Spring Break at BSP
5 days of fun and excitement!
The BSP Express is Full Steam Ahead!
Join us for Spring Break at the Park.
Join us March 16–20 from 9:30AM – 2PM along the Nature Pathway for Spring Break at BSP, a fun-filled week of hands-on STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts & Math) activities, engaging vendor experiences, and family-friendly performances. Each day kicks off with live shows at 9:30AM and 12PM, followed by a variety of interactive vendor activities from 10AM – 2PM that are perfect for all ages! Just follow the Lakeland Regional Health Circulator to either Mable the Mosaic Owl or the GiveWell Community Foundation Nature Center when you arrive at the park.
*This is NOT a “kid drop off” event. Children who wish to participate in Full STEAM Ahead should arrive with, and be accompanied by, their adult or caregiver throughout the duration of the event. All ages are welcome to enjoy the week’s festivities.
Monday, March 16, 2026
Fat Cat Caterpillar: The Storybook Musical
9:30 + 12PM
Join author Ja’Nia Hardem for a musical storytime of Fat Cat Caterpillar, a comingof-age story about a trio of singing cocoa butterflies and their friend Fat Cat. This engaging and interactive musical invites guests to enter the world of Fat Cat, a fun and colorful environment where they sing and dance gaining information about science, music, dance, and social skills. Fat Cat Caterpillar was written “to contribute to cultural tradition by telling stories that add educational value and life lessons, like the Anansi Fables, folklore and fairy tales of old.”
Aerospace Center for Excellence
Paper Airplane Launch
Design and fold a paper airplane. Test your design by flying it through the hoop!
Bonnet Springs Park
Native Animals
Explore replicas of animals found at Bonnet Springs Park! Use craft supplies to create your own mini animal to take home.
Bricks 4 Kidz
Tower Quake
Use large LEGO bricks to build a tower, then place it on a motorized “quake table” to test how well it withstands shaking. This hands-on challenge introduces concepts like stability, structure, and force in a playful, fast-paced way!
City of Lakeland Storm and Water
Wetland Surveys
Become a student scientist and complete Wetland Survey of Bonnet Springs Park! Discuss your findings with Lakeland’s environmental scientists.
Creative Nature Adventures
Bird Beak Adaptations
Explore how different bird beaks are adapted for different diets! Florida is a birding hotspot, and each bird has found a niche diet they are adapted to eat.
Exploration Dome
World of Curiosity Planetarium Mini Show
Worlds of Curiosity dives into the questions of “What it would be like to live on an Earth with no Moon?” or “What if the Earth was tilted on its side (like Uranus)?” explore how our lives would be different on these Earths, talk about other hypothetical planets that could exist, and marvel at the even stranger worlds that astronomers have discovered beyond our solar system.
Herc Rentals
Touch-a-Truck
Explore the world of construction while interacting with Herc Rental’s equipment display that is ready and waiting for you to interact with!
Lakeland Regional Health
Germ Detectives
Become a Germ Detective as you uncover the invisible world of germs! Use a germ tracker kit to track the benefit and importance of hand washing to prevent the spread of germs.
Mad Science of Tampa Bay
Bubbles, Bubbles, Everywhere
Learn the science behind bubbles, their shapes, and why they pop! Conduct experiments to improve on bubble solutions and create uniquely-shaped bubbles.
Sensory Friendly Bonnet Springs Park
Pattern Creation
Learn about a variety of types of simple and complex patterns. Complete challenges to recreate patterns and design your own.
Snapology
Measurement Everywhere
Become math investigators using LEGO®? bricks as measurable data. Build a structure, then measure its height, weight, and volume using rulers, scales, and water displacement.
United Way Children's Resource Center
Chemical Reactions
Learn about the chemical reaction between borex and glue. Use both to mold a bouncy ball to color and take home!
And More!
Tuesday, March 17, 2026
Orlando Science Center
9:30 + 12PM
Join us for “Kaboom,” all about the states of matter and physical and chemical changes. Explore the science of combustion in this explosive live show featuring colorful chemistry! This informative and exciting presentation shows the states of matter and demonstrates the changes they can undergo.
Aerospace Center for Excellence
Stomp Rockets
Explore the science of propulsion and launch a rocket using only air and your own strength!
Bonnet Springs Park
Leaps and Bounds
Test your jumping abilities and compare it to Florida native animals. Record how far you jumped and add it to a community tracker.
Bricks 4 Kidz
Lego Mini Mosaics
Use LEGO tiles to build your own mini mosaic artwork. Develop creativity, color recognition, and fine motor skills with this relaxed, self-guided activity.
Great Explorations Museum
Percussion Fun
Play a variety of percussion instruments to explore the science of sound!
Herc Rentals
Touch-a-Truck
Explore the world of construction and machinery with Herc Rental’s interactive equipment display!
Lakeland Arts Association
Kaleidoscopes
Use shapes and patterns to create a kaleidoscope!
Mad Science of Tampa Bay
Sonic Sounds
Explore and create mechanical and electronic sounds. Create your own squawking chicken sound machine to keep and enjoy.
Mini Golf on the Go
Mini Golf
Put your math skills to the test with a 9-hole mini golf course!
Orlando Science Center
Angry Birds
Explore force and energy projectiles in a life-sized Angry Bird game!
Philantrolab
Oil Spills
Discover the different methods scientists use to fix oil spills and experiment to determine the most successful strategy.
Sensory Friendly Bonnet Springs Park
Animal Tracks
Compare animal tracks to each other and identify them by their characteristics. Create your own animal track to take home!
Snapology
Mega Machines Coding Lab
Become a programmer and explore robotics with LEGO®️ WeDo 2.0 and Snapology’s pre-built Mega Machines. Experiment with coding blocks to control motors, sensors, sound, and light! Test sequences, make machines move, and see immediate results!
And More!
Wednesday, March 18, 2026
Kiteman Group
9:30 + 12PM
Marvel at a choreographed kite, juggling, and other skill-based show with a curated soundtrack. For over 30 years, Kiteman has earned a reputation for it’s one-of-a-kind, high-energy kite shows.
Amar for Kids
Build Your Own Instrument
Create your own instrument using recycled materials. Learn how movement, rhythm, and sound are connected to culture, creativity, and basic scientific principles.
Big Idea Brick Lab
Lego Brick Lab
Step into the Brick Lab Trailer to create and build a race car! Put your design to the test by racing it down the track.
Bonnet Springs Park
Riga-ma-jig
Put your engineering skills to the test! Use Bonnet Springs Park’s Riga-ma-jig and Build It Discs to create and build your own design!
Bricks 4 Kidz
Balance Models
Experiment with pre-built LEGO balance models such as seesaws, levers, and scales to explore how engineers use counterbalance and center of mass. Adjust pieces, test outcomes, and learn about simple machines!
Florida Children's Museum
Measure Up
Explore measurement with hands-on challenges involving volume and weight. Complete challenges with measuring tools and balance scales.
Great Explorations Museum
When Sparks Fly
Engage with electricity in a way you’ve never before! Explore voltage, circuits, and conductivity and how electrons power our world.
Herc Rentals
Touch-a-Truck
Explore the world of construction and machinery with Herc Rental’s interactive equipment display!
NOAA
Cloud Identification
Learn about the different types of clouds in the sky! Practice your skills in real time.
Orlando Science Center
Drone Zone
Explore the forces of flight while working in teams to program a drone to perform a search and rescue in OSC’s mobile drone cage!
Pathfinder
Orienteering
Put your navigation skills to the test! Complete challenges using a map and a compass.
Philantrolab
Ocean Zones
Learn about the different zones in the ocean and their importance. Create your own beaded ocean zone to take home!
Tenoroc Youth Conservation Center
Eel Grass Habitats
Explore the role that eel grass plays in a habitat, focusing specifically on the protection from predators it provides. Play the role of an alligator hunting for fish in two different habitats with different levels of eel grass.
The Little Yogi
Animal Interaction
Get close with our favorite farm animal! Interact with The Little Yogi’s goats.
United Way Children's Resource Center
Penny Spinners
Learn about physics and motion while engineering your own penny spinner. Construct, decorate, and find out how long it will spin!
And More!
Thursday, March 19, 2026
Cesar Domico: Magician
9:30 + 12PM
Cesar Domico’s amazing Comedy Magic & Illusion Show offers a spellbinding mix of magic and laughter to all audiences in English and Spanish. Cesar Domico is a world-renowned magician performing illusion shows, comedy shows, and magic tricks across Florida. Join us at BSP for a special magic show with illusions and audience participation! From beginning to end the show is full of entertainment and energy involving humor, kids/adults participation, amazing magic tricks and very visual illusions!
Aerospace Center for Excellence
Whirly Birds
Construct a simple paper craft that flies!
Bonnet Springs Park
Flight Lab
Explore the principles of flight – lift, drag, and gravity. Design and create your own parachute or glider and out it to the test in the flight simulation!
Coca-Cola Beverages of Florida
Beverage Sampling and Sustainability
Taste flavorful drinks from Coke Florida. Explore sustainability and contribute to a community rain barrel project.
Exploration Dome
Journey to Mars Mini Show
Take a journey to Mars with Exploration Dome’s planetarium!
Florida Children's Museum
Tower Building
Reach new heights with this engineering activity! Use colorful craft supplies to build towers and other creative structures.
Florida Museum of Science and Natural History
Bug Games
All about bugs! Learn about the Florida ecosystems that support insects and investigate replicas with The Florida Museum of Science & Natural History.
Herc Rentals
Touch-a-Truck
Explore the world of construction and machinery with Herc Rental’s interactive equipment display!
Insect Intellect / Kim Boucireb
Nature Journalling
Oberve and record your natural surroundings through nature journalling! Write a poem, document textures, or draw!
MOSI
It’s Electric
Spark your creativity about electricity by exploring a hair-raising Van de Graaf generator. Investigate conductors, insulators, and electromagnetism at this hands-on station with the Museum of Science & Innovation.
Pathfinder
Primative Fire Building
Discover the secrets of primitive fire-making and practice making your own. Learn about the science of fire, proper fire safety, and “Leave No Trace.”
Snapology
Brick-by-Brick Community Art Model
Help create a collaborative LEGO® art installation! Build and add your structure, sculpture, or decorative element and watch as it grows into a vibrant, community-built LEGO® world.
Tenoroc Youth Conservation Center
Florida Fish
Learn how to ID, handle, and measure Florida’s native fish!
And More!
Friday, March 20, 2026
Campfireball
9:30 + 12PM
Campfireball utilizes playful, spontaneous, and innovative storytelling techniques to turn the role of ’storyteller’ over to the audience, opening up creative and rewarding avenues to give everyone the opportunity to share and to listen, to hear and be heard; creating a vibrant, spontaneous brand-new story that’s entertaining, inclusive, and uniquely human.
Aerospace Center for Excellence
Flying Plane Parts and Sonex Sit-In
Identify the parts of a take-home balsa glider and how it keeps planes in the air. Climb into the cockpit of a Sonex airplane and feel like a pilot!
Bonnet Springs Park
Spirographs
Explore mathematical curves with spirographs! Create your own abstract geometrical drawing to take home.
Bricks 4 Kidz
Vote with a Brick
Vote for your favorite Full STEAM Ahead day and contribute to a community bar chart using LEGO®! Select a LEGO® math challenge card such as patterns, measurements, or symmetry, and complete it to earn a small Bricks 4 Kidz prize!
DCCM
Clean Water Pipeline
Embrace the role of a pipeline designer and surveyor. In this handson activity, create a model route to efficiently deliver clean water to homes.
DinoDig
Dino Dig Mobile Trailer
Step inside Dino-Dig’s mobile fossil trailer to uncover fossils and learn more about prehistoric creatures!
Exploration Dome
Starry Skies Planetarium Mini Show
Learn about the impact of light pollution on your ability to see the stars.
Herc Rentals
Touch-a-Truck
Explore the world of construction and machinery with Herc
Rental’s interactive equipment display!
Insect Intellect / Kim Boucireb
Build-a-Bug
Explore preserved insects and discover the anatomy and adaptations that make them unique! Create your own insect artwork to take home.
Lakeland Regional Health
Have Heart Health
Use medical technology to discovery how the heart works and operates.
Mathnasium
Math Games
Compete in timed STEM math games with your family and friends! Race to be the fastest mathematician!
Tampa Bay Watch
Plankton Up Close
Observe plankton under microscopes and learn marine science biofacts from marine scientists!
Tenoroc Youth Conservation Center
Macroinvertebrates
Discover the world of freshwater macroinvertebrates! As you “discover” new species in the aquarium, mark them off a BINGO sheet for a small prize.
And More!
FAQs
When and where is the Full STEAM Ahead Spring Break event taking place at Bonnet Springs Park?
March 16–20 from 9:30AM – 2PM each day
Located inside Bonnet Springs Park. The Full STEAM Ahead Trail will be located along the pathway between Mable the Mosaic Owl and the Ann and Ward Edwards Boathouse. Follow the Lakeland Regional Health Circulator to either Mable the Owl or the GiveWell Community Foundation Nature Center, and you will be able to see and hear the Full STEAM Ahead Trail from there!
Who is this event for?
Families of all kinds. This is NOT a “kid drop off” event. Children who wish to participate in Full STEAM Ahead should arrive with, and be accompanied by, their adult or caregiver throughout the duration of the event. All ages are welcome to enjoy the week’s festivities.
Where do I park?
Parking on-site at BSP is first come, first serve. Overflow parking will also be available outside the Park. We encourage you to plan ahead to determine the best route for you and your family. Guests are also encouraged to utilize Citrus Connection for direct route into the Park. The Lemon Line runs daily from 8AM – 5PM.
Is there an admission fee to enter the Park or participate in Full STEAM Ahead?
No. The park and event are free and open to the public!
What forms of payment are accepted at the Park?
BSP accepts all major credit cards and contactless payments (tap to pay). There are two reverse ATMs or “cash to card” machines also available for guests, at the Hollis Family Welcome Center and The Depot Cafe, located near the Florida Children’s Museum.
What type of food and drinks will be available?
BSP’s mobile vending carts will be selling snacks and beverages. Be sure to bring your credit/debit card, enabled tap to pay device, or visit one of our reverse ATM (“cash to card” machines) located at the Welcome Center or the Depot before making your way toward the event location.
You can also visit The Depot Cafe for lunch, located across from the Florida Children’s Museum, and The Coffee Shop at the Welcome Center during Park hours.
What can I bring?
Please see our General Park Rules for items that will not be permitted in the Park.
Can I bring my pet?
For the safety of our vendors and animal ambassadors, pets will not be allowed along the Full STEAM Ahead Trail. Guests are welcome to bring their leashed dogs to other areas of the park throughout the week.
How do I get around the Park?
The complimentary Ride with Regal trams will have stops located along the Circulator for your convenience across the sprawling 168-acre Park! Trams will be running continuously.
What if I have a question that’s still unanswered?
Contact us here and we’d be happy to help!