Join us in the IdeaLab for some hands-on high-tech crafting using the principles of computing. This week, we're making animated fabric badges that scroll your name or message. Hello, world!

Wednesday October 7 from 5-6:30pm
$30 per participant. For ages 9 to 14.

The Challenge: How can technology turn clothing into a dynamic canvas?

What Kids Will Do: Young creators step into the world of wearable tech by building custom animated fabric badges! Using MakeCode, kids code personalized scrolling messages, custom icons, and glowing animations on the micro:bit’s 5 x 5 LED display. They’ll then craft a fabric pin or lanyard frame to proudly display their digital design.

Skills Learned: String output, custom LED matrix plotting, display loops, and wearable e-textile design.

NOTE: This class uses the Micro:Bit Microcontroller ($24.95). Already have one from a previous session? Great, bring it along! Need to get one? You can purchase it at check-out or at the museum when you arrive for class.

Join us in the IdeaLab for hands-on high-tech crafting using the principles of computing. This week: we’re rocking out with home-made guitars from simple materials!

Wednesday October 14 from 5-6:30pm
$35 per participant. For ages 9 to 14.

The Challenge: Can you turn a piece of cardboard and copper into a real musical instrument?

What Kids Will Do: Kids turn physical crafting into an acoustic performance! After cutting out custom guitar frames, they'll lay down conductive copper tape frets and use alligator clips to transform their fingers into music triggers. Using capacitive touch sensing, touching different frets completes a safe circuit that plays synthesized pitch tones and custom melodies through their micro:bit!

Skills Learned: Conductivity & closed-circuit pathways, capacitive touch sensing, frequency-to-pitch mapping, and digital audio synthesis.

Materials: This class uses the Micro:Bit Microcontroller ($24.95) and Micro:Bit Expansion Board ($10.00). Already have them from a previous session? Great, bring them along! Need to get them? You can purchase them at check-out or at the museum when you arrive for class.

Join us in the IdeaLab for hands-on high-tech crafting using the principles of computing. This week, we're testing our reflexes, arcade style!

Wednesday October 21 from 5-6:30pm
$30 per participant. For ages 9 to 14.

The Challenge: How fast are your reflexes when every millisecond counts?

What Kids Will Do: Kids step into the shoes of an arcade game developer by building a high-speed reaction game! They’ll code a glowing LED "dot" that jumps randomly across the micro:bit’s 5 x 5 screen, requiring players to tilt their board using onboard motion sensors or smash physical buttons to catch it before time runs out. As kids score points, the dot moves faster and faster, turning a simple grid into an addictive, fast-paced arcade test!

Skills Learned: Random number generation, accelerometer gesture sensing, score tracking variables, timer loops, and dynamic game-speed scaling algorithms.

Materials: This class uses the Micro:Bit microcontroller. Already have one from a previous session? Great, bring it along! Need to get one? You can purchase it at check-out for $24.95 or purchase one at the museum when you arrive for class.

Join us in the IdeaLab for some hands-on high-tech crafting using the principles of computing. This week, we're making programmable nightlights that wink and blink like fireflies.

Wednesday October 28 from 5pm-6:30pm
$36 per participant. For ages 9 to 14.

The Challenge: Craft a light fixture that reacts to the world around it!

What Kids Will Do: Mixing physics with art, kids create a glowing, light-sensitive jar night-light. They’ll wire up a photoresistor sensor to monitor ambient room light and connect an addressable NeoPixel ring inside a diffuse jar scene. When the lights in the room go down, their jar automatically bursts to life with custom breathing color animations!

Skills Learned: Analog light level readings, RGB color mixing, threshold automation, and light diffusion optics.

Materials: This class requires a neopixel light strip (included) and a Micro:Bit microcontroller. Already have a Micro:Bit from a previous session? Great, bring it along! Need to get one? You can purchase it for $24.95 at check-out or at museum when you arrive for class.

Join us in the IdeaLab for some hands-on high-tech crafting using the principles of computing. This week, we're deploying the Micro:Bit plus a dash of trigonometry to measure the height of the museum building. The sky’s the limit!

Wednesday November 4 from 5-6:30pm
$30 per participant. For creative kids in grades 4 to 8.

The Challenge: How can a tiny microcontroller measure a huge building?

What Kids Will Do: Combining math and real-world surveying, young investigators turn their micro:bit into a handheld digital altimeter. By utilizing onboard pitch sensors, sight scopes, and practical trigonometry, kids will calculate angles of elevation and measure the exact height of the museum building.

Skills Learned: Accelerometer/pitch readings, mathematical formula implementation, variable storage, and physical surveying.

Materials: This class uses a Micro:Bit microcontroller. Already have a Micro:Bit from a previous session? Great, bring it along! Need to get one? You can purchase one for $24.95 at check-out or at the museum when you arrive for class.

Join us in the IdeaLab for hands-on high-tech crafting using the principles of computing. This week, we’re driving “smart” with ultrasonic radar & backup sensors.

Wednesday November 11 from 5-6:30pm
$30 per participant. For ages 9 to 14.

The Challenge: How do modern cars "see" obstacles before a crash happens?

What Kids Will Do: Kids will build a custom mini car and equip it with sonar "eyes" (ultrasonic distance sensors). They'll program their micro:bit to bounce silent sound waves off nearby objects to calculate real-time distance. As their car approaches a wall, the micro:bit will display visual warnings and speed up its warning beeps—just like a real modern backup camera!

Skills Learned: Sonar echolocation logic, variable math calculations, distance thresholds, and conditional safety logic (if/else).

Materials: This class uses the Micro:Bit microcontroller. Already have one from a previous session? Great, bring it along! Need to get one? You can purchase it at check-out for $26.95 or purchase one at the museum when you arrive for class.

Join us in the IdeaLab for some hands-on high-tech crafting using the principles of computing. This week, we're finding true north using the amazing properties of the Micro:Bit. Next stop: Alaska!

Wednesday November 18 from 5-6:30pm
$30 per participant. For ages 9 to 14.

The Challenge: Can a micro-computer help you find true north?

What Kids Will Do: Kids harness the power of Earth’s magnetic field! By programming the micro:bit’s onboard magnetometer, participants calibrate a digital compass and build a custom papercard navigation housing. Once coded, they'll put their devices to the test on an indoor museum navigation challenge.

Skills Learned: Magnetometer calibration, degree heading logic, conditional navigation branches, and spatial orientation.

Materials: This class uses a Micro:Bit microcontroller. Already have a Micro:Bit from a previous session? Great, bring it along! Need to get one? You can purchase one for $24.95 at check-out or at the museum when you arrive for class.

Join us in the IdeaLab for hands-on high-tech crafting using the principles of computing. This week, we're building a working vault with a mechanical deadbolt, to keep your secrets safe!

Wednesday December 2 from 5pm to 6:30pm
$36 per participant. For ages 9 to 14.

The Challenge: Can you outsmart a secret agent?

What Kids Will Do: Kids become security engineers as they design and build a functional cardboard lockbox from scratch. They’ll wire up a rotary dial for custom PIN code entry and program a precision servo motor to drive a physical deadbolt latch. If an intruder tries to guess the passcode, their micro:bit will trigger a high-pitched security alarm!

Skills Learned: State machine logic, mechanical linkage design, security array verification, and motor angle control.

Materials: This class uses the Micro:Bit Microcontroller ($24.95) and Micro:Bit Expansion Board ($10.00). Already have them from a previous session? Great, bring them along! Need to get them? You can purchase them at check-out or at the museum when you arrive for class.

Join us in the IdeaLab for hands-on high-tech crafting using the principles of computing. Program a classic arcade game, then defend against the space invaders!

Wednesday December 9 from 5-6:30pm
$30 per participant. For ages 9 to 14.

The Challenge: Can you code a classic retro arcade game?

What Kids Will Do: Young game developers build a 1980s retro arcade favorite! Using the MakeCode game engine, participants program a laser cannon sprite that moves along the bottom row, fires projectiles upward, and detects collisions with descending alien invaders.

Skills Learned: Game loops, sprite movement, coordinate system math, collision detection, and score tracking variables.

Materials: This class uses the Micro:Bit microcontroller. Already have one from a previous session? Great, bring it along! Need to get one? You can purchase it at check-out for $24.95 or purchase one at the museum when you arrive for class.

Join us in the IdeaLab for some hands-on high-tech crafting using the principles of computing. This week, we're making sound-activated talking puppets! Move over, Barney!

Wednesday December 16 from 5-6:30pm
$35 per participant. For ages 9 to 14.

The Challenge: Bring cardboard to life using real robotics!

What Kids Will Do: Combining digital sound sensors with physical mechanism design, young inventors will craft custom puppet characters with moving lower jaws. Using MakeCode, they’ll map their puppet’s mouth movements directly to sound volume—making their character’s jaw mechanically open and close whenever they speak, sing, or clap!

Skills Learned: Pulse-width modulation (PWM), sound amplitude sampling, mechanical lever/pivot hinges, and voice-controlled automation.

Materials: This class uses servo motors (included), a Micro:Bit Microcontroller ($24.95) and Micro:Bit Expansion Board ($10.00). Already have them from a previous session? Great, bring them along! Need to get them? You can purchase them at check-out or at the museum when you arrive for class.