Sci-Tech Youth Inventors Workshop

Sci-Tech Youth Inventors Workshops are for young inventors, coders, builders, and super scientists who love any kind of science, technology, engineering, art, and math (STEM or STEAM).  Free for members of New England Sci-Tech (NEST).  Not available for non-members.

The workshops are best for students in grades 6 through 12, and grades 4 and 5 are possible with special permission. Instructors are usually teachers or volunteers from NEST, some with electronic or mechanical engineering degrees. Sometimes we have helpers who may be high school or college students with experience in robotics or electronics.

Workshops are mixed structured and unstructured instructional time, so students are welcome to switch in and out of structured activities as they wish. For example, we might have a structured discussion about some technology, or a video about how an electronic device works, but experienced students may wish to skip that activity and work on their projects.

Students arriving earlier or staying later than program hours will have unstructured time to socialize, work on projects, play games, watch educational science videos, or just chill out but staying out of the way of other classes and being respectful of others working in the labs.

CURRENT SCHEDULE - Sign up in scrolling calendar at bottom of this page

Certain Fridays, 1:30-3:30 – for home school and early release students
Certain Fridays, 6:30-8:30 – for any after school students
Certain Saturdays,11:00-1:00 – for any students

Offered as Single Sessions. Come for any or all sessions, but please register for each one so we can gauge attendance.

EDUCATIONAL PURPOSE

As an “inventors” workshop, students will be encouraged to work with team mates to design and build a project that could become anything from a gift for a family member to an entrepreneurial endeavor. We will challenge students to brainstorm with teammates, sketch out ideas, calculate dimensions, learn to use design tools and software, build prototypes, test and retest, and solve problems that inevitably arise. Students are encouraged to question each other, help each other, and teach each other.

+ We have a variety of small project parts and materials available for beginners, however students are encouraged to find and bring parts from home as well. Small parts and general materials are built into the price of the workshop. Larger or advanced kits or projects that consume more than average material will be billed at cost. This might include extra wood, electronics kits, meteorites for jewelry, and 3D print objects, for example. Students may store projects in plastic boxes at NEST so they may work on them during any open member time.

+ Parents are welcome to stay and help their child at no extra charge, or parents are welcome to hang out in another room and work. We have WIFI and coffee available.

Student must become a member of New England Sci-Tech, then sign up on the website by clicking the Inventors Workshop tab on the Event Calendar. Participation in the club is free*, and you may attend as many sessions as you like, all year long.

*Free for members of New England Sci-Tech; participants reimburse NESci-Tech only for take-home items, consumables, and personalized kits.
If dropping off a child for this workshop, please fill out the Workshop Student Permissions Form.