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Winter Break Workshops

Looking for something fun and engaging to do over the holidays? This winter break, we’re offering some of our most popular K-8th grade virtual workshops to spark creativity while school is out.

Young makers can design shadow puppets, learn the basics of coding, or take their first steps as junior inventors. Older students can learn to design a basic video game, develop more advanced coding skills, or create their own movie using stop motion animation.

Facilitated by professional maker educators, all workshops are one-hour long to fit easily into your family’s schedule with an instructor-student ratio of 1:10 that ensures personal attention.

Dates: December 28, 29 & 30
Duration: 1 hour for each workshop
Grades: K – 4th & 5th – 8th
Price: Members: $15 | Nonmembers: $20

Members, be sure to login before checkout to receive your discount.

Please review our Virtual Programming FAQs and Code of Conduct. If you have any further questions please contact us at info@kid-museum.org.

Monday, December 28

K – 4th Grade | Marble Run Madness

Using simple household objects and a bit of engineering, create your own marble run, complete with obstacles, twists, turns or loops! How long can you make it go?

Materials required: Small ball, toilet paper rolls, paper, scissors, tape or hot glue, toothpicks, pencils, paper plates, other recyclables or objects for making ramps or obstacles.

10 AM REGISTER
1:30 PM REGISTER

K – 4th Grade | Light and Shadow Creatures

Explore the magic of light and shadows! Design your own shadow puppets using paper, wire, and household items, then create a simple story for them to perform.

Materials required: Paper, scissors, wire, objects with unique shapes, string or fishing line, tape, flashlight or lamp, blank wall or big piece of paper taped to the wall.

12 PM REGISTER
3 PM REGISTER

5th – 8th Grade | Kinetic Contraptions

Learn how to build a crank and learn what it can do! Then design your own simple kinetic toy or mechanical art.

Materials required: Paperclips, straws, cardboard paper, tape scissors.

10 AM REGISTER
1:30 PM REGISTER

5th – 8th Grade | Chain Reaction Challenge

Build your own Rube Goldberg-style, chain reaction machine out of ordinary household items. It’s the most fun, most creative home challenge ever!

Materials required: Things that roll, things to be used as a ramp, something that tips, string, tape, household items, a clear space for working and testing.

12 PM REGISTER
3 PM REGISTER

Tuesday, December 29

K – 4th Grade | Scratch Stories, Jr.

Learn the basics of block coding! Students will start offline, then move on to designing their own simple story animations in ScratchJr.

Materials required: Desktop or ipad downloaded with Scratch jr app.

10 AM REGISTER
1:30 PM REGISTER

K – 4th Grade | Story Book Engineers: Sink or Swim Challenge

Inspired by the book, “Who Sank the Boat,” by Pamela Allen, we will follow the engineering design process to design, test, and build a boat that stays afloat when holding weight!

Materials required: Cardboard, scissors, tape, aluminum foil, pencils, foam, plastic containers, basin with water, small objects to use as weights.

12 PM REGISTER
3 PM REGISTER

5th – 8th Grade | Interactive Coding: Scratch Video Sensors

Learn about basic video game design skills, then design and create a simple game using Scratch video sensors.

Materials required: Desktop, laptop, or tablet with internet access

10 AM REGISTER
1:30 PM REGISTER

5th – 8th Grade | Balanced Sculpture Challenge

Explore the properties of weight, and discover how to balance objects on your finger or pencil. Then create a unique balancing sculpture inspired by the work of Alexander Calder.

Materials required: Cardboard or chipboard, pencil, string, tape, objects to try balancing, wire, twist ties, paper, scissors.

12 PM REGISTER
3 PM REGISTER

Wednesday, December 30

K – 4th Grade | Cardboard Creatures

Learn to design and build with cardboard using techniques, like slot and connect, hinging, and brads. Then design and create an original creature out of recycled materials.

Materials required: Cardboard or chipboard, old cereal boxes, manila envelopes, toilet paper tubes, markers or colored pencils, scissors, tape, random small items like jar lids or containers.

10 AM REGISTER
1:30 PM REGISTER

K – 4th Grade | Story Book Engineers: At-Home Inventors Challenge

We’ll read “Rosie Revere, Engineer” by Andrea Beaty, and discuss her invention process. Then, we’ll find ways to “reinvent” household items to make them better — or give them new purpose.

Materials required: Household objects with moving parts, scissors, paper, tape, string, cardboard, recyclables, pencil or dowels, objects to put together things like nuts, bolts, clothespins, paperclips or twist ties.

12 PM REGISTER
3 PM REGISTER

5th – 8th Grade | Wacky Inventions: Intro to Chindogu 

Learn about Chindogu, the Japanese art of inventing unusual tools or gadgets. Then create a silly, but useful, invention by hacking household items.

Materials required: Household items, connectors, misc materials

10 AM REGISTER
1:30 PM REGISTER

5th – 8th Grade | Stop Motion Animation: New Year’s Eve Countdown

Countdown to New Year’s Eve! Use household items such as paper clips, LEGO, or even dried beans to create a one-of-a-kind, stop motion animation video to get ready for 2021!

Materials required: Misc. household items, desktop, laptop, or tablet with internet access

12 PM REGISTER
3 PM REGISTER

Questions? Email us at info@kid-museum.org.

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