The Fab Lab specializes in introducing learners to a variety of forms of rapid prototyping and iterative design. A combination of many of our most popular activities, Camp Fab Lab is several days and includes different components depending on the age and experience of participants. All workshops include:

• Instruction with Inkscape, Silhouette Studio, 3D design programs and other software
• A variety of concepts related to drafting and design, imagination, remixing, graphic design and problem-solving
• Each participant will get to take home a variety of items they’ve created over the week, such as stickers, soldered LED badges, laser creations, 3D printed monsters, small electronics gizmos, plushy characters, embroidered patches and 3D scans of themselves!

Summer 2017

This is a 4 or 5 day introduction to the Fab Lab:

• General tour, orientation and demonstrations
• Use electronic cutters and sticky vinyl to make Stickers!
• Apply methods in art and engineering with Basic Laser
• Familiarization with 3D Printing and Scanning
• An introduction to small board electronics (like Arduino) and/or computer-driven textile arts with Digital Embroidery
• Take home several personalized objects like name tags, stickers, a fabrics project and 3D prints

The last (5th) day is open lab time for participants to apply the skills they’ve learned and interests they’ve cultivated to pursue projects in a less structured open-lab format – it is optional

Looking for a one-day workshop similar to this? Ask for the “Tour de Fab Lab”

Prerequisites: None
Difficulty: Easy
Required Ages: Varies, see dates below
Required # of Participants: 8 – 15
Dates / Times: multiple possible sessions

Cost: $120

One of our most popular camps returns for another year. In this monster mash-up camp, you will use a variety of Fab Lab tools to design and make cute and scary monsters. Early in the week we will learn how to make small monsters using the silhouette cutters, tablets, and fabric and sewing machines. We will spend time each day working on a bigger project, screaming monster plushie.

Learning Process and Outcomes

Daily warm up monster sketching, small daily projects, ongoing larger monster project

Take-Home Creations

Multi-layer vinyl stickers, paper creatures, sewn plushie monsters, and more

From repairing ripped clothing or broken toys to creating entirely new costumes or designs, sewing is an incredibly versatile skill! This camp is intended for those new to sewing. We will cover essentials such as hand sewing, threading a machine, understanding different fabrics and their applications, and the appropriate stiches. These skills will then be applied in the creation of a cool, interactive fabric folio book to showcase your newfound skills! Come learn the basics of sewing with us!

Learning Process and Outcomes

Basic and advanced sewing skills, both machine and hand sewing.

Take-Home Creations

All campers will take home their interactive fabric folio book

Can’t wait to go to a Fab Lab Camp? This three-day mini camp welcomes younger kids itching to make things but not old enough yet for our other camps. Together we will build an awesome town out of cardboard over three days and learn about some of tools at the Fab Lab. In addition to making giant cardboard structures, kids will make mini houses, stickers, and learn to use our sewing machines to sew their own name patches. 

Learning Process and Outcomes

• Cooperation
• Spatial reasoning 
• Problem Solving
• Communication skills

Take-Home Creations

This camp is intended for anyone who wants to learn and develop digital modeling skills through hands-on experience. The camp covers broad topics including engineering drawing and sketching, digital modeling, 3D printing and design thinking. The 3D-CAD software that will be used in this camp is Fusion 360. This design software encompasses parametric, direct and freeform modeling capabilities and provides unlimited opportunity for creative expression. UP 3D printers will be used build digital designs of students’ creation.

In the first half of the class, instructional materials covering the basics of freehand sketching, 3D design, parametric and freeform modeling, 3D printing, as well as design thinking will be introduced. From the second half of the camp, participants will be assigned into a team to work on a design challenge aimed at enhancing problem solving ability and collaboration. The camp will conclude with a presentation of the design outcomes of the teams and each participant will keep 3D models of their creation built throughout the camp.  

Learning Process and Outcomes

• Demonstrate basic sketching skills
• Understand and generate basic technical drawings
• Demonstrate 3D modeling skills
• Understand and demonstrate effective design process
• Use Fusion 360 3D-CAD software
• Understand working principles and the operation of 3D printer
• Solve design problem using design thinking principles

Take-Home Creations

At least two 3D printed creations – a starter keychain and a more complicated invention of the camper’s own design

Patterns are everywhere from the argyle on your socks to the ikat on your curtains and every printed pattern that you see was made by someone. Spend a week learning how patterns are made, both by hand and digitally and learn how you can use some of the FabLab tools to create your own unique fabrics and prints. Campers will spend the week creating and refining their own designs to create a unique collection of fabric to take home. The will learn about principles of design, stamp carving, the laser cutter, and how to use image editing software.

Learning Process and Outcomes

Campers will begin the week learning about how to manually create patterns and will move toward creating designs digitally. They will learn about general principles in design (color, layering), and methods specific to pattern, like types of repeating methods (block, half-drop, brick). They will learn how to physically and digitally create a seamless repeat.

Take-Home Creations

Campers will take home paper prints they have made using their stamps each day. The week will culminate with campers taking home fat quarters of fabric designed to be a cohesive collection.

“Mission Control- this is Spy Camp. Do you copy?” This camp, should you choose to accept it, will hone your trap making, puzzle solving, and hacking abilities in order to become the most awesome agent that’s ever lived. Field agents will learn from experienced spies about advanced Arduino and Makey Makey electronics, coding, improvising with tools at hand, and spy etiquette for creating gadgets to add to their arsenal. Various gadgets will be tested against fellow agents to ensure they can withstand the most evil of enemies. Agents will then be put through a mock mission on the final day in order to received their Certified Field Agent license. 

Learning Process and Outcomes

Team based learning
Advanced arduino electronics and coding
Design and Useablility
Rapid prototyping
Puzzle logic
Maybe history of spies and spy movies?
Simple mechanics- gears, lever, etc

Take-Home Creations

Teams will choose which electronics project to complete. Possibilities include: Laser trip wire with alarm, DIY Makey Makey controller, decoder- arduino caesar cipher, motion sensor or photo sensor tied to light, countdown timer w/LCD

All campers will take home: CFA (certified field agent) card after completing rescue mission, bow tie, RPG Maker spy base game file

Learn how to use DIY biohacking tools to explore the living world around you. Projects will include building your own origami microscope to learn about microscopy and histology techniques and an exploration of cell cultures. After building their microscopes, participants in this camp will go on scavenger hunts and map their finds. 

Learning Process and Outcomes

Paper craft, microscopy, group learning, and mapping

Take-Home Creations

Foldable microscope, team-created map, infographic posters of discoveries

In this camp, students will learn how to combine basic circuits with fabric, producing their own light up wearables and wall hangings. Throughout the week, they will learn how to put simple Arduino code onto a miniature Arduino (Attiny45) and integrate the code and components into a fabric embroidery hoop. Take home projects involve an LED badge, a personalized blinky hoop, and a night light hoop!

Learning Process and Outcomes

Attiny, arduino, circuitry, code, sewing

Take-Home Creations

LED badge, a personalized blinky hoop, and a night light hoop

Are your parents or siblings always coming into your room with out permission? In this camp, you will learn how to build an Arduino Monster than tells people to stay away (or welcomes them in) to your bedroom. You will learn to program an Arduino to combine an ultrasonic sensor and LCD screen to display custom messages when people approach your room. Campers will then incorporate those screens and sensors into a monster display of their own design. 

Learning Process and Outcomes

Basic Arduino coding, sensors, combining code, design for laser cutter

Take-Home Creations

Arduino Monster with display screen

Ever wanted to make a cool superhero costume but have no idea where to start? Come join us for Cosplay Creations: Fabric Fighters. For this camp we will be teaching how to draft patterns and learn about how to make clothes off of modified patterns. Campers who come to camp with an idea of what costume they want to make will be able to complete more of their costume during the week of camp.

Learning Process and Outcomes

Design and draft patterns as well as combine previously made patterns to achieve a completely different product.

Take-Home Creations

Parts of their costume.

Enter into the land of costume creation through helmet making! This camp is a foray into foam fabrication. Campers will learn from experienced helmet forgers about the tips and tricks for creating your own foam, battle ready helmet. From templating and fitting to finishing, campers will be given the essentials for their future foam and prop creations tool kit. Helmets will be decked out with foam accents and horns to make them stand out in a crowd! Small tools such as xacto knives, sandpaper, and spray paints will be used in conjunction with associated safety training. Campers will also be in the presence of power tools, such as a spindle sander, and in a mess prone environment and are expected to get dirty so dress accordingly!

Learning Process and Outcomes

Template Making
Creativity explored
Painting and Finishing techniques
Tool, paint, and glue safety
Iterative design 

Take-Home Creations

A really rocking helmet with horns, accents, and maybe electronics- fully painted

One of our most popular camps of last summer, perhaps the best way to learn how to program – make a story game! Participants use a professional game design program, Maker MV, to investigate character design, map creation, game mechanics, and puzzles. Students will be exposed to basic computer programming with Javascript and HTML5. This year we’ve added even more assets and resources and worked out our flow to help campers make games happen even faster.

For returning campers we have RPG Game Design 2.0. In this camp, we will build upon the basics, previously learned, and explore RPG Maker MV even further to create a more detailed, amazing game than before. This camp will focus on the number crunching and game mechanics used by larger game developers to take their games from ordinary to extraordinary. Learn how to make armor, weapons, and skills for taking down a mighty beast and make formidable foes, harrowing quests, and curious cutscenes. Learn what makes a game in-depth, balanced, and appealing and take your RPG Maker skills to the next level!

Learning Process and Outcomes

Game design: what goes into a game, what makes a game a specific type, intermediate programming concepts, storytelling elements as well as basic and complex logic.

Take-Home Creations

The beginning of a collaborative RPG that they can take home and play, as well as the files needed to keep working on or modifying the game afterwards.

Minecraft is one of the most popular games in the world! We’ve come up with a class series to teach youth how to use it as design tool.

• Spend several sessions how use Minecraft to do 3D fabrication – scanning, rendering and printing!
• Participate in collaborative design on a custom server in Minecraft – learn how to paint your own imaginary worlds and then modify them on a detailed level
• Print and “live” render large-scale MC build projects in 3D
• Use cool plug-ins like WorldEdit and WorldGuard
• Import yourself into Minecraft to make a statue!
• Use a suite of open source and free development tool kits for 3D (Netfabb, MS Kinect) and Minecraft (Worldpainter, MCEdit, Mineways, WorldEdit, WorldGuard)

We will have loaner accounts for participants who don’t have their own Minecraft account.

Learning Process and Outcomes

• Gain an understanding of 3D scanning, modeling and printing
• Master Minecraft Creative Mode and many other MC tools
• Team work and collaboration
• Problem-solving and programmer-like deduction processes (computational thinking)

Take-Home Creations

Participants will all get to take home at least one 3D print of a Minecraft build. If they are diligent and continue working on the same world they may be able to take home additional 3D prints. The class will participate in a larger 3D print which will be put on display at the lab for future campers to see. In addition campers will be able to join the creative mode server from home at any time and take home copies of any worlds or schematics they make at the lab. Campers who demonstrate a high level of responsibility and respect for other participants may be granted moderator status on the server.

The last (5th) day is open lab time for participants to apply the skills they’ve learned and interests they’ve cultivated to pursue projects in a less structured open-lab format – it is optional

This is an advanced Minecraft camp for youth participants who are interested in using Minecraft as a powerful design tool. It is intended for graduates of our Minecraft 3D printing camp and we intend to use it as a way to develop curriculum for future camps. Participants (not parents!) are required to fill out an application form to join.

If you’re looking for another Minecraft camp option besides 3D printing, see our Minecraft Team Survival Challenge

Up your Minecraft game. Hang with MC addicts Jeff, Aidan, Emi and Alex and other special guests to rock out advanced tools and code. Participants get to help us build the curriculum, but here are some of the options:

• Redstone-ify everything – unleash too many slime blocks
• Advanced MCedit – custom filters, scaled-import builds, adventure world curation
• Learn to make a custom server – hardware and software
• Plugins and mods – finding, installing, modifying, creating
• Command blocks – choose your own adventure

No we will still not be doing deathmatch or PVP. Or any of the various custom servers where you just kill people. BUT if participants want to make a special map for parkour or a new “find the wool” game or something we’d be down.

Minecraft’s Redstone can be used as a powerful tool for understanding how the hardware of real world computers work and allows you to design your own simple computers. In this camp, we will explore the basics of digital electronics by:

• Building basic logic gates in Minecraft
• Learning about binary and Boolean Algebra
• Combining logic gates together in simple circuits to add and count numbers
• Learn about two’s compliment as a way of representing negative numbers
• Combine adders, input mechanisms, and displays together to create a basic computer that can add and subtract numbers

Learning Process and Outcomes

• Master Minecraft Creative Mode and Redstone
• Gain an understanding of basic logic gates, binary, and computer circuits
• Problem-solving skills and computational thinking

Take-Home Creations

Participants will all get to take home a Minecraft world file with their redstone creations.

This camp series is a chance for youth to work together on Minecraft-related projects and games. Rather than follow a series of structured activities participants will be encouraged to work together on a collaborative survival server. We will have custom server setup with special monster challenges, but participants will be welcome to work on their own collaborative servers. PVP and death-match (Mineplex, Hunger Games, etc) will not be permitted, please make sure your child participant understands this.

Learning Process and Outcomes

Several youth volunteers and Fab Lab staff will be on-hand to act and mentors and provide crowd-control for activities. We will do our best to bring in subject area experts depending on camper interests, but may not be able to meet all needs.

Take-Home Creations

The major goals for this camp are to help participants make new friends and organically learn to work together in teams. We will not be specifically covering any advanced tools or fabrication techniques. As a result, participant learning outcomes will depend entirely upon what they decide to invest into their camp experience.

In the 1980’s “hacking” meant patching together jury-rigged solutions to solve problems in funny and creative ways. In that spirit we’ve put together a camp to teach kids all about hacking – building and destroying computers involving both hardware and software. It’ll be our first run, so campers should expect to be actively involved in planning and executing activities. Our preliminary list:

1) Learn how to disassemble ipads, laptops, phones, video cards, hard drives, SDD’s and other modern hardware in order to explore and (attempt to) repair devices

2) Build your own desktop computer based on donated spare parts to make your very own server – determine its purpose and work in teams with others who have similar objectives; could include

• installing and learning Linux
• hacking Mac OSX to run on PC hardware
• making a Minecraft or other game server
• hosting your very own website out of your house for free and more

3) A day in the life of a technician

• How do we deal with viruses? What are the ways users are exploited (socially and technically) 
• Benchmarking, diagnosing and trouble-shooting hardware failures
• Methods for cloning and data recovery

4) Straight up LAN party – we’ll finish out the week by playing old games together on the computers we build

Learning Process and Outcomes

Our process will be intentionally explorative and disorganized, just like real life. Participants will learn to become more confident peering into the black box, gain information-seeking skills and learn to pay attention to a variety of parameters in an adapted form of the scientific method (order of elimination). In some sense they’ll be better prepared to become computer technicians later in life, but we’re also very interested in helping them to understand the social conditions in which computing happens, emphasizing that people are a very crucial consideration at every step of the process. Most importantly, campers will get as much out of this camp as they put into it!

Take-Home Creations

Youth will go home with a desktop computer (server) built out of used and donated parts. 

Art can be so much more than paintings or sculptures now-a-days. In this workshop you will make creative electronic art objects. These objects have the possibility to interact with the viewer through things like touch sensors, LED’s, motors, speakers and much more. We’ll be using beginner-friendly pocket-size computers called Arduinos to learn the very basics of software and hardware programming to create new and fun works of art!

Learning Process and Outcomes

Students will learn basic programming skills and be creatively challenged to use those skills. We will talk about the use of electronics in contemporary art so the students get an understanding of the relevancy of their new found skills. Students will be encourage to expand their understanding of what art and electronics are and how they can be combined into something so much more.

Take-Home Creations

A unique work of art or two which will look cool and be fun to interact with!

Spend a week working with the laser engraver as a serious design tool. Laser This! and Laser That! provide participants with dedicated time for working on impressive creations, like jewelry, custom drinking glasses, press-fit box creations, fancy business cards, wooden (living) hinges, stamps, 123D Make 3D objects and more. This year we will be able to make use of the larger 32×18 Universal Systems Laser.

Learning Process and Outcomes

Last year it included the following:

• Day 1: artistic expression with color-matching, multiple exposure and organic form
• Day 2: exploring new mediums with paper, cylindrical objects, metals, fabrics, food and quark
• Day 3-4: engineering applications via prototyping with press-fit enclosures

Take-Home Creations

This depends entirely on what participants decide to work on.

This camp centers on learning how to artistically engineer with paper, vinyl and other thin and flexible mediums using traditional techniques, like folding and hand tools, as well as cutting-edge methods with lasers engravers, electronic cutters and advanced design software. Explore something new each day, including the following possibilities:

• Kinetic Origami
• Foldable paper microscopes
• 2D and 3D design
• Laser engraving paper mediums
• Advanced/giant origami
• Depth-of-field back-lit tube scenes
• Layered paper art
• Paper Automata
• Multi-layer stickers

Learning Process and Outcomes

• Artistic critique and problem-solving
• Communication skills, facilities for working together
• Familiarity with rapid prototyping and fabrication techniques
• Practice with graphic design, creating and manipulating artwork
• Information literacy, math and geometry, methods in engineering, artistic forms and expression

Take-Home Creations

Participants will be able to take home several items, depending on what they choose to do and how quickly they work. Typically this includes several multi-layer stickers, origami and a more complicated project like paper automata, tube scenes or layered paper art.

Do you love video games? What if you could build your own physical arcade game? Join us for this camp that moves video game design out of the world of computers and into the physical world. Work with a team to build a physical arcade game that is powered by an Arduino microcontroller. Whack-a-Mole, Pop-a-Shot, Down-the-Clown, or an entirely new arcade game of your imagining can be made with simple tools and supplies at the Fab Lab. At the end of the week, other campers will be invited to come play in the Fab Lab Arcade that you have created.

Learning Process and Outcomes

Group problem solving, team planning, Arduino, electronic sensors, laser fabrication, wood working

Take-Home Creations

Because of the team nature of this camp, there may not be individual take home projects

Build a soft, squishy robot! In this camp, we will focus on combining plushie construction with electronics. Campers will design and build a plushie with that incorporates lights and other electronics (possibilities include speakers and electronic sensors). Campers can customize their plushies with heat transfer vinyl and digital embroidery.

Learning Process and Outcomes

Hand and machine sewing basics, soft circuits, coding, silhouette cutter, digital embroidery.

Take-Home Creations

A really cool plushie which can be termed a furry robot as well.

Working in groups or on their own, campers will write a story, either original, or a retwisting of a known story and make a video of it simply through drawing. Campers will learn how to draw with a graphics tablet, take screen recordings, audio recordings, and use video editing software to turn their drawings into a dynamic video.

Learning Process and Outcomes

Storytelling within a medium. How can you convey plot and character with simple drawings? How can you simplify your story to make it finishable? What tone of narration works with your video. What makes videos capture your attention? Also gain videoediting skills.

Take-Home Creations

A pretty cool video (we hope!)

This camp is developed to promote CAD literacy among youth. The primary goal of this camp is to teach the main principles of engineering drawings and digital modeling skills. The camp participants will learn how to read basic technical drawings and construct building components and models using SkechUp 3D-CAD software. The ability to understand and practice effective design procedure will help develop spatial comprehension, creative and critical thinking.

In the first half of the camp, participants will be introduced to and gain a competence in the basics of 2D and 3D design and design thinking, as well as operations of 3D printing. The camp attendants will be assigned a design challenge, in which they will be formed into a where they will creatively solve a design problem using the concepts introduced. The purpose of the design challenge is to allow students engage in a hands-on and 3D printing activity to solidify the knowledge and design skills covered in the class.

The last session will be devoted to student presentation where they will show the design solutions of their team to the class. 

Learning Process and Outcomes

The camp attendants will be able to:

• Demonstrate basic sketching skills
• Understand and generate technical drawings
• Exhibit 3D building modeling skills
• Understand and demonstrate effective design process
• Use SketchUp 3D-CAD software
• Understand the working principles and the operation of 3D printer.
• 3D Scanning

Solve design problem using design thinking principles

Take-Home Creations

Building 3D models

Can’t get enough of the Fab Lab? Come back for an entire week of open hours! Participants are invited to come in to pursue projects of virtually any kind as individuals or in groups. Staff will be available to guide them in the process, teach relevant software and otherwise experiment with them to make their ideas come true. Registration cost does not include materials, so participants will need to work out a budget for their planned activities on the first day and bring additional funds or materials. Please note that participants will NOT be able to play PVP Minecraft (deathmatch, hunger games, etc) during this camp, but we will open it up to continued work on Minecraft 3D printing.

Learning Process and Outcomes

We will encourage attendees to collaborate in groups based on mutual interests and machine availability.

Take-Home Creations

This depends entirely on what youth choose to invest their time in!