Full Class Catalog
Welcome to the Einstein’s Workshop school year catalog. Here you will find brief descriptions of the classes we commonly run.
Our classes are divided into four categories. The categories exist to assist you in understanding what the core concept of the class is. Most of our classes are inherently interdisciplinary and use many tools. For more information please do not hesitate to contact us!
Coding & Design
Coding at Einstein’s Workshop is all about gaining confidence and solving problems. At the youngest ages students will play games with other students, learn how to program robots and begin internalizing the language of sequential code. Through the middle school years students will learn primarily though “Block Based Coding” – a computer based system of programming which uses preprogrammed “blocks” of code. Through Block Based Coding students can learn the language of code and make great programs without the nuances of punctuation and syntax which can so easily break their code. In high school students will begin programming in languages such as JAVA and Python to create small games, programs and even their own Minecraft Mods.
Design intricate 3D-printable objects using BlocksCAD, a free online program developed here at Einstein’s Workshop! Our easy-to-learn software makes coding and 3D design as simple as dragging and dropping blocks of editable code. Each block modifies 3D shapes to create models unique to your style. Develop an intuitive understanding of coordinate geometry while turning their imagination reality. At the end of the course, you can pick one of your creations to be printed on Einstein’s Workshop’s 3D printers and taken home!
For students who’ve gotten a taste of 3D-printing, and now they want more! Learn advanced modeling techniques, such as abstraction, recursion, and designing prints that can move or are made to fit real-life objects. And then you need to think about the 3D-printer itself. BlocksCAD has the tools to create anything you have a mind to make, and there are always ways to improve your craft. Come learn how to make truly amazing 3D-prints!
If you’ve taken a Scratch class before, you’re not done. It’s time to learn new blocks and new ways to use them! Scratch offers a ton of content and there is always something more to learn. Come learn more advanced concepts to make truly awesome programs!
Modern knights can’t burden themselves with cumbersome steel armor and heavy swords. In this class, students learn how to make boffer weapons and basic foam armor, with an emphasis on safety, creativity, and style! The class includes directions for building with readily-available materials. We also look at more advanced techniques and materials. At the end of the class, each student has made their own armor and/or weapon(s) to bring home. Fire-breathing opponents not included!
In this introduction to the world of programming, students learn first through hands on games, then by guiding Botley, a programmable robot, through a series of mazes. Once they’ve mastered the basics, students tackle more complex programming in Scratch Jr, a free tablet based programming environment. Students love creating stories and games with Scratch Jr., which makes basic coding logic fun and easy to learn!
Modern “making” is so much more than just working with our hands. Using computers and technology, we can make anything look cool! Learn computer art and design programs to make awesome images and art. Then apply what you learned to make cool and useful objects on our laser cutter that you get to take home!
Welcome to the world of freehand Digital Art! Students learn sophisticated computer art software to make incredible images. We use drawing tablets so students have all their tools and skills at their fingertips. As they learn to use these amazing tools, students also learn fundamental art skills such as color, composition, and layering.
Learn Java programming in a fun, visual, and interactive way. Make pictures, animations, and games that will wow your family and friends! No previous programming experience required. Must be able to touch type.
Learn basic concepts of programming using the incredibly popular programming environment, Scratch, developed by MIT. Scratch is a “block based” programming language where students learn to program by snapping together digital blocks of code. Animate stories and create simple game mechanics. No previous programming experience required!
Ever wanted to craft diamonds from dirt, smelt up some bedrock, or add your own custom Minecraft blocks? Modifications, or “Mods,” are one of the coolest things about the Minecraft community. In this class, we’ll get you started using Java coding to write your own mods. Some previous programming experience recommended. Must be able to touch type.
You start with walls, a roof, and two floors. The rest is up to you! Learn how to wire light switches and modify templates. Become proficient with measurement and vector design. Watch in awe as our laser cutter helps bring your designs to life. As the architect, builder, electrician, and interior decorator, assemble the home of your dreams!
Learn to create your own Mods for Minecraft and get an introduction to programming while you’re doing it! We use Code Kingdoms, an intuitive coding interface thats allows students to program on several levels, ranging from “block coding” to more complex Java. This class is a great introduction to programming with no prior experience required!
What’s more fun than making movies!? Learn the fundamentals of movie making and stop motion animation. Learn how to tell a great story, design sets, and develop characters. Then create your own mini flick!
Robotics
Robotics focuses on two core elements: Engineering and Programming. Students begin their robotics exploration using familiar tools like LEGO. They learn about gears, belts, motors, and movement. They also learn how to program their creations to perform simple tasks. As they grow, students are encouraged to think outside the box and build unique solutions to solve problems.
Our programs include FIRST LEGO League, a global robotics competition, VEX IQ, another robotics competition, and more.
Are you interested in robotics? We’ll take you from the basics of building and movement to advanced navigation, sensors, and teaching the robot how to make decisions for itself! LEGO provides a great system to easily build your robot then use the drag-and-drop coding software to give it commands. This is a great first step for anyone interested in competitive robotics.
Learn how basic mechanics can combine with LEGO to make amazing machines! Make a truly fast car, extender claws, cranes, and more! Explore gears and belt drives and when to use them. This class focuses on mechanics and engineering with human power. With cranks, winches, and pulleys, there is no need for motors or programming.
Build and program a real robot! Arduino is a powerful open-source computer and electronics tool for learning and prototyping. Arduino is a powerful tool favored by Hobbyists and professionals alike for design, prototyping, and testing. In this intro to Arduino, students will learn the basics of buttons, switches, potentiometers, LED and motor control, and programming.
During the fall (September to December), students can register for FIRST LEGO League (aka FLL) to participate in a global competition in which they will be assigned an Einstein’s Workshop staff member as a coach to progress their team through the season’s challenge. In addition to the robotics challenge course, there is also a research project and presentation portion. The season culminates at an all-day Saturday regional competition in mid-December. Contact us for season details.
Are you new to FIRST LEGO League? If you are curious about competition but more interested in building robots than in the innovation project, then this is the class for you! Students new to FIRST LEGO League complete missions on a real FLL competition board. (Note: This team will not do the research project/presentation or attend the competition. This class prepares students to be on an FLL team for the following year.)
A great ball contraption is a machine that receives balls from one module and passes them to another, like a bucket brigade. Students build intricate dynamic modules using VEX construction sets then combine them into a collaborative fantastic Rube Goldberg machine!
Have you ever wanted to make your own robot? We’ll teach you how to make all the moving parts! Students learn about mechanics and motion using everyday materials, electric components, engineering, creativity, and problem solving. Build a hydraulic arm, an electric car, the “Big Hand,” and much more!
Take LEGO robotics to the next level! Students learn how to build simple machines with motorized parts such as winches, pulleys, drive trains, and more! Add sensors and program your creations to respond to their environment. Students work together to design a machine to meet the challenge of the day! No previous LEGO experience required.
Jr. FIRST LEGO League is back with a new name! Expand your LEGO Robotics skills while exploring a cool science challenge. In LEGO Engineering Expo, students will work on three components as a team. 1) Research the chosen challenge subject, guided by our instructors. 2) Create motorized LEGO creations to show how to solve the challenge. 3) Create a poster showing their solution. All while hanging out with friends and having fun learning.
New to LEGO robotics? Then this is the class for you! Students investigate motorized LEGO models and learn about gears, belts, and motors. After building each model, students solve challenges that exercise their creativity and problem solving skills in addition to improving their understanding of how machines work!
MBots are arduino-based robots with motors and advanced sensors. This class introduces robotics and programming concepts through a series of fun and exciting challenges. Students write Scratch programs to receive data from the robot’s sensors and send commands to its mechanical parts. Be amazed when mBot comes to life as it moves, changes direction, avoids objects, and more!
VEX IQ Robotics is a team robotics challenge. Students work with a partner to design and build a controller driven robot to earn points on a challenge board. This class culminates in an in-house robotics competition where parents and the public are invited to watch students show off their robots and compete for points!
Science & Math
The tools of the future are here and they are changing the way we build and design. At Einstein’s Workshop, students have access to a number of modern tools and supplies. They learn about physics, design, engineering, electronics, 2D design, 3D modeling and printing, and much more. Over the course of our Science & Math curriculum, students learn confidence, hand skills and dexterity, problem solving, and technical design skills that will be useful in their hobbies and career!
Students enjoy entertaining and educational science experiments to gain an understanding of Physics including Newton’s First, Second, and Third Laws of Motion, Newton’s Law of Gravity, and more. They’ll build boats and rockets, make and play with marble runs and catapults, and tackle many other fun physics projects.
Ready, set, take off! From paper airplanes to rockets, we’ll make all sorts of flying inventions while exploring aerodynamics and how things move through the air. Students make, test, and reinvent catapults, kites, parachutes, and more as we explore the laws of physics and the forces that keep objects afloat. Lessons will be just “plane” fun!
In this hands-on class, students learn the basics of electronics and the principles of circuitry. Students bring their learning to life by making motors spin, lights shine, and speakers blare! By the end of class, students will get to take home a flashlight they built from genuine electrical components.
Welcome to the secret world of mathematicians! Mathematicians play by asking interesting questions and investigating possible solutions. Think like a mathematician, experiment with ideas, and see what you can discover. Through hands-on activities, explore areas of math not usually taught until college. Visit lands of higher dimensional geometry, tessellations, probability, and topology. From brain-teasers to creative exploration, this class will engage you in the playful side of math.
There are lots of great chemistry experiments that kids can safely do, and we have some favorites! Make a chemical battery to power a light. Recreate the process Marie Curie used to isolate Radium (without the radioactivity). Make color changing paintings using natural pH indicators. See the structure of DNA discovered by Rosalind Franklin using crystallography. And in this lab, you get to take all your beautiful results home. We will also learn about the amazing chemists, past and present, who inspired these projects.
Are you ready for an adventure? Don’t forget your map! Maps and diagrams help us figure out our location in relation to a place, and help us discover all sorts of treasures along the way. In this class, we’ll make pirate’s treasure maps, blueprints, and physical maps! We’ll explore street maps, diagrams, globes, solar system maps and so much more.
Become an engineer and make working models that solve real problems! This is your chance to design and build your own cool inventions using everyday objects and recycled materials!
Game Learning
Play is one of the greatest methods for teaching children. While all of our classes are fun, Game Learning takes it to the next level. From learning the social etiquette of playing games, to learning about electronics and the physics of orbital mechanics, to just plain fun, students will love their time in Game Learning classes.
Role-Playing games like Dungeons and Dragons are great for developing imagination, creative problem solving, and teamwork. Our players create and control fantasy heroes as they embark on grand adventures, exploring new and long lost lands, battling perilous foes, and making new friends along the way.
Join a group of like minded builders, crafters and adventurers playing Minecraft. Play on two servers, one in creative mode for unlimited building of epic structures and one in survival mode for the ultimate adventure. Students will learn the meaning of good digital citizenship and working together through cooperative play. Our seasoned staff guide students’ focus on building and growing as a group in this one-of-a-kind experience.
Minecraft is more than just a game, it is a creative tool that allows players to create and experience feats of engineering, amazing structures, and epic works of art. Tour the Parthenon! Be awed by Notre Dame’s beauty! Will you be fooled by the false tomb or find the real one in the Taj Mahal? With an inspired mind, design and build a Wonder of the World. Working together, students learn the meaning of good digital citizenship.
Do you want to learn how to play Minecraft? Join us on an epic adventure as we work together to explore, build and learn about this amazing environment. How do people recreate real world architecture? Why is this game so fun and why is it considered educational? Find the answers to these questions and more! In addition to guidance on good digital citizenship, students will gain considerable comfort using a mouse and keyboard, important 21st century skills.
Your child is invited to establish a colony on a Minecraft planet! To get the colony running, we’ll need the help of our ship’s automated systems. To activate the systems, students solve puzzles using pattern recognition, ratios, measurement, and more. Come join the adventure and put your flag on a new planet!
Learn how to create and run obstacle courses in Minecraft, including block hopping, disappearing floors, and more! Using Redstone programming and circuits, students will learn to create challenging escape rooms, testing their agility and puzzle solving skills!
Take Minecraft Engineering to the next level with Redstone! Redstone is a type of circuit used in the Minecraft world to make digital devices of all kinds. Learn how to wire buildings, create lights, hide doors, automate many parts of the game, and even implement computer logic.
Build your own roller coaster in Minecraft using minecarts, powered rails, and redstone! Will your coaster pass through underground caverns? Will it soar high into the air? Students employ engineering, sequential logic, and spacial reasoning to answer these and other questions. The only limit to your roller coaster is your imagination!
Telling a good story is a powerful skill. It can help you be creative, show off your talents, convince people of a point of view, and even promote yourself. In Minecraft Storytelling, students work in small groups to outline plots, describe scenes, and write scripts. Then they create backdrops and set scenes inside Minecraft! Students film their stories in Minecraft using screen capture software, narrate their scripts, and edit their videos. The result is a unique and exciting story!
Design your own theme park inside Minecraft! Using minecarts, powered rails, redstone, and more, students will build everything from roller coasters to bumper boats to concession stands to zoos! Will your coaster pass through underground caverns? Will your games be rigged in your favor? Students employ engineering, sequential logic, and spacial reasoning to answer these and other questions. The only limit to your theme park is your imagination!
Take a virtual tour of a Motte-and-Bailey fort (a late medieval castle), and learn how and why they were built. Try on real pieces of armor crafted from cloth, leather, and steel, but no diamonds–sorry! Handle replica tools and weapons in a safe environment. Learn about the materials used in medieval equipment and architecture and why some were better than others. Back inside Minecraft, join in a mounted charge on an opposing position, or try to hold the line against one!
Students use Kerbal Space Program (KSP) to develop their own space missions including rocket design, launch, and orbit. KSP realistically simulates the flight and behavior of the student’s spaceship. It also provides an exciting and intuitive environment for learning about space exploration, from rocket design to control to orbital mechanics. You’ll learn how to create your own space vehicle and the rockets to launch it!
