Upcoming Maker Skills Workshops

Maker Skills Workshops: Summer Series

July 27, 28, & 29 | 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Join us at the LabSpace workbench for three days of building and problem-solving. These workshops are designed for kids who want to go beyond basic crafts and learn how to make things that are sturdy, functional, and well-designed.

We’ll be using real tools and a variety of materials—from cardboard to tin cans—to build projects from the ground up. You can sign up for a single day or join us for the full three-day series.

The Schedule:

Monday, July 27: Recyclable Desk Caddy We’re focusing on the balance between “form and function.” It’s one thing to make a box look cool, but it’s another to make sure it can actually hold the weight of your tools without tipping over. We’ll be using all sorts of recyclables to build a rock-solid organizer designed to fit the specific gear you use at home. Girl Scouts – This session fulfills the requirements for the Tinker and Create badges.

Tuesday, July 28: Mechanical Story-Boxes This session is about mechanical motion. We’ll build a frame and learn how to use cams and axles to make things move. Getting these machines to run smoothly takes some patience and troubleshooting. Once the mechanics are set, makers can use our scrap bins to build a moving 3D scene on top.

Wednesday, July 29: Desktop Pinball Arcade We’ll be building working pinball games from scratch. This is a classic “tinker” project—you’ll design a launcher, figure out where to place your flipper arms, and test the angles of your bumpers. We’ll spend our time testing and tweaking the design until the game is fun and challenging to play.

The Details:

• Ages: 8 to 14

• Time: 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM each day

• Cost: $25 per workshop | $60 for the 3-day series (includes all materials)