About Us

Joyful learning through STEAM-driven play.

Thinkery is where Austin’s children and their families come to enjoy play-based, inquiry-rich, hands-on learning experiences.

We believe that innovative, play-based, STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math) learning experiences are a powerful way for children to develop problem-solving skills, critical thinking, and curiosity about the world around them.  Our exhibits and programs encourage children—alongside their caregivers—to solve creative challenges, explore a variety of materials, and to develop new ways to complete unfamiliar projects. Through these activities, children gain the tools and confidence to develop and grow into enthusiastic, creative, lifelong STEAM learners and thinkers.

We recognize that Thinkery is a part of a larger learning ecosystem including schools, home, and the local community.  We understand that people learn best when those different elements are connected and support each other. Thinkery serves as a center for parent-to-parent connection, community engagement, and supportive caregiver networking. We also partner with other Austin-area nonprofits, businesses, schools and community organizations to share innovative learning experiences throughout Austin.

Thinkery’s Beliefs

• Playing is learning.
• Learning is a joyful, fun and lifelong endeavor.
• Children deserve stimulating, sophisticated, well-designed spaces and experiences.
• Children learn best alongside caring, responsive adults.
• Engagement and collaboration with our community are vital to our success.
• We must always approach learning in new and innovative ways.
• We are a community space where people connect, conversations spark, and ideas grow.

Play with a Purpose!

Children learn through play – whether it’s a child-led exploration of the connections between water and sound in Currents; alongside an adult directing your own Stop Motion Animation Station movie in Innovators’ Workshop, an exploration of sensations in Kitchen Lab; experimentation with movement in a Move Studio obstacle course; diving into imaginary worlds during Storytime; or testing out an idea with new materials making your own cardboard creation in a Spark Shop making activity. Play helps develop the ability to imagine, perceive, reason, and problem solve while building a foundation for a lifetime of learning.  

Build STEAM Knowledge

Children begin developing an understanding of STEAM concepts as infants. To support this, Thinkery provides fun, engaging, high-quality STEAM experiences that cut across subject areas and set the stage for how they approach learning into adulthood.  Thinkery children explore cause and effect with electricity and switches during a Scribble Bot Birthday Party, play with patterns manipulating colors in Light Lab, test structure and purpose designing a catapult in Camp, and investigate size and purpose of tiny structures at Micro Eye.

While all children are born with an innate sense of curiosity about the world around them, they need adults to foster, guide and amplify their interests in STEAM. By providing opportunities for parents and caregivers to share in joyful, positive STEAM learning experiences and to see themselves as essential parts of their child’s early learning, we set children up for future success.  

Cultivate Curiosity

Nurturing scientific thinking is essential for developing curious, creative and bold lifelong STEAM learners and thinkers. Thinkery uses the process of inquiry to promote scientific reasoning. We “hand the reins” to children and adults to explore what they find curious–which leads to asking questions, making discoveries, and testing those discoveries in the search for new understanding.

We believe the principles of inquiry and lifelong learning are equally important for our visitors and for ourselves as an organization. Thinkery approaches exhibit and educational program design as an evolving process. We believe our exhibits and educational programs can be expanded and improved: we involve a diverse staff, our visitors and our community to continually enhance our learning experiences.  

Promote Positive Adult-Child Relationships

Thinkery supports adults in the vital work of parenting and caregiving. Adult engagement within a free-choice learning environment is necessarily diverse and multi-faceted. Thinkery provides multiple entry points for adult engagement, integrating opportunities for grown-ups to observe – a child create a masterpiece at Paint Wall, facilitate – an improvement on a co-designed bridge at Build Landscape, and collaborate with – creating a temporal “family portrait” in Frozen Shadows.

In partnership with The University of Texas at Austin and local community organizations, we increase parent/caregiver understanding of early childhood development, children’s scientific reasoning and research-based parenting strategies to enhance parent-child bonding and family well-being.