2025: A Year of Growth, Partnership, and 6,967 Kids Discovering STEAM

When we started 2025, we had ambitious goals. By the time December rolled around, we'd blown past every single one of them.

This year, 6,967 kids and families participated in SteamRocket programs and events across the Coachella Valley. That's 6,967 young people who got their hands on LEGO robots, wrote their first lines of code, planted cherry trees, built structures with lunar regolith simulant, learned to navigate the internet safely, and discovered that STEAM isn't just something that happens in classrooms. It's something you can touch, build, and create.

"Those moments when a kid realizes they built something they didn’t think they could is why we do this," says Elle Decker, SteamRocket co-founder. "Our goal is about showing kids they're capable of creating things that matter."

We couldn't have done this alone. This year was defined by partnerships with incredible organizations that opened their doors, shared their spaces, and believed in our mission to make STEAM accessible to every kid in the valley. Let's look back at what we built together.

Reaching for the Stars: Space Challenges Return

Plant Mars Challenge and Build the Moon Challenge

The Plant Mars Challenge was so wildly popular in 2024 that we brought it back in 2025, this time alongside the Build the Moon Challenge. Thanks to the Institute of Competition Sciences and NASA for choosing SteamRocket to be part of these incredible challenges.

High school students from La Quinta and Indio joined us to tackle real engineering problems: How do you grow food on Mars? How do you build structures on the Moon?

For the Moon challenge, students worked with lunar regolith simulant: essentially fake moon dirt that mimics the properties of actual lunar soil. Teams designed and built structures that could withstand the harsh lunar environment: extreme temperature swings, no atmosphere, and reduced gravity. They tested different binding agents, experimented with compression techniques, and discovered that building with regolith is way harder than it looks.

"The regolith kept crumbling until we figured out the right ratio," one student from La Quinta explained. "But when we finally got our dome to hold its shape, it felt like we'd actually solved a real problem NASA engineers face. That's pretty cool."

For the Mars challenge, students researched which crops could potentially grow in Martian soil, designed hydroponic systems for water efficiency, and calculated the energy requirements for maintaining growing conditions. They geeked out over optimal photon levels for plant growth and debated whether potatoes or beans would be the better caloric investment for early Mars colonists.

"These challenges show students that space exploration isn't just about rockets," says Justin Decker, SteamRocket co-founder. "We focus on solving practical problems: how do you eat, how do you build shelter, how do you survive in an environment that's trying to kill you. That's real engineering."

The competition wrapped with presentations where teams pitched their solutions. Watching high school students confidently explain their engineering decisions, defend their choices with data, and think critically about space colonization was a highlight of our year.

Expanding Our Reach: New Cities, New Opportunities

Indio: A Partnership That Bloomed

In spring and summer 2025, we brought our Learning Lab to Indio Library and the City of Indio. For months, kids filed in after school and during summer break to dive into hands-on STEAM activities, engineering challenges, and art projects.

Indio welcomed us with open arms, and the response from families was overwhelming.

But we didn't stop there. Building on the success of our 2024 launch, we brought back the Coachella Valley PlayFest to Indio in partnership with Indio Library and Little Street Music Hall. Thanks to support from The LEGO Foundation and ChangeX, we created a day of play, exploration, and creativity that brought families together. Kids celebrated the International Day of Play, discovering that fun doesn't have to involve technology.

Desert Hot Springs: Reaching the West End of the Valley

We are on our third year bringing programs to Desert Hot Springs, bringing our Learning Lab to the Recreation Center during the summer. Desert Hot Springs youth participated in engineering challenges, chemistry projects, and explored STEAM concepts.

We also brought the Coachella Valley PlayFest to Desert Hot Springs for their Day of the Child event, ensuring that families across the entire valley had access to the same quality programming. Geography shouldn't determine whether a child gets to experience STEAM, and this expansion was a major step toward making that a reality.

RAP Foundation: Three Years of Partnership

For the third year, RAP Foundation hosted our Minecraft Coding Club and LEGO Robotics Club throughout 2025. This partnership has become a cornerstone of what we do, providing consistent, year-round programming for kids who return session after session because they're genuinely excited to learn.

RAP Foundation isn't just a venue. They're collaborators who understand that learning happens best when kids feel welcomed, supported, and given the freedom to experiment.

This year, RAP also hosted our Summer of Code program, an intensive eight-week experience that took middle school students from absolute beginners to confident coders. By the end of the summer, participants had created Fact Loop, an app designed to share fun facts about the world and combat doom scrolling in kids. The app is now available on the Play Store.

"We started by learning what a variable is," one Summer of Code participant explained. "By week eight, we were debugging real code and figuring out how to make our app actually work on phones. That's crazy."

Watching these students present their app at the end of the summer was a highlight of our year. They didn't just learn to code. They built something meaningful that addresses a real problem.

Smart Clicks: Teaching Digital Citizenship to All Ages

2025 brought a brand-new program: Smart Clicks, created in partnership with Nickelodeon and ChangeX. The program focuses on teaching kids about internet safety, online bullying, and screen addiction—critical skills in a world where children are growing up immersed in digital technology.

What surprised us was how impactful Smart Clicks proved to be for valley seniors as well. Technology doesn't come with an age limit, and neither do concerns about online safety. Seniors navigating smartphones, social media, and online communication found the program incredibly valuable, and we loved seeing intergenerational learning happening in the same space.

Digital citizenship isn't just about knowing how to use technology. It's about understanding how to use it responsibly, safely, and in ways that enhance rather than harm wellbeing. Smart Clicks helped kids and adults alike develop those skills.

Neighborhood Forest: Growing Environmental Stewards

This year, we forged a partnership with Neighborhood Forest, bringing environmental education and hands-on tree planting to valley kids.

During the summer, we distributed cherry trees to families, teaching them about tree care, environmental benefits, and the science of how trees grow. Kids learned to identify tree age by counting rings, discovered why certain trees thrive in specific climates, and explored how trees improve air quality, provide shade, and support wildlife.

"I never knew you could tell how old a tree is by cutting it and counting the rings," 9-year-old Elisa J. told us during a distribution event. "Now I want to know how old every tree in my neighborhood is."

In the fall, we brought indoor succulents to families across the valley. When inclement weather threatened family safety on distribution day, we pivoted quickly and porch-delivered succulents to every single family. Rain wasn't going to stop us from getting plants into homes.

A huge thank you to Cabot's Pueblo Museum, RAP Foundation, Indio Library, and our incredible volunteers who made those deliveries happen. Driving across the valley in bad weather to ensure every family got their plant wasn't easy, but it embodied what SteamRocket is about: showing up, adapting, and making sure kids don't miss out.

Earth Day at Amelia Earhart Elementary

A huge thank you to Amelia Earhart Elementary School in La Quinta for inviting us to join their Earth Day celebration. Students spent the day counting tree rings, learning about tree growth processes, and understanding how trees benefit our environment.

Watching elementary students carefully examine cross-sections of wood, counting each ring, and calculating the age of trees brought science to life in such a tangible way. They learned that trees are living records of history, with each ring representing a year of growth influenced by rainfall, temperature, and environmental conditions.

It was a perfect example of how hands-on science education sparks curiosity that extends beyond a single lesson.

Building Our STEAM Library

Thanks to First Book and Pizza Hut, we built a stellar STEAM library this year. Books covering coding, robotics, engineering, environmental science, and more now circulate through our programs, giving kids resources to explore STEAM topics at their own pace.

But we didn't just build our own library. We donated books to kids throughout the valley through our programs and continue to stock Little Free Libraries across the Coachella Valley weekly. Every kid deserves access to quality STEAM books, whether they're in our programs or not.

"Books plant seeds," Elle Decker notes. "A kid reads about how bridges are engineered, and suddenly they're noticing bridges everywhere. They read about computer science pioneers, and they start thinking maybe they could code too. That's the power of access to good books."

Electrical Engineering Workshop Series

During the summer, high school students interested in electrical engineering joined us for a hands-on workshop series. Over several weeks, they learned to read schematics, practiced soldering techniques, and built circuits from scratch.

Students started with basic LED circuits and progressively tackled more complex projects, culminating in building functional devices they could take home. They learned proper soldering technique (and why cold solder joints are the enemy), how to troubleshoot when circuits don't work, and the satisfaction of powering up something they'd built with their own hands.

"I burned myself exactly once," Indio High School student Anna M. joked during the final session. "After that, I got really good at not touching the hot end of the soldering iron. But seriously, being able to build something that actually works feels awesome."

This series gave students practical skills they can apply in future engineering courses, maker projects, or careers in electronics and electrical engineering.

The Programs That Powered Our Year

Behind those 6,967 participants are the programs that brought them through our doors:

Minecraft Coding Club: Kids learned computational thinking and coding fundamentals while building in a world they already love.

LEGO Robotics Club: Students designed, built, and programmed robots to complete challenges.

Summer of Code: Middle school students went from coding beginners to app developers, creating Fact Loop (available on the Play Store).

Plant Mars Challenge & Build the Moon Challenge: High schoolers tackled real space engineering problems with guidance from NASA and the Institute of Competition Sciences.

Learning Lab Workshops: Flexible STEAM activities brought directly to libraries and recreation centers.

Coachella Valley PlayFest: A celebration of learning through play for families across the valley.

Smart Clicks: Digital citizenship education for kids and seniors.

Neighborhood Forest Programs: Tree distributions and environmental education connecting kids to nature.

Electrical Engineering Workshops: Hands-on experience with schematics, soldering, and circuit building for high schoolers.

STEAM Library: Book distributions and Little Free Library stocking across the valley.

Each program serves a different need, but they all share the same core mission: making STEAM accessible, engaging, and relevant to kids' lives.

The Numbers Tell a Story

6,967 participants. That's not just a number. It's:

• 6,967 kids who might not have had access to coding, robotics, or engineering challenges otherwise

• 6,967 opportunities to spark curiosity and build confidence

• 6,967 moments where a young person realized they could create, build, and solve problems

• 6,967 reasons to keep doing what we're doing

Every single one of those kids represents potential. Our job is to unlock it.

What Parents Are Saying

"Before SteamRocket, my daughter thought science was just memorizing facts from textbooks. Now she's building robots and explaining to me how sensors work. She wants to be an engineer." - Mikey C. | Palm Springs

"The confidence boost has been incredible. My son used to be so shy about trying new things. After Summer of Code, he's applying to computer science camps and talking about creating his own apps."

- Jana L. | Indio, CA

"What I love is that all their instructors teach kids that it's okay to fail, try again, and figure things out. That mindset is more valuable than any single lesson."

- Taylor B. | Thousand Palms

What Made This Possible

None of this happens without partnerships, support, and people who believe that every kid deserves access to quality STEAM education.

Thank you to:

• Indio Library and the City of Indio for welcoming our Learning Lab and supporting PlayFest

• City of Desert Hot Springs for opening the Recreation Center and hosting PlayFest at Day of the Child

• RAP Foundation for three years of consistent partnership and support

• The LEGO Foundation and ChangeX for funding and backing our PlayFest events

• Nickelodeon and ChangeX for partnering on Smart Clicks

• Neighborhood Forest for bringing environmental education to the valley

• Institute of Competition Sciences and NASA for including us in the Mars and Moon challenges

• Amelia Earhart Elementary School for hosting us at their Earth Day celebration

• Cabot's Pueblo Museum for hosting tree distributions

• Little Street Music Hall for being part of PlayFest

• First Book and Pizza Hut for helping us build our STEAM library

• Our volunteers who delivered succulents in the rain, taught coding sessions, supervised robotics builds, stocked Little Free Libraries, and showed up week after week

• Parents and families who brought their kids to programs, encouraged their learning, and trusted us with their children's education

And most importantly, thank you to the 6,967 kids who showed up ready to learn, experiment, fail, try again, and discover what they're capable of.

Looking Ahead to 2026

2025 set a high bar, but we're not done growing.

"We're just getting started," Justin Decker says. "Every kid we reach opens doors for their siblings, friends, and classmates. The impact multiplies. That's what keeps us going."

In 2026, we're continuing our partnerships and programs while exploring new ways to reach even more kids across the valley. We're looking to expand our coding curriculum, develop new robotics challenges, and find innovative ways to bring STEAM to underserved communities.

We're also continuing to advocate for device access. As we mentioned in our recent device donation drive, not every student has a tablet or laptop at home. We're working to close that gap so that financial barriers don't determine whose STEAM interests get pursued.

The work continues. The mission remains the same: make STEAM accessible, engaging, and available to every kid in the Coachella Valley who wants to learn.

The Bottom Line

2025 was a year of growth, partnership, and impact. We reached more kids, expanded to new cities, launched new programs, and proved that when organizations work together with a shared mission, incredible things happen.

Those 6,967 kids? They're not just numbers to us. They're future engineers, programmers, scientists, designers, and innovators. They're problem-solvers who know that technology is a tool they can use to make their world better.

"When a kid tells us 'I didn't know I could do this,' and then goes on to build something amazing, that's why SteamRocket exists," Elle Decker reflects. "Every single one of those 6,967 kids has that potential. We just help them see it."

Here's to 2025. And here's to an even bigger 2026.

Want to support SteamRocket's mission?

We're currently accepting donations of tablets, Chromebooks, and laptops (working or broken—we have in-house techs who can repair them) to provide devices for students in our programs.

Contact us at crystal@steamrocket.org to donate devices, volunteer, or learn more about our programs.

Every kid deserves the chance to discover what they're capable of. Help us make that happen.