By Mike Easterling measterling@sfnewmexican.com | Mike Easterling – Apr 17, 2026
The Santa Fe Children’s Museum is one of 20 children’s museums across the country to receive a $10,000 grant for programs that deliver STEM concepts to kids.
The global technology company Cummins Inc. provided the funding for an initiative administered by the Association of Children’s Museums to develop and deliver programs focused on science, technology, engineering and math.
Santa Fe Children’s Museum Executive Director Hannah Hausman said the grant will allow the institution to expand its reach while adjusting its programming.
The museum regularly presents events featuring scientists from Los Alamos National Laboratory, for instance, and takes its two popular mobile planetariums to schools and other sites across New Mexico.
“Education changes and kids change. You have to refine it,” she said, noting approaches to instruction need to evolve with the times and changes in technology to remain effective.
The museum already has begun to take advantage of the funding, Hausman said, refreshing its LEGO-themed Creation Station. The exhibit will offer new features, brick-inspired programs and special events from April through August, including its centerpiece — a wraparound, vertical LEGO wall that spans more than 7 feet.
It also includes a landscape-inspired play table for building bridges and animal habitats, along with a LEGO-themed “cozy corner.” The attraction is intended for children up to age 8.
Hausman said most of the STEM programs at the Children’s Museum are geared toward kids ages 8 to 11, a group she said is “super underserved” when it comes to STEM education.
“They’re not really tweens yet, but they’re not little ones anymore, either,” she said. “We’re trying to provide programming around that group.”
Hands-on or computer based?
Years ago, STEM education was focused almost entirely on hands-on experiences, Hausman said. But the onset of the computer age changed that.
“Suddenly, it went to being very technical, although some of us fought it,” Hausman said. “Now, the reality is, you need to have a balanced mix of both.”
Hausman said it’s never too early to start teaching children STEM concepts, noting even young children can learn the differences between shapes and colors.
“Even babies can learn these things. That is something that is often misunderstood,” Hausman said.
Research shows 92% of boys and 97% of girls lose interest in STEM if they are not immersed in those subjects by the time they are in fifth grade, Danette Howard, Cummins’ global director of education and corporate responsibility, said in a statement. The company is a multinational corporation that manufactures diesel engines, electric vehicle components and power generation products.
“By partnering with children’s museums — trusted community resources where families already gather — we can reach children during the critical early years when STEM attitudes are formed and help ensure that every child, regardless of their background, can see themselves in STEM careers,” Howard said.
New program series
In May, the museum will kick off STEM-related activities by presenting LEGO robotic workshops in conjunction with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Fe/Del Norte Tech Club. The workshops will explore basic engineering and coding concepts through guided activities and creative challenges.
Those events, for kids 6 to 12, will take place at 4 p.m. May 14 and 11 a.m. May 16.
The museum will present a LEGO scavenger hunt June 3. Throughout the promotion, which continues through Aug. 29, children can search for 10 LEGO minifigures hidden around the museum and earn a free pass to Sky Cinemas if they are successful.
Participants will have an opportunity to build a LEGO bridge at 4 p.m July 16 and see how much weight it can hold, test-drive a LEGO car and design a LEGO minifigure. The Boys & Girls Clubs Tech Club also will present another LEGO robotics workshop.
The museum will play host to a Bricks & Brew fundraiser Aug. 26, an adults-only, after-hours event where guests will be invited to create LEGO-inspired art, transform Rice Krispies treats into LEGO bricks and take part in a blind build challenge. Admission is $15 for members and $18 for nonmembers.
And at 11 a.m. Aug. 29, a Logo Lab family workshop is planned when participants will be invited to work together to create a Children’s Museum logo out of LEGOs. The cost is $15 per family.
Hausman said a foundation in STEM education is necessary for everyone.
“You need it in order to grow into a successful human,” she said.
She jokingly compared STEM education to fashion, noting it is never finished, with new ideas coming in waves. That kind of innovation is necessary to keep up with the increased potential of children.
“They’re so smart,” Hausman said. “They’re so beyond where I was at 12. Their skill at solving challenges is really advanced. These kids are amazing.”
