and calm helps children feel safe — and safety is what frees them to explore.
Morning · energy
Explore & create
- Warm welcome & free play — greeted by name in two languages.
- Circle time — songs, stories, weather, and the day ahead.
- Discovery stations — building, art, water, nature, dramatic play.
- Outdoor adventure — movement, gardening, and calculated risk.
Afternoon · calm
Rest & recharge
- Lunch from home — shared, unhurried, full of conversation.
- Rest & quiet — restorative downtime for growing bodies.
- Hands-on learning — sensory play, cooking, music, storytelling.
- Second outdoor block — completing our two-hours-outdoors promise.
Curious how your child would fit in?
Every child is different. On a tour we'll talk about your child specifically — their temperament, interests, and how SparkLab might suit them.
Book a tour