No CAD (computer-aided-design) experience?  No problem!

BlocksCAD is a graphical, engaging, and effective way to CAD, where the outcome is improved math & computer science skills.  CAD (Computer-aided design) is a computer technology that designs a product and documents the design's process.  This workshop will cover the use of the BlocksCAD program.  This drag and drop (like Scratch) software is it mostly used to describe a solid 3D model.  

Contact Sol Menashi: Sol@ricomputermuseum.org 

 This workshop is open to all ages 10 and up. (Maximum spaces 16).  

Create stunning visuals and mockups directly in the browser within seconds. ….

The Rhode Island Computer Museum will present a Workshop call “RenderForest Animation”.  Renderforest offers you the best online branding tools to create high-quality videos, logos, graphics, mockups, and websites with minimal time and effort learning coding. The workshop aims to explain Media production and give students new skills to develop their own high-quality videos.

Contact Dan Berman: Dan@ricomputermuseum.org

As with all workshops, this is open to all ages 10 and up. (Maximum spaces 15)

Have you ever wondered how the designers of your favorite games work their magic? Come "crack the code" of games in the Rhode Island Computer Museum's "Make Your Own Video Game" workshop. This is a great chance to put down your controllers, dive into learning the interactive "Scratch" software--a user-friendly program developed by MIT to teach software coding--and create your very own video game sample.

Contact Dan Berman: Dan@ricomputermuseum.org 

Recommended age for this workshop is 8and up. 

...Stop motion animation is almost as old as film itself…. 

Stop Motion animation is where a series of pictures are combined to make a moving image making for a great introduction into video for artists of all backgrounds. All of the components of stop motion animation will be covered through use of various programs.  With these mediums you will captured live with the computer camera and put into interactive software.  After the frames have been captured you will use basic video and audio editing techniques to create a finished animated video!

Contact Dan Berman: Dan@ricomputermuseum.org 

Recommended age for this workshop is 10 and up. 

Come learn how to use the Ozobot robot to create your own robot adventure. Kids will learn about Ozobot and create an adventure on map (e.g., draw items, use cardboard, playdoh, coins, library things). They'll test out their Ozobots program and, at the end, they'll use examples to present their design to the whole group.

(Contact Dan Berman: Dan@ricomputermuseum.org 

Recommended age for this workshop is 8and up.

Welcome to the future of music. Sonic Pi is a code-based music creation and performance tool. Simple enough for computing and music lessons. Powerful enough for professional musicians. Free to download with a friendly tutorial. Diverse community of over 1.8 million live coders. Learn to code creatively by composing or performing music in an incredible range of styles from Classical & Jazz to Grime & EDM.  Workshop is aimed towards educating a new generation of programmers and sound engineers. Sonic Pi is a programming environment that allows you to make sound with MIDI music. 

Contact Dan Berman: Dan@ricomputermuseum.org 

Recommended age for this workshop is 10 and up. 

Livecodelab is a visual online introduction to code using the Python programming language and music. It lets you run and write code in any browser, on any device. It work instantly, with no need to log in, download plugins, or install software. You will learn to create music and animate shapes to follow along; all with the help of basic coding! Easily share or embed the code with your changes when you're done.

Contact Dan Berman: Dan@ricomputermuseum.org 

Recommended age for this workshop is 11 and up. 

The Rhode Island Computer Museum will present a Workshop call “Robots on the Run”. The workshop aims to explain basic coding and instructions on how to command a simple robot. You will learn programmable electronics, and instructions for making motors run, sounds and a lot more.  We’ll take time to learn about interactive software titled “MBOT Arduino” and you can create your own sample “Robot code”.

If you've are a gadget geek, science nerd, budding engineer or other electronics-obsessed loved one, come run a robot with us. We will end with Robot Wars breaking balloons attached to the MBOTS. 

 Contact Dan Berman: Dan@ricomputermuseum.org 

Recommended age for this workshop is 10 and up. 

 .... Working in STEM: The Design and Building of Wind Turbines…. 

This Workshop aims to give students an engaging, balanced and educationally valuable bigger picture insight into the complexities of Wind Turbine design. We will discuss the relationship between STEM and renewable energy studies. Students will learn the basic concepts of gear ratios; explore number of blades and blade pitch. Working in teams, they will learn basic measurement values in electronics based on their designs for a construction challenge.

Contact Dan Berman: Dan@ricomputermuseum.org 

Recommended age for this workshop is 10 and up. 

This workshop aims to explain basic circuits and instructions on how to build a simple traffic light. You will learn programmable electronics and receive instructions for making lights blink, sounds, and a lot more. We’ll take time to learn about interactive software titled “Arduino” .  If you are a gadget geek, science nerd, budding engineer, or just plain electronics-obsessed, come visit us. 

Contact Dan Berman: Dan@ricomputermuseum.org 

Recommended age for this workshop is 10 and up. 

The Raspberry Pi® is a single-board computer developed in the UK by the Raspberry Pi Foundation with the intention of stimulating the teaching of basic computer science in schools. The Raspberry Pi computer is a miniature ARM (phone) based PC which can do many of the things a desktop PC can do like word-processing, games or playing back High-Definition video. The idea behind this tiny and cheap computer for kids is to help kids interact with computers like in the old days of the Amigas, BBC Micros, Spectrum ZX, and Commodore 64 machines where people of an earlier generation learned to program. (various sessions, must purchase Raspberry Pi or have access to one) 

Contact Dan Berman: Dan@ricomputermuseum.org 

Recommended age for this workshop is 10 and up. 

We'll use portable microphones and free coding software to inspire a new generation of programmers and sound engineers. In this workshop, kids will be introduced to coding concepts and basic sound design using simple programs to record/modify their voices and design a beat box.

Contact Dan Berman: Dan@ricomputermuseum.org 

Recommended age for this workshop is 10 and up. 

Have your Pi and "mod" it too! Learn how to build structures and run simple games in Minecraft with the Raspberry Pi micro-computer and Python programming language!

Learn how to summon lightning bolts with a bow and arrow or build giant rainbows in the Minecraft world with code! Spawn farm animals or monsters instantly and have fun "modding" your world! This workshop introduces coding concepts by showing students how to build or change ("mod") the game using the Javascript or Python programming language. The set-up is easy for beginners, challenging for experienced gamers, and fun for everyone! 

Contact Dan Berman: Dan@ricomputermuseum.org

(age 10 and above) 

Introduces a variety of innovative artists, then guides students to make works inspired by those artists’ ideas, using similar materials. This suite includes Andy Goldsworthy/Nature Inspired Art, Rube Goldberg/ Marble Roller Coaster, Alexander Calder/ Mobiles and Stabiles, Faith Ringgold/ Story Quilts, Jean-Michel Basquiat/ Street Art and more.

Contact Jen Piehler: Jen@ricomputermuseum.org

Encourages participants to examine the natural world for problem-solving design inspiration. This suite includes Buoyancy (how aquatic plants stay afloat), Plants and Pigments (plants use pigment to remove CO2 from the air; how do we use plant pigments?), Bumps and Spikes (extracting moisture from the air through a variety of shapes), Animal Dwellings (experiment with a wide variety of materials animals use – from paper to clay to stone) and more.

Contact Jen Piehler: Jen@ricomputermuseum.org

Participants combine art with the physics and chemistry of color and light. The suite includes Bending Light (understanding the additive properties of colored light and the creation of Shadow Sculpture), Nano/Thin Films (create thin iridescent films  and learn about structural color vs. pigment), Color Chemistry (experiments with paper chromatography), Coding/Binary (learn about and experiment with binary – the root of all computer languages), Electric Dough (explore the basics of circuitry while making light-up play dough sculpture) and more.

Contact Jen Piehler: Jen@ricomputermuseum.org

Participants experiment with the physics, engineering, art and design of space and space exploration. This suite includes Perspectives/ Constellations (understanding the 3d nature of space), Math in Nature/ Tessellations (the art and science of geometric shapes), Space Origami  (examining how NASA uses origami techniques in satellite construction), Spin Art Nebula and more.

Contact Jen Piehler: Jen@ricomputermuseum.org

The Reverse Engineering Suite encourages participants to build and create by first taking objects apart to see how they work. This suite includes Stomp Rocket, Musical Instruments, Pop-Up Books, Found Object Interventions, Wind-up Toys and more.

Ask about our expanded 6, 9 and 12 session Reverse Engineering programs to create more extensive experiences.

Contact Jen Piehler: Jen@ricomputermuseum.org

Subtitled “building with inappropriate materials,” these programs encourage participants to think about materials and their uses in unusual ways. This suite includes Bridges, Architecture, Flight, Wind Vehicles, BioMimicry and more.

Contact Jen Piehler: Jen@ricomputermuseum.org

Give a marble the ride of a lifetime as you design, build and test your very own marble roller coaster. Learn about Rube Goldberg, the man behind the cartoons and man who inspired the devices that bear his name.  Explore the connection between potential and kinetic energy, using tubes, tape and other household materials.  Participants will be able to visualize the concepts of conservation of energy, all while working independently or working as a team to create the ride of a lifetime, (at least for the marble!)

1 hour session, age 8 and above (can be adjusted for younger learners)

Contact Jen Piehler: Jen@ricomputermuseum.org 

Young artists and engineers will be introduced to the idea of the ephemeral art and how it relates to the nature of creativity and the surrounding environment.  Participants will use the work of Andy Goldsworthy and Michael Grab as inspiration for their own site specific artistic creations.  Elements of design will be discussed such as symmetry, balance, lines, color theory, as well as the concept of structural mechanics.  Weather permitting, the activity of this class can be conducted partially outdoors. Weather not permitting, it can be held entirely indoors.  Youth will be encouraged to forage for some materials but if that is not possible, materials will be provided. 

1 hour session, age 8 and above (can be adjusted for younger learners)

Contact Jen Piehler: Jen@ricomputermuseum.org