by Julie Gowel ·
Friday, February 20, 2026
Ben Darling poses with his creation. (Photo by Lisa Aciukewicz)
The exceptionally cold and snowy winter Harvard residents are surviving may have had some parents and caregivers scrambling to find indoor activities to keep their kids occupied this week during the school break. Others snapped to attention early and registered for a STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics) program run by local entrepreneurs.
Snapology is a STEAM-based enrichment franchise that uses Lego bricks and robotics kits to teach engineering, physics, art, and collaboration skills while kids play. The local franchise is owned and operated by Devens residents Naomi and Deepak Ahuja, who launched the business in June of 2025
The program ran from Monday, Feb. 16, through Friday, Feb. 20, at Fivesparks on Fairbank Street, offering half-day and full-day options for children ages 6 through 12. The theme of the morning session was mini-figure mania, during which students designed and built worlds for characters they created. Plans for the structural engineering projects included building cities, vacation spots, vehicles, and even zip lines for their characters.
The afternoon session offered amusement park engineering, and it coupled well with the morning theme to offer the mini-figures a place to play. After lunch, the focus shifted to physics and mechanical design where students worked on building rides such as a roller coaster, a Ferris wheel, and bumper cars.
Imagination at play
Eight kids were registered for the program, four of whom participated in the full-day option. One of those four was Ben Darling, a second-grader who designed a mini-figure with a multitude of imaginative characteristics.
“He is half zombie, half wolf, ’cause he got bitten by a zombie and a wolf at the same time,” said Darling in an interview with the Press. “He has a fire mohawk and orange fingers. His head is made out of metal, and he’s undefeatable. I thought really hard about all the things that I like and movies I watched, and I put them all together.”
Darling, like all the kids in the program, was enthusiastic about the work they were doing. That work was led by Snapology instructor Katie Acerbi, a licensed K-12 teacher taking a break from the traditional classroom to focus on what she referred to as a more creative way to engage with kids.
“I think the challenge is remembering that this is their school vacation,” said Acerbi. “We’re talking about centripetal force and g-force, and so there’s a lot of information that’s being conveyed, but we’re keeping it fun and free.”
Acerbi said she was drawn to the Snapology program because in her work with preschoolers, she found there was a lot of focus on keeping kids away from technology. Acerbi said she appreciates the thoughtful approach Snapology takes in incorporating technology, art, and play.
The origin story
The Ahujas, whose two children attend the Hildreth Elementary School, operate the mobile Snapology franchise, partnering with schools and community organizations such as FiveSparks rather than maintaining a storefront. In addition to Harvard, they currently run programs in Lincoln, Watertown, and Lancaster.
“Our son had been taking Snapology classes for years,” said Naomi of her third-grader during an interview with the Press before the vacation week program. “He just kept going back. We wanted something in our own community. Driving to other towns made it harder to build friendships. We saw an opportunity to bring these programs here.”
“This is for everyone,” said Deepak. “It’s inclusive. Neurodivergent kids, neurotypical kids, boys, girls; you don’t have to already love Legos.” Deepak, a chemical engineer by training, emphasized that while the program is fun, the learning is intentional. “When we teach something like amusement park engineering, kids learn about forces and gravity and then apply those concepts in their builds,” he said. “They’re learning physics, but they don’t think of it as a lesson. They’re just excited to see their ride spin.”
Since launching last fall, the Ahujas have navigated the steep learning curve of running a small business, from assembling robotics kits and charging tablets for classes to recruiting instructors and building partnerships with schools and community organizations.
“I couldn’t do half as much as I do if my parents didn’t live close by,” said Naomi of her parents and brother who live in Shirley. “I’m able to ask my brother or my mom for help if something comes up.”
“The best case scenario would be for me to leave my full-time job,” said Deepak. “Hopefully, if the finances play out, then we can both focus on it full time. There’s a lot of operating expenses, but we definitely want to expand.” The territory the Ahujas claimed via the franchise agreement include larger towns such as Lexington, Bedford, and Waltham.
In Harvard, Snapology offers after-school classes at Hildreth in addition to the programs at Fivesparks. The Ahujas will also have programs in the summer. One student attending the February break program is a repeat participant. Jenna Zayas-Ramirez, a fourth-grader, participated in the Snapology program held over the holiday break in December.
“I like trying to figure out what goes where and what looks nice together,” said Zayas-Ramirez as she worked on the police station for the city the mini-figure mania participants were building. Her design included a cell for criminals, a laundry room, and a large desk for the chief with a map to show where everyone is in the city so the officers can keep an eye on the residents. When asked what was next, she replied “I might make an ice cream shop.”