Colorful illuminated LED lights arranged in a grid pattern on a dark background.

Pixel Peg

Colorful glass test tubes arranged on a white surface, casting shadows.

Become a light artist on our larger-than-life illuminated wall! Pixel Peg transforms a childhood classic into a massive, modern canvas where children create glowing designs and patterns by pushing and pulling oversized translucent pegs. This giant Lite Brite-style experience invites visitors to experiment with color, light, symmetry, and geometric patterns while creating artwork that literally glows from within. 

Choose from vibrant colored pegs and place them strategically across the massive illuminated board. Watch as light shines through translucent materials to create glowing patterns, pictures, and designs. Experiment with symmetry by creating mirrored patterns, test color mixing by placing pegs side-by-side, or follow your own creative vision to build unique free-form murals. 

Whether following a template design or inventing completely original artwork, Pixel Peg develops spatial reasoning, pattern recognition, color theory, and fine motor control while proving that art, engineering, and light science can combine into one beautiful, glowing creation. 

    • Massive Light Board: A giant "Lite Brite" style wall that illuminates from within 

    • Oversized Colorful Pegs: Translucent pegs in a variety of vibrant colors 

    • Art: Creative expression through color, light, and visual design 

    • Math: Exploring spatial reasoning, symmetry, and geometric patterns 

    • Engineering: Designing and building a visual structure peg by peg 

    • STEAM Skills: Focuses on Art, Math, and Engineering 

    • Tangible World: Manipulating and rearranging objects to create something new 

    • Physical Input: Using fine and gross motor skills to reach and place pegs across the wall 

    • Observation: Identifying color patterns and exploring the relationship between light and color 

Explore More 

This exhibit is located in Gilbert House. Also explore: Science Lab | Lights! Camera! Action! | Sensory Portal 

  • Three children playing with a colorful light board in an indoor setting.
  • Two children, a girl and a boy, standing next to a large black pegboard with colorful lights, smiling at the camera.
  • A man and two young girls playing on a rainbow-colored light-up tabletop game with large, colorful, illuminated pieces.
  • Children and an adult playing a giant Connect Four game with colorful discs.
  • Two young boys playing a colorful pegboard game, with one boy concentrating and the other reaching for the pegs.
  • Four young boys standing together next to a giant Connect Four game, smiling at the camera, with a Pixel Peg sign on the wall behind them.
  • A young child playing a colorful pegboard light game, touching the lights with their right hand, standing on a carpeted floor next to a yellow wall and a blue door.
  • A young girl playing with a large pegboard toy with colorful pegs, including green, yellow, orange, red, blue, purple, and white.