Spring Break STE[+a]M Programs

Maker Education at La Jolla Country Day

FabLab San Diego in partnership with UCSD San Diego Extension k-12 Education and La Jolla Country Day announces its Spring Break STE[+a]M Middle School Program.

These classes are based on the ‘Maker’ philosophy that the Fab Lab San Diego program has developed in response to the need to inspire students while engaging them in learning next generation technology. This Fab Lab curriculum included hands-on, experience-driven activities on fields such as Music and Electronics, Design and 3D Modeling!

Spring Break STE[+a]M Program 2013 – Registration is now open!

Intro to Electronics: Make Musical Electronics

Session 1 (Grades 5-8)Dates: March 25 – 29, 2013 (M-F) – 9:00 am – 3:00 pm

[singlepic id=1830 w=320 h=240 float=left]This course will introduce basic electronics and physics in order to facilitate the creation of a number of unique musical instruments and better understand the interaction between electronics, sound and our ears. Students will participate in the designing and building of their own ‘sound boxes’ while learning core basic principles of electrical engineering in an easy-to-understand way.

At the end of the course, students will have designed and built several of their own funny, elegant or odd musical instruments utilizing electronic components, including an electronic sound box, and an amplifier they can use along with their new instruments. These electronic instruments and amplifiers will be designed as take-home pieces for the students to keep.

Each day will be split in two parts, the first half of which will be spent learning and discussing the science, technology and art behind sound, music, electronics and instrument building and hands on experiments with acoustics and electronics. We will spend the second half of our day building our unique musical instruments from a variety of materials and technologies. This class is designed for artistic or techie students, as well as newcomers or students with experience in this topic.

Introduction to 3D Modeling & Design

Session 1 (Grades 5-8)Dates: April 1 – 5, 2013 (M-F) – 9:00 am – 3:00 pm

[singlepic id=1625 w=320 h=240 float=left]In this class, participants will be introduced to basic concepts of 3D modeling and design – the same technology that helps architects, engineers, industrial designers and animators create buildings, forms, products and environments.

Through hands-on projects, students will learn how to model 3D geometry, how to generate a 3D model from physical objects using photography, and how to modify their geometry to develop their designs using Autodesk’s 123D suite.

As a final project, students will create a unique 3D character that they conceptualize and design. The students will then work in teams to use their characters to create new hybrid inventions, which is sure to bring laughs while teaching collaboration and skills related to measuring and engineering interlocking parts.

This course will engage students in a creative and project-based approach to learning the fundamentals of 3D modeling – a technology that is currently driving innovative and creative industries worldwide. Students will present their final projects using a variety of presentation techniques, including animation and renderings.

This class is designed for artistic or techie students, as well as newcomers, and is a good choice for those who plan to take the Spring Workshop after school program on Industrial Design and 3D Printing.