Baylor marks 10-year Hess Toy Truck partnership

For a decade, the Center for Educational Outreach at Baylor College of Medicine has partnered with Hess Toy Truck to spark curiosity and creativity in elementary and middle school-age students through free, hands-on STEM learning guides.

Each year, a new Hess Toy Truck release inspires a companion set of science, technology, engineering and math activities developed by the Center and published on BioEd Online. Every guide applies STEM concepts through real-world investigations that make learning tangible and fun for students.

Each toy truck features the brand’s signature design: a larger vehicle equipped with lights, sounds and other interactive elements, paired with a smaller companion vehicle powered by a pull-back, spring-wound engine. These features make the toys ideal tools for lessons about energy transfer, motion and design.

Since the first collaboration in 2016, the partnership has produced an annual suite of classroom lessons aimed at reaching educators and students nationwide. Past editions have featured rescue vehicles, police cars, recreational vehicles and aircraft. The newest guide, Ready, Set, STEM! features the 2025 Hess Stock Car Racers and introduces activities that explore physics, engineering and mathematics through the high-speed world of racing.

“Our collaboration with Hess Toy Truck brings the wonders of engineering, physical science and technology to life for students,” said Dr. Nancy Moreno, chair of the Huffington Department of Education, Innovation and Technology and director of the Center for Educational Outreach.

Through BioEd Online, all Hess STEM guides remain free for teachers and families, continuing a partnership that proves how play can fuel powerful STEM learning.

By Michelle Moore, senior communications associate, and Travis Kelleher, web developer, both in the Center for Educational Outreach at Baylor College of Medicine