We’ve been doing a lot of updates on Facebook, but I didn’t want to leave out my blog readers completely. As I’m sure everyone is aware, we are closed for the immediate future. Even so, we’re trying to take some of our programming online to help keep kids engaged at home.
Tutorials
We have several tutorials up on both YouTube and Facebook. Content right now includes:
- Making an adventure game in Scratch (block based programming),
- Minecraft (particularly redstone), and
- Designing graphics in Inkscape (an open source vector graphics design program)
I’m also working on learning how to do some 2D game design in Unity and whatever else I may get excited about.
Challenges
We are also putting up Lego and Minecraft challenges on Facebook twice a week. Kids post their creations and are encouraged to comment on other people’s work.
Upcoming Classes and Camps
Rachel has hopes of creating a Minecraft Book Club as well as a story chain, so keep an eye out for those offerings. If you have need of individual tutoring for your kiddos, we may have some high school students who can rise to the occasion.
When the stay at home order completes we may offer outdoor half-day camps. Each camp will be restricted to five families to minimize risk. There will be hiking, engineering, and lots of play.
Programming
CodeCombat is one of the many organizations offering free content for the duration of the school year. We applied for school licenses for them and received them. We have two classes set up and kids should be able to work pretty independently. We may set up a weekly zoom to check in with kiddos.
- Javascript: https://codecombat.com/students?_cc=SoftCupShoe
- Python: https://codecombat.com/students?_cc=GreenCatSpell
Rentals
Our rental program is still around and I encourage you to take full advantage of it. We’ve added a few items, such as sewing machines and our Cricut Maker. We have a few bots not listed as they aren’t normally available, so feel free to ask if you want something specific.