- December 9, 2025
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Eight-year-old Max Mattei, a lover of math and engineering, was immediately drawn to 3D printers when he explored the Soar Lab.
Filled with enthusiasm and curiosity, he watched as nothing turned to something (a bright yellow dinosaur) within the printer. Always up for an investigation, question after question popped into his head and those questions were answered by Soar Lab facilitators.
He was brought to the space by his grandmother, Lakewood Ranch’s Cathy Mattei. She is a retired pre-K teacher who worked at Blackburn Elementary School from 2015-2019.
Mattei called the Soar Lab a gem to the community. It is a collaboration between Steve and Carolyn Roskamp (the primary financial backers), and The School District of Manatee County's Early Learning and Family Support Team, which coordinates the lab's events. Mattei said she was blown away by how the space is utilized.
As a former educator herself, Mattei said it is important that children learn through touching, feeling, exploring and being active. The space gives children that opportunity.
“It's so engaging and developmentally appropriate for early childhood,” Mattei said. “It makes my heart happy.”
The Soar Lab, 6423 9th St., E., Bradenton, aims to enhance early learning (specifically for infants to children in third grade) through hands-on activities. Within the space, there are various areas that focus on different areas of learning. They include “The Thinkery Room,” “Tinkering,” “Engineering,” “Creative Arts,” “The Cozy Corner” and the Backyard.
Lorraine Lakes resident Kimber Kettler has two children — 13-year-old Lilly and 1-year-old Skyler — who are homeschooled. She said she is always searching for community-driven, early learning opportunities, so they made a visit to the Soar Lab July 29. She said the lab left a strong impression.
Kettler said exploring the space was both collaborative and joyful. Although the space caters to younger children up to third grade, it was a hit for both her children.
She discovered Lilly has a “knack for visual and creative expression” through using “Draw Alive” software, where you can scan your artwork and it becomes an animated character on screen.
Skyler had “a budding interest in tactile and kinesthetic exploration” when testing out the various activities on the walls, such as mazes.
“The space absolutely encouraged me to participate alongside them — it had interactive stations designed for all ages,” Kettler said. “Family-friendly prompts made it easy to jump in together, even adapting for our older home-schooler. That said, my 13-year-old preferred some independent time sketching and tinkering, which was great to see her confidence grow without hovering.”
Angela Knapek, the Soar Lab coordinator for the School District of Manatee County, said the Soar Lab was first discussed and then opened within 18 months after the decision was made to go forward. They had three soft launch “trial run” days, which were July 29, 30 and Aug. 1. Knapek said they heavily involve the parents and encourage further learning for when they leave the Soar Lab.
“It was a great opportunity to see what worked for families and what didn't work, what kids were interested in,” Knapek said. “The first kid that left on the first soft opening had to be carried out screaming (because they didn’t want to leave). They were a satisfied customer.”
In the “Thinkery” room, children can explore puzzles and engage in math games and work on early literacy skills. They aim to build concentration and problem solving. In “Tinkering” the focus is to build innovation and creativity through building and using fine motor skills.
In “Creative Arts” there are various art mediums such as markers, paint, Playdough and costumes in order to enhance their imagination and creativity. In “Engineering” they can learn about gravity, force, acceleration and more with cars and ramps. There are also Legos, large building blocks and more.
The grand opening was Sept. 19 with its first public hours Sept. 23. Each school year, all Manatee County pre-K students will have a field trip to the Soar Lab. The first field trip was on Oct. 21 with students from Gene Witt Elementary School.
Sheila Halpin, the Early Learning and Family Support director, said their approach to the space differs from children’s museums because everything in the space relates to Florida’s early learning developmental standards.
Halpin said that accessibility was an important factor that was considered when putting together the space and planning out activities. Furniture can be easily moved for wheelchairs and there are translation devices for non-English speakers available to check out.
When you enter the space, there is a “lesson pick board” where children who are nonverbal can point at different options to let their families know where they want to participate.
For students who might get overwhelmed or overstimulated by loud noises and a lot of people, there is a quiet room, called the “Cozy Corner” where they can go to engage in quiet activities.
Throughout the space, there are puzzles in frames that were put together by adults from The Haven, a nonprofit that supports people with disabilities.
“If you're suspecting that your child has a disability, it can be isolating, especially when they're little and you're trying to navigate that system,” Halpin said. “We love to have these inspirational works of art prominent so that families can start to understand that it might be scary right now, but those with differing abilities can go and accomplish great things.”
"If your kids love drawing, tinkering, or diving into sensory play, Manatee's Soar in 4 learning lab is a must-try,” Kettler said. “It's inclusive for all ages and sparks genuine wonder.”
