​​​​​​​​​​The South Valley Science and Engineering Initiative (SVSEI) hosted our third annual FREE, family friendly, hands-on EXPLORE STEAM FAIR on Saturday, January 24, 2026, at Live Oak High School in the small gym from 11am-2pm. The fun science, technology, engineering art, and math (STEAM) based activities were geared for TK-12th grade students - with adults welcomed to participate too! 

 

Over 315 fairgoers played and learned about STEAM from 55 booth partners and their assistants representing 24 booths from 12 Morgan Hill Unified School district campuses, the Coyote Grange and Maker Faire, Morgan Hill Library, City of Morgan Hill Stormwater program, Ann Sobrato High School's Girl STEMpowerment California and Future Engineers Clubs, Silicon Valley Career Technical Education, Gamma Alpha Sorority, Oakwood School, RAAC Academy, and FTC Hyperion. The participating MHUSD campuses were: Barrett Elementary School, El Toro Health Science Academy, Jackson Academy of Math and Music, Los Paseos Elementary School, Nordstrom Elementary School, Paradise Valley Engineering Academy, San Martin/Gwinn Elementary School, PA Walsh STEAM Academy, Britton Middle School, Martin Murphy Middle School, Live Oak High School, and Ann Sobrato High School.

 

Thank you teachers, administrators, pupils, community members, student clubs, technologists, and nonprofits for staffing EXPLORE '26's hands-on activity booths and volunteering for the myriad fair tasks. And thank you Dr. Carmen Garcia and Dr. Diana Jimenez for encouraging so many MHUSD campuses to participate in EXPLORE '26!

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​EXPLORE '26's activities consisted of the following:

• Robotics -drivable, coding, and maze running​

• Scribblebots

• Keva planks

• Merge EDU cubes

• Resin and sand art, gold foiling, glitter planets, critter in a capsule

• Watershed modeling, vermicomposting, and interactive SW sorting

• Balloon hovercrafts

• Arduino circuitry builds

• Coding bracelets

• Air powered rockets

• Straw rockets

• Whirligigs

• Vacuum forming

• Coding

• Coloring

• Floating boats challenge and smelling test

• Battery circuitry, marshmallow towers, and straw flutes

• Hot Wheels Speedometry

• Interactive computer games

• Density tubes and cellular respiration labs

• UV beads and potting native plants

• Candy DNA, insulating cups, and music making

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​​​​​​​​​​​Thanks so much to our 51 volunteers from the MH Kiwanis, AAUW Morgan Hill, Ann Sobrato and Christopher High Schools Key Clubs, Britton Middle School Builders Club,​ Scout Troops 799 and 2799, Gilroy Philanthropy, Leadership, Community Service, and Restorative Justice Diversion Program members, and local community members.

 

The following are a few comments from parents, booth partners, and volunteers about EXPLORE '26:

 

"Five star out of five star event- congratulations! It was so nice to walk around the Fair and see all the kids involved in hands-on activities. I was particularly pleased to see all the teen volunteers."

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"Thank you so much for having us at the EXPLORE STEAM Fair! My girls and I had an absolute blast working with all the kids who stopped by our booth. This was an amazing event and we are so thankful for all the work you and your team put into running EXPLORE '26. Everything was so well organized, and it was a joy to be part of it. We can't wait until next year!"

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"We loved our time at the fair!"

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"Thank you for hosting the event today!" My son "had such a wonderful time and has been playing with the rocket he built all evening."

 

For more about EXPLORE '26, see the January 30, 2026, Morgan Hill Times article about SVSEI's event.

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It was SVSEI's pleasure to host EXPLORE '26. We could not have done it without all of you!​ Stay tuned for information about EXPLORE '27 - and looking forward to having you join us again.

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