Grades 3rd – 8th
9:30 – 11:00

Learn the basics of LEGO Mindstorms EV3 robots! Consider a real-world problem, create your hypothesis, program your solution and test your results! Build a rover-type robot to handle some basic tasks and experiment with other features of the kits. Apply the engineering process to your project. Problem-solving skills and creativity using robotics technology prove that the possibilities are endless.

Instructor: Lisa Hummel

Grades 3rd – 8th
11:15 – 12:45

If you’ve taken at least a beginning Mindstorms class, (or used them in our summer camp) now you can go further! Learn more and work on harder challenges, based on your skill level. Build and program working robots which respond to your commands as well as information from their environments. Working with a partner, you can even design your own robot from scratch! You’ll learn to control your creation using multiple sensors, various moving parts, and complex programs that allow the robot to assess its environment and make decisions. You will be given or choose a specific challenge to accomplish with your programming at the beginning of each class.

Instructor: Lisa Hummel

Ages 4 – 5  9:30 – 11:00

Back by popular demand! This super-fun building class lets our youngest learners explore a variety of high-interest, open-ended building sets (LEGOs, Quadrilla Wooden Marble Runs, Fat Brain Joinks, Brio Builder Sets, Tinkertoys, and more!) We’re adding in some children’s literature as a springboard for their designs in this play-based building class, with a strong emphasis on supportive social-emotional growth and understanding, including productive struggles that center on embracing mistakes and ‘failing forward.’

Instructor: Stephanie Elliott

Grades 2nd – 3rd  9:30 – 11:00
Grades 4th – 5th   11:15 – 12:45

How are masterpieces created? Did you know that artists almost always use at least one mathematical concept while working on a piece of art? They think about angles, proportion, linear perspective, balance, grids, quadrants, slope-intercept, estimating, fractal dimension, the golden ratio, vanishing point, perspective, and symmetry – just to name a few! We will look at different artists each week like Escher (tessellations), Picasso (cubism) De Stijl (geometry) and more! We will create our own mathematical beautiful creations based on their work!

Instructor: Hannah Noack-Ruebling

Grades 5th – 8th  9:30 – 11:00
Grades 3rd – 4th  11:15 – 12:45

Are you passionate about podcasts and love discussing a variety of topics? You might be our next podcast host! In this course, you’ll explore the world of podcast creation from the ground up. Learn what
it takes to produce your own podcast, from scripts to shareable productions. We’ll investigate a variety of tools and technology for our creative process.

You’ll practice performing for an audience and discover how to generate enough content for a series. Additionally, we’ll cover how to find content that respects copyright laws and doesn’t infringe on
others’ ideas. Whether you want to sign up solo or bring a cohost, join us for a fun and engaging journey into digital storytelling!

Instructor: Chuck Baker

Grades 4th – 5th  9:30 – 11:00
Grades 2nd – 3rd  11:15 – 12:45

Do you like experimenting with science and seeing what will happen? Have you ever wondered how a lightbulb works or why a battery has a plus side and a negative? In this class we will uncover the basics of electricity, explore how to create different types of circuits, and learn about switches. We’ll even discover surprising objects that will complete and power a circuit. Don’t miss this electrifying opportunity!

Instructor: Tracy Bednarick-Humes

Grades 3rd – 4th   9:30 – 11:00
Grades 5th – 6th   11:15 – 12:45

Let’s make a movie! Individually or in pairs, you’ll create your very own documentary using WeVideo. What are you passionate about? Explore it through film! Learn about researching, scripting, videography and editing. Look at shot composition, angles and perspectives. Add transitions, music and basic effects. During the final class, we’ll have a mini-film festival and share all the hard work!

Instructor: Michelle Joyce

Grades 3rd – 8th  9:30 – 11:00  (Advanced)
Grades K – 3rd   11:15 – 12:45 (Beginner)

Beginner: If your child is just learning chess (or wants to learn!), this class is the perfect place to start. Learn the basics of chess, how to begin the game, strategies such as pins and forks, how to queen a pawn and how to checkmate with Queen and King or Rook and King at the end of the game, all while playing and having fun.

Advanced: Learn advanced concepts in chess, including openings to produce swift checkmating attacks or the win of material, learn how to plan ahead in chess and create positions where tactical themes can be used, all while playing and having fun.

Benefits of the game for all levels: Problem-solving skills, coping with the consequences of your decisions, and good sports behavior.

Instructor: Stephen Randoll

Grades 3rd – 8th   9:30 – 11:00

Meet the clever, creative ancient Egyptians! Explore the history of the Old, Middle and New Kingdoms. Try your hand at an introduction to hieroglyphs. Did you know there were 10,000 gods of Egypt? How about the concept that every one of them is the boss?? We’ll look at the roles of women and children in Egyptian society and then celebrate during the last class with the Feast of Bastet.

Instructor: Art Koenig

Grades 2nd – 3rd  9:30 – 11:00
Grades 4th – 5th  11:15 – 12:45

Sharpen your logical and critical thinking skills as you tackle various escape room challenges. Develop strategies to solve complex puzzles and piece together clues with precision.

Work with fellow detectives in a series of thrilling escape scenarios. Strengthen teamwork skills while racing against the clock to beat the ultimate escape room challenge!

Learn to design intricate puzzles that will challenge the sharpest minds. Can you beat your parents on the last day?? From cryptic codes to devious riddles, discover how to create immersive experiences that leave players on the edge of their seats!”

Instructor: Carrie Ziolkowski

Grades 1st – 3rd  9:30 – 11:00

What era are you in right now? How about the impressionist one?! While these paintings may seem very traditional to us today, at the time these artists were real rebels! Learn about a different impressionist painter each week, then create your OWN artwork in that style – works like Cassat portraits with colored pencils, Matisse-inspired paper art, Seurat’s pointillism using markers and blending colors, and much more!

Instructor: Liz Bickel

Grades 3rd – 5th   9:30 – 11:00

Using engineering design methods, we’re going to investigate a variety of STEM skills and challenges! Design windmills with mechnical engineering while learning about lift, drag and air pressure. Create sails and boats with marine engineering and explore buoyancy. Craft the perfect parachute with aerospace engineering (looking at potential & kinetic energy, plus gravity) and see if your egg survives a fall. This class will culminate with your own personal creation, where you’ll plan, test and refine your invention!

Instructor: Lisa Pascoe

Grades 3rd – 8th  11:15 – 12:45

Let’s examine the origins of one of our oldest known civilizations beginning with city states like Ur and Uruk, and the relationships they developed with others, such as the Elamites, the Mittani, and the Hittites. What was so epic about Gilgamesh, anyway? We’ll learn about the writing system used by the region until the invention of the alphabet, We’ll conclude with Babylon and the Akitu festival in honor of the god Marduk.

Instructor: Art Koenig