Coding doesn’t require secret languages or complex symbols—it can be explored through simple, intuitive tools like Scratch and OctoStudio. In this session, we’ll investigate how devices and hands-on materials can interact in creative ways to help us tell our stories.

Cardboard is an incredibly versatile building material that invites creativity, problem-solving, and hands-on exploration. In this workshop, you’ll dive into tools, techniques, and classroom-friendly strategies for helping students safely use cardboard as part of the engineering design process. Discover how simple materials can inspire big ideas and deepen students’ understanding of engineering concepts.

Explore, design, and create using Tinkercad, an accessible, online 3D modeling tool perfect for the classroom. In this hands-on workshop, you’ll design your own projects, prepare them for printing on our 3D printers, and collaborate with fellow educators to share ideas for bringing 3D printing into student learning. We’ll highlight connections to math concepts and NGSS standards, and discuss practical strategies for implementation.

With science education now featured on the California School Dashboard, there’s never been a better time to rethink how we teach it. Design, Craft, and Code is a hands-on workshop series that equips educators to bring the California NGSS to life through a STEAM-integrated, maker-centered approach—including creative connections to computer science.

Looking for a way to implement CA Computer Science Standards? The BBC Micro:bit is a pocket-sized computer that shows learners how hardware and software work together. Join us to learn how students  engage with CA CSS while tinkering, coding and creating with the micro:bit.

Simple Yet Amazing Circuits - How can circuits be used to tell a story

Our Playshops have included electric circuits for the past few years. This time we will be expanding our creations by adding switches, motors, lights, and other devices. No experience is necessary, just curiosity and a willingness to have fun. Come see what story you can tell with simple electrical concepts.

How do we tell a story through creating a hanging sculpture?

There are many ways to explore balance. Standing, stacking, building, and more. But how about hanging? This Playshop will see us building mobiles, an art form which balances hanging objects. We will use a variety of materials and incorporate story elements into our creations, making your creations unique and personal. 

Cardboard is everywhere. It is used in packaging for toys, pizza boxes, and just about anything delivered to our doorsteps. What can be done with all of this cardboard? The possibilities are endless. In this Playshop we will explore different ways to cut, shape, join, and fold cardboard. Come and discover ways to build with this amazing material, and go home with your own unique creations.

What characters and stories do we see in the shadows? Build a light box and use it to explore the art and science of light by tinkering with various light sources, colors of light, combinations of colors, and the shadows that can be produced.