WBTV: Local Learning Center Helping Kids Grow Through STEAM Programs

Over winter break, families with school-aged children are tasked with providing engaging activities to fill the days, and some parents even find themselves looking to support their children academically between terms.

Kosal Chea, owner and chief academic officer at IDEA Lab Kids of Ballantyne, North Carolina, the education-based franchise that offers STEAM curriculum, joined WBTV to share STEAM activities that families can do to provide enriching learning experiences for their students.

“Science is everywhere, so we want to use things around us already to learn a little bit more about science,” said Chea, who shared steps for “making clouds” and creating a snowstorm in a bottle. Both experiments use standard household items to create engaging, wintery results while encouraging students to explore how STEAM concepts are present in the world around them each day.

Lyricos® Learning, LLC is the home to IDEA Lab Kids and is also the creator of STEAM on Demand, a leading provider of streaming interactive content and tools for planning and leading standards-aligned, engaging, and fun TK-8 STEAM hands-on lessons.

IDEA Lab® Kids was founded as a way for kids to explore their love of science, technology, engineering, art, and math subjects. The award-winning Houston-based education franchise system offers after-school classes, camps, birthday parties, open labs, and much more to children. The brand has positioned itself to be a leader in the growing STEAM education space with franchises in the U.S., Canada, and internationally. IDEA Lab Kids franchises are only offered or sold in states where they are registered or compliant with applicable franchise laws.

The franchise fee of $35,500 provides an assigned territory for establishing a location and for offering IDEA Lab On-the-GoSM. The startup costs for an IDEA Lab Kids franchise can range from $163,000 to $465,000. To learn more about franchising with IDEA Lab Kids, visit