The Universe Within

02/24/2026

📣 Community Highlight!
The Patagonia Regional Times shared a wonderful story about Mat Bevel Company's The Universe Within STEAM curriculum! This fall, local 4th–8th graders spent Friday mornings learning the physics of sound, building musical instruments, exploring rhythm and mixing art with science in creative, hands-on ways.
🔗 Read more: https://patagoniaregionaltimes.org/friday-morning-steam-classes-stimulate-kids-imaginations/

The Mat Bevel Company, an arts and science nonprofit, offers free Friday morning courses in Patagonia for local 4th-8th graders. The goal? Sparking the "natural creative genius" in kids. Here's how they do it.

01/14/2026

The students from Patagonia-Sonoita-Elgin made these amazing Rhythm Machines and Hand Chimes as part of unit 4 of The Universe Within, Making Music. The Rhythm Machines were quite advanced with a 360-degree motor, wiring, gears and an Arduino. Check out how they added nice finishing touches to their instruments so that each one is unique and reflects their own worlds: https://youtu.be/-EM_L6NSAcI

The students from patagonia-Sonoita-Elgin made these amazing Rhythm Machines and Hand Chimes as part of unit 4 of The Universe Within. The Rhythm machine wer...

12/01/2025

We are loving making music together and building musical instruments in The Universe Within's fourth unit called Making Music! These 4-8th graders are not done decorating yet! Because every project begins with personal purpose, each creation is original—reflecting the builder’s identity, values and creativity through unique configuration and design. Take a listen to the hand chimes the students constructed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnBVE8IPgkE

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

06/20/2025

We only need $100 to match the generous $3,000 matching gift from Doug Rogers and Sonora Investment Management during Mat Bevel Company's annual fundraiser! Who will help us cross the finish line with a gift by EOD tomorrow??? Double your impact by donating now: https://www.paypal.com/donate/...

06/17/2025

Hello Everyone - Mat Bevel Company is the midst of our annual fundraiser. We are embarking on a new phase of The Universe Within, developing Kinetic STEAM Kits so that we can streamline the process of organizing and distributing curriculum materials and thereby serve more students. We'll work with a local contract manufacturer, kit designer and toy marketer to get the kits ready. You can help us with this effort by making a gift to our Go Fund Me page during the month of June: https://gofund.me/839de0fb

04/02/2025

Students from The Universe Within made parallel circuit from one battery with 17 LED lights. They’re getting ready to build their Electri-Cities with lights, buzzers and motors. We’re so proud of what they are learning and inventing!

01/30/2025

We're getting ready to start unit 3 of The Universe Within next Friday, February 7 at the Patagonia Volunteer Fire & Rescue upstairs loft. Students will design and make sustainable electri-cities on their planet, deciding what natural sources they'll use to power their cities. Then, they'll wire up their communities with lights, buzzers and motors! This is a free 13-week immersive world-building program. We are ordering materials so sign up your 4th - 8th graders now. Text Paula Schaper at 520-604-6273 or sign-up online: https://the-universe-within.org/the-power-of-electricity-sign-up/

01/30/2025

We are getting ready to start unit 3 of The Universe Within! Students will create a sustainable community on their planet, wiring it up with lights, buzzers and motors! We start on Friday, February 7 at the Patagonia Volunteer Fire & Rescue. This is a 13-week immersive STEAM hands-on learning program. If your interested sign up now...we are ordering supplies. TExt Paula Schaper at 520-604-6273 or sign-up online: https://the-universe-within.org/the-power-of-electricity-sign-up/

11/22/2024

And finally today, as part of The Universe Within, we went to the Patagonia PublicLibrary to hear from astronomer Tom Arny and ask questions. We covered a lot in an hour about physics from gravity, to electromagnetism, black holes, tides forces and much more! It was a great day for our crew that meets every Friday in the loft of the . Thank you everyone for inspiring our youth.

11/22/2024

Also today in The Universe Within we had a guest speaker, Bo Simpson. He shared his experience as a volunteer fire fighter and EMT as well as his profession as a cattle rancher. The kids had great questions and learned so much from Bo. We ended our time together with a ride through in one of the Patagonia Volunteer Fire & Rescue fire trucks. We had so much fun! Thank you, Bo!!!

11/22/2024

Woo Wee! What a day it was today in The Universe Within!!! First the kids hooked up their motors to the Time-Space machine! Check this action out!!! A big thanks goes out to Ricardo Nord who helped with soldering the wires of the battery to the motor! So watch this Time-Space machine in action, complete with a solar system, sundial and planetary clock. Thanks, Alyssa Desiree Woods for transforming the machine from the old pulley system to one with gears and more advanced materials!!!

10/26/2024

Kids from The Universe Within participated in our first guest speaker series with wildlife biologist Eric Herman yesterday. He brought in all kinds of goodies from the field as you can see from this photo! Students had plenty of time to ask Eric about his superpowers and the good work he's doing in the world. Thank you, Eric, for joining us and sharing details of your career with the kids!! You can learn more about Eric's company here: https://www.atozec.com/