Tuesday, December 11, 2012
WINTER WORKSHOPS AT PARTS AND CRAFTS - January/February 2013
Parts and Crafts is an open workshop and community space in Somerville. Our programs run out of Sprout's studio at 339R Summer Street, just outside of Davis Square, where we run creative arts, engineering, science, and technology programs for kids of all ages. We're open five days a week (Monday - Thursday, and Saturday).
Here's a quick overview of what's going on over the next few months!
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Open Shop: Intro to Python
An afterschool workshop introducing kids to Python, a powerful, popular, and highly alliterative programming language that focuses on clear syntax and easy readability. We'll cover some of the rules and tools and use them to build simple games. Experience is helpful, but not necessary, but participants must know how to read and type at a reasonable speed. Paired with open shop, where kids can hang out, play board games, hit each other with boffer swords, and otherwise have a blast after school.
Dates: Thursdays, January 10 – February 7 (5 sessions), 3 – 5 p.m.
Cost: $100, sliding scale ($10-20 / session)
Age: Open to kids of all ages - programming experience is helpful, must be able to read and type fluently
Functional DIY: Fabric Arts and Bookmaking
Books, shoes, bags, clothes, hats... If you've ever thought "Hey, that's a cool thing! I want to make one of those!" then Tuesdays in January at Parts & Crafts are for you! We'll be making artistically visually pleasing yet completely functional objects that you can really use! Make your own journal or sketchbook out of just about anything! Want to make a pair of leather sandals? Knit a hat or scarf in no time! Make a messenger bag for carrying around your knitting & notebook!
Dates: Tuesdays, January 8 – February 5 (5 sessions), 3 - 5 p.m.
Cost: $100, sliding scale ($10-20 / session)
Age: Open to kids of any age
Open Shop: Tables and Carts
An afterschool program introducing kids to basic woodworking techniques. Workshop will be geared towards making simple contraptions (tables, very simple stools, things with wheels, etc).
Dates: Tuesdays, February 12 – March 19 (5 sessions, no class on February 19), 3 - 5 p.m.
Cost: $100, sliding scale ($10-20 / session)
Age: Kids ages 8 – 11
Open Shop: Intro to Electronics
In this workshop, we’ll go through a series of beginner electronics projects, introducing kids to basic components (resistors, switches, capacitors, diodes) and concepts (the relationship between electricity and magnetism, voltage, current, and capacitance). We’ll take apart and examine scrap electronics, learn how to solder, build motors, play sounds, make things blink and spin, and build connections. Sample projects might include: Motor cars, drawdios, popsicle stick reed switches, DIY motors, lightsabers, shake flashlights, solar-triggered bristlebots, and more!
Dates: Thursdays, February 14 – March 21 (5 sessions, no class on February 21), 3 - 5 p.m.
Cost: $100, sliding scale ($10-20 / session)
Age: Kids of any age are welcome, geared towards people who are new to electronics (i.e. more wire twisting, fewer microcontrollers)
Weekend Workshop: Intro to Arduino
In this five-session, workshop, we will work together on a series of interesting circuits and programs using the Arduino, an open-source hardware platform designed for artists, designers, hobbyists, and anyone interested in creating interactive objects or environments.
Dates: Saturdays, January 12 – February 9 (5 sessions), 10:30 - 12 p.m.
Cost: $100, sliding scale ($10-20 / session)
Age: Open to kids ages 11-16.
Weekend Workshop: Minecraft Modding
A special 3-session coding class, focusing on everyone's favorite block-stacking game - Minecraft --http://www.minecraft.net/! It's quite likely that you've either never heard of Minecraft or that you've heard all-too-much about it because your kid is obsessed. We think it's a neat game, and it offers some good opportunities for some interesting programming (trying to avoid, in this sentence, using any phrases like "delving deeper"...)
We have a limited number of laptops, kids are encouraged to bring their own in! Please note: Modifying code also involves having the game open on your computer for large amounts of time– and it's very likely that kids will play it! We're not going to insist that kids be coding at all times, or police open computers to make sure they're not playing vs. coding. We expect they'll be doing a little or a lot of both!
Dates: February 16 – March 9 (3 sessions, no class on February 23), 10:30 - 12 p.m.
Cost: $60, sliding scale ($10-20 / session)
Age: Open to kids of all ages: prior programming experience is very helpful
Saturday Open Shop
A weekly drop-in workshop for kids and families to make things together. People are encouraged to come to open shop with projects and ideas of their own that they’d like to work on and explore, but we’ll always have something in mind to get you started if you’re suffering from maker’s block.
Dates: Saturdays, starting December 1, from 12 - 2 p.m.
Cost: Free / by donation
Ages: Open to kids of all ages
Click HERE to view the Premium Art Deadlines List.
