Spark Studio: AI education through art. No screens

Where creativity meets the future of AI literacy

Teaching kids how AI works — without a single screen. Through art, making, and play, children build the critical thinking and creativity no algorithm can replace. Because when kids understand AI, the whole family can navigate this world with a little less fear and a lot more confidence.

Explore the 5 Big Ideas ↓ About Me
15+
Years in design
7
Years in AI & data
4
Advanced degrees
🎨
Workshops & Focus
Critical Thinking + Creative Problem Solving
🤖
Big Bold Ideas
AI + Societal Impact
✨
Ages
5 – 12 Years

"I don't know what skills children will need in 10 years — but I know they'll need to be adaptable, creative, and deeply human in how they think about the world AI is building."

— Sonia Sierra, Designer & Educator

About Me

Designing human experiences
for an AI world

I'm a designer with 15 years of experience making complex ideas feel human. For the past 7 years I've focused on AI and data experiences at companies like Capital One and Walmart — translating cutting-edge technology into products people actually understand and trust.

But my deepest work has always been about people. The children growing up today will inherit a world shaped by AI — and they deserve to grow up understanding it, questioning it, and shaping it themselves.

I combine my design expertise with my background in arts education to create workshops where creativity is the gateway to AI literacy, ethical reasoning, and future-ready thinking.

🔭
Futures Thinking & Strategic Foresight I apply methodologies from strategic foresight (aka Futures Thinking) to teaching — helping kids explore not just what AI is today, but what it could mean for all of us tomorrow.
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MIT K-12 Inspired Curriculum My approach draws from MIT's initiative to empower the next generation — pairing every technical concept with a core human skill, so children grow as thinkers and makers.
Sonia Sierra — designer and educator

Education & Credentials

🎓
MBA — Design Strategy
California College of the Arts
🎓
MFA — Interdisciplinary Arts Education
University of Barcelona
🎓
Bachelor of Fine Arts
University of Barcelona
📚
Teaching Certificate — Experimental Arts & Visual Education
Certified Educator
15+
Years in Design
7
Years in AI & Data
My Approach

Human skills first.
Technology second.

For every technical AI concept we explore, we anchor it in a core human ability — because the most powerful intelligence will always be deeply, irreducibly human.

🔮

Futures Thinking

Kids learn to imagine multiple possible futures, question assumptions, and understand how today's technology shapes tomorrow's world. Rooted in strategic foresight methodologies.

Strategic Foresight
🎨

Art as a Thinking Tool

Drawing, making, and creating aren't just fun — they're how children externalize complex thinking. Art becomes a medium for exploring how AI perceives, reasons, and learns.

Creative Pedagogy
⚖️

Ethics from the Start

We don't bolt ethics on at the end — it's woven into everything. Children discover ethical design principles by grappling with real questions about fairness, bias, and impact.

Ethical Design

Inspired by leading AI education initiatives:

MIT pK-12 Initiative ↗ AI4K12 ↗
The Framework

The 5 Big Ideas in AI

These five ideas form the backbone of every workshop — each opening a door to both technical understanding and human wisdom.

01
👁️

Perception

How do computers sense and understand the world? Cameras, microphones, sensors — and why machines often "see" very differently than humans do.

→ Activity: AI Portrait Lab
02
🧠

Representation & Reasoning

How do machines represent knowledge and make decisions? We explore logic, data structures, and the surprising ways computers "think."

→ Activity: Story Maps
03
📈

Learning

Computers can learn from experience — but only from the data we give them. What does it mean to teach a machine? What can go wrong?

→ Activity: Pattern Gardens
04
💬

Natural Interaction

How do we communicate with computers through voice, gesture, and language? And what gets lost in translation between humans and machines?

→ Activity: Robot Theater
05
🌍

Societal Impact

AI is reshaping work, relationships, creativity, and power. Children explore who benefits, who's harmed, and how we design AI that serves everyone.

→ Activity: Future City Workshop
Explorations

Hands-on explorations

Designed for ages 6–12. In-person workshops available.

Coming Soon Big Idea 1: Perception

AI Portrait Lab

Children draw self-portraits and then explore how AI facial recognition works — and fails. We compare how humans recognize faces versus how machines do it, uncovering how design choices lead to bias and whose faces get left out.

Human skill developed: Empathy & Perspective-Taking

Coming Soon Big Idea 2: Reasoning

Story Maps & Logic Trees

Kids create visual decision maps for stories — then discover how AI makes surprisingly similar choices. Part art project, part logic puzzle.

Human skill developed: Systems Thinking

Coming Soon Big Idea 3: Learning

Pattern Gardens

Create a "training dataset" of drawings, then teach a simple sorting game using patterns. Discover what happens when training data is incomplete or biased.

Human skill developed: Critical Inquiry

Coming Soon Big Idea 4: Interaction

Robot Theater

Children act out conversations with imaginary AI characters — exploring how voice assistants work, what they truly understand, and where they hilariously fail.

Human skill developed: Communication & Nuance

Coming Soon Big Idea 5: Societal Impact

Future City Workshop

Teams design a city of the future powered by AI — but first, they must agree on ethical rules together. Who gets to use the technology? What happens when it fails? Who is left out? This collaborative art + design project brings ethics to life through building and negotiation.

Human skill developed: Ethical Reasoning & Civic Imagination

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Things I hear from parents & caregivers

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"What skills will my child need in 10 years?"— mom of a 5 year old

🤔

"How do I teach AI literacy when I don't fully understand it myself?"— dad of a 9 year old

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"I would like kids to shape technology — not just consume it."— 3rd grade teacher

For Parents

You don't need to be a tech expert to raise one.

My workshops are for every child — whether they love technology or have never thought twice about it. Through hands-on art, making, and play, AI becomes something kids can touch, laugh with, and actually understand. No gadgets required to have a great time.

  • 🎯
    No tech background required Workshops use art, play, and storytelling — accessible for any child, regardless of prior experience with technology.
  • 🧩
    Human + technical skills, always paired Every technical concept comes alongside a core human ability — empathy, critical thinking, ethics — so children become thoughtful creators, not passive consumers.
  • 🔒
    Safety and ethics built in from day one Children learn to ask hard questions: Who benefits? Who might be harmed? How could this go wrong? These habits of mind are the best protection in an AI-shaped world.
  • 🌱
    Future-adaptable, not future-anxious The goal isn't to predict the future — it's to raise children who can navigate any future with confidence, creativity, and care.
  • 🌐
    Available in English and Spanish Workshops are offered fully in both languages — so every family can engage in the language that feels most natural to them.
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Let's build something together

Whether you're a parent curious about workshops, a school interested in partnerships, or someone who believes children deserve better AI education — I'd love to connect.

No spam, ever. Just updates on workshops, activities, and ideas.