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Graphics - Feb 6
Saturday's 1-4 PM
Feb 6, 13, 21, 28
$200

Graphics - Apr 4
Saturday's 1-4 PM
Apr 4, 11, 18, 25
$200

Computer Graphics and Animation
(Project Site)
Civilizations are often measured by the art they leave for future generations. If we want to be recognized as a hot shot civilization, some of our art work and architecture needs help!

Your mission is to design digital artifacts, such as screen savers, Web pages, and illustrated storylines that will make future civilizations say, “Wow!” .

Learn from experienced designers & programmers how to design animated cartoons and far out graffiti, build screen savers, edit photos, design characters for a game, illustrate a storyline, and develop a Web site. You will learn to use both pixel and vector drawing tools.

Robots - Feb 7
Sunday's 9-12 PM
Feb 6, 13, 21, 28
$200

Robots that Earn Money
(Project Site)
Build-It-Yourself is looking for some hot shot inventors to fix the global economy.

Your mission is to build robots that create value, entertain, offer a service, put people to work, and pay its inventors handsomely. One young Build-It-Yourself engineer and his robotic sidekick earned $27.25 in one day.

Bill Gates ... the next generation of builders will soon be ready to carry your torch!

 

Games - Mar 6
Saturday's 1-4 PM
Mar 6, 13, 21, 28
$200

Games - Mar 22
Mon - Fri 9AM - 3PM
Mar 6, 13, 21, 28
$475

Scratch Computer Game Development
(Project Site)
Want to make your own computer game? If you want to be a hot shot game designer, this is a good place to start.

Specify the game strategy and logic. (In the Build-It-Yourself world, violence and mayhem is outlawed.) Design graphics for friendly dragons, super heroes and other whacky characters. Layout fantasy settings. Record outrageous sound effects. Integrate all the components. Test the game with your friends and then post it on the Web for the world to play. 

We use Scratch, a programming language developed at the MIT Media Lab.

Let the games begin!

 

Machines - Mar 7
Saturday's 1-4 PM
Mar 7, 14, 21, 28
$200

Rube Goldberg Chain Reaction Machines
(Project Site)
Rube Goldberg was an inventor artist who dreamed of incredibly clever machines to solve very important problems. For example … the world needs more candy! Your mission is to build the ultimate candy delivery machine. A quarter will start the whole contraption. One team's link will hand off its load of candy to the next team's link and so on, until finally the candy is catapulted to the customer.

You can earn a ton of money and get terribly sick on all the candy you can eat!

Check out amazing Rube Goldberg machines in action on YouTube.

Pirates - Mar 15
Mon-Fri 9AM - 3PM
Mar 15, 16, 17, 18, 19
$475

Pirates - Apr 3
Saturday's 1-4 PM
Apr 3, 10, 17, 24
$200

Pirate Ships
(Project Site)
Build-It-Yourself is recruiting a crew of scallywags and misfits to build a fleet of pirate boats that will search the seas for fat bankers who have too much money! "Avast ya bloody, nat brain, pigeon gut, lying weasel, double talking politician! Yer money or yer life."

Pirate ships will be powered by a remote control hull. Your mission is to navigate your pirate ships around a pirates' cove.

Racers - Apr 19
Mon-Fri 9AM - 3PM
Apr 19, 20, 21, 22, 23
$475

Soap Box Racers
(Project Site)
Join the hottest racing team on the block! 

Build the best looking and fastest racer on the planet and then compete for fame and glory on the Build-It-Yourself Gran Prix Circuit.

You will build a race car from wood, boxes and parts from a hardware store. Paint and decorate your creation so it will attract attention. Then climb aboard and test your racing skills around an obstacle course.

You must be fast and you must look cool!


Workshop and Fee Schedule:

Sign up:
Please send an email to john@build-it-yourself.com
- Student Name
- Age
- Parent Names
- Telephone #
- Email
- Workshop Name-Date (i.e. Graphics - Feb 6)

Your spot in the workshop will be reserved when we receive your check payable to Build-It-Yourself.
- Build-It-Yourself
- 269 Pearl Street
- Cambridge, MA 02139

 

Directions:
Build-It-Yourself
269 Pearl Street
Cambridge, MA 02139
617-875-1960

View Map

Overview:
Build-It-Yourself offers playful after-school workshops that inspire and empower students to invent.  Our mission is to help the next generation of builders develop 21st century technology, problem solving and presentation skills.

Build-It-Yourself programs are rigorous. Students must be able to focus on goals, work on teams, keep a Power Point lab book, and have a desire to learn problem solving techniques, logical programming and presentation skills. The "Law of the Lab" is strictly enforced.

Workshop Leaders
  • John Galinato: Electrical Engineer, Cornell
  • Liu Huan: Electrical Engineering, MIT, 2010
  • Lourdes Garcia: Computer Science Engineer and Technology Educator, Mexico
  • John Mejia: Multimedia Instructor, Greater Lawrence Tech
  • Jamie McKiernan: Illustration, Mass Art, 2009
  • Stephen Wong: Electrical Engineering, Cornell, 2010
  • Ingrid Patel: Theater Arts, Emmerson, 2008
  • Jeanne Harran: Industrial Design, Syracuse, 2009
  • Hearson Zhang: Computer Science, Purdue, 2012