The city of Sedona’s Parks and Recreation Department and the Science Vortex of the Verde Valley will be offering a free weekly program, “Little Learners STEAM Hour,” for ages 2 to 5 every Monday in February at the Recreation Room at Posse Grounds Park from 10 to 11 a.m. All materials are provided, and parents or guardians are required to attend.

“It’s never too soon to be a witness to the excitement from your young one about science,” Parks and Recreation Special Events Coordinator Jason Vargo said. “This is the first time that we are offering this program, I want to expand on the [programs] that we have in the colder months.”

The program schedule will be:

▪ Monday, Feb. 3: DIY Dinosaur Fossils

▪ Monday, Feb. 10: Static Electricity Butterflies

▪ Monday, Feb. 17: Sink or Float?

▪ Monday, Feb. 24: Parachute Challenge

“All of the offerings are exciting; although I’m a little aged out I think I’ll be stopping by to see what’s going on,” Vargo said. “I have always been fascinated by the unseen forces at play in our world, and static electricity is definitely one of those forces.”

Little Learners is part of the annual Verde Valley SciTech Festival, which includes 62 free events across Sedona and the Verde Valley during February. The event is marking its 10th anniversary this year and will start on Saturday, Feb. 1, at 10 a.m. at the Science Vortex in Cottonwood. Other SciTech Festival events scheduled to take place in Sedona are:

▪ Thursday, Feb. 6, 13, 20 and 27: Youth Chess Club, ages 8 to 17, Community Library Sedona, 4 to 5:30 p.m.

▪ Friday, Feb. 7: Sonoran Reptiles will present “Native Species” of reptiles with live animals at Community Library Sedona from 3 to 4 p.m. Ages 6 to 12.

▪ Wednesday, Feb. 12: Cartooning with Mr. Jan[imal] at Community Library Sedona, 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Drawing materials will be provided. Ages 8 to 12.

▪ Friday, Feb. 14: Pokemon’s Young Masters at Community Library Sedona, 3:15 to 4:45 p.m. Ages 6 to 12. 

“Ever wanted to hone your Pokemon skills? [Have] the drive to be the very best, like no one ever was? If this is you, come in and learn next level skills from one of the region’s top contenders and battle your peers at Pokémon’s Next Young Masters,” the CLS calendar stated. “Bring your own Nintendo Switch and play against your friends. Use one of our provided laptops and learn through the free service known as Pokemon Showdown. Bring in your own cards or borrow to make your own battle deck.”

▪ Friday, Feb. 21: Tween-Teen Yoga and Crafts, 3 to 4 p.m., Community Library Sedona. Learn gentle stretching and how to make your own candle.  Ages 6 to 12.

▪ Saturday, Feb. 22: “Birds, Nature & Family Fun” with the Northern Arizona Audubon Society at the Sedona Wetlands Preserve. All ages. “That is going to be the second biggest event, second to the kickoff event, and there will be at least five organizations, including Friends of the Verde River setting up activities for kids,” Science Vortex Director Laurie Altringer said. 

▪ Saturday, Feb. 22: Make Slime with Science Vortex Chief Science Officers Elisabeth and Aspen , Community Library Sedona, 1 to 2 p.m. Ages 6 to 12.

▪ Wednesday, Feb. 26: “Create Music with Robots.” Express your child’s creativity while learning coding at Community Library Sedona from 3 to 4 p.m. Ages 6 to 12. “We’re going to use Edison robots, and those are designed to do all sorts of things,” Altringer said. “You can program them to move in certain directions, but you can also program them for different tones and different musical notes, so the kids can create music through the robot.”

▪ Friday, Feb. 28: Learn about “Venomous Reptiles” at Community Library Sedona with Sonoran Reptiles from 3 to 4 p.m. Ages 6 to 12. 

“Observe and discover unique nonvenomous and venomous reptiles hailing from different regions within the desert Southwest,” the event description stated. “Spot the differences between similar looking species as well what key features make up notable venomous species.”

For a listing of all events that will take place during the Verde Valley SciTech Festival, visit sciencevortex.org/vvscitechfestival2025.

For more information about the Little Learners STEAM Hour, contact Sedona Parks and Recreation at (928) 282-7098 or sedonarec@sedonaaz.gov