Soldering - Day 1

First day is all about safety! We went through all the tips and tricks required for soldering. The circuit board we are trying to complete is a voice changer that can change the type of voice you have and the pitch. We also got to practice on scrap circuits so we should be all set to start our kit next class!

PNG Fall 2016

The autumn schedule for PNG has been set!  We've got offerings for Teens (6th grade & up) and MidKids (4th-6th grade) so sign up at the beginning of each month.

PNG TEENS 6th & Up Tuesdays & Thursdays from 4pm - 5pm

September

TinkerCAD 3D Design& Printing 9/13 - 9/22 (4-classes)

Learn to use the computer to create 3D models and then print them out on the Makerbot Replicator!  This 4-part class will teach you the basics of 3D design and how to use Tinkercad.com to create 3D objects that can be printed on any 3D printer.

Glass Silhouettes  9/27 - 9/29 (2-classes)

Use our Cameo Silhouette Vinyl Cutter machine and Adobe Photoshop to create a vinyl cling of your own silhouette and apply it to a pane of glass.

October

Papercraft &Photography 10/11 - 10/20 (4-classes)

Create a unique papercraft figure, print it, assemble it, photograph it and then Photoshop it!

Insta-GhostsPhotoshop 10/25 - 10/27 (2-classes)

Take some goofy photos with your friends and spookify them for Halloween using Adobe Photoshop.

November

TinkerCAD 3D Design& Printing 11/8 - 11/17 (4-classes)

Learn to use the computer to create 3D models and then print them out on the Makerbot Replicator!  This 4-part class will teach you the basics of 3D design and how to use Tinkercad.com to create 3D objects that can be printed on any 3D printer.

Stop-MotionAnimation 11/22 (Tuesday) & 11/29 (Tuesday) (2-classes both Tuesdays)

Learn how stop-motion animation works and create your own short stop-motion movie.

Hour of Code Tuesdays & Thursdays from 6pm - 7pm

Not only is coding massively important to the fabric of our digital world, but it can also be pretty fun!  Sign up for this quick introduction to activities on Code.org and play fun games while learning the fundamentals of basic coding then try your hand on some of our programmable robots!

September

MidKids 9/6

Teens 9/8

October

MidKids 10/4

Teens 10/6

November

MidKids 11/1

Teens 11/3

PNG MIDKIDS 4th & Up Tuesdays & Thursdays from 6pm - 7pm

September

Movie Making 9/13 - 9/29 (6-classes)

Lights, Camera, Action!  Let's write a script, shoot some footage and edit it into a movie!

October

TinkerCAD 3D Design& Printing  10/11 - 10/13 (2-classes)

Learn to use the computer to create 3D models and then print them out on the Makerbot Replicator!  This 2-part class will teach you the basics of 3D design and how to use Tinkercad.com to create 3D objects that can be printed on any 3D printer.

Paint Your FacePhotoshop  10/18 - 10/20 (2-classes)

Join this Project Next Generation class if you want to learn Adobe Photoshop basics.  We'll use a combination of cameras, tracing on paper, and Photoshop to produce a one-of-a-kind self portrait! 

L.E.D. Ghosts 10/25 - 10/27 (2-classes)

Learn to make some spooky D.I.Y. "ghosts" using ordinary items and some simple L.E.D.'s (light emitting diodes), batteries and magnets!

November

Mixcraft 11/8 - 11/17 (4-classes)

Learn how to use the digital audio creation software Mixcraft and make your own song!

Kahoot! Trivia 11/29 (1-classs)

Join us for some a fun interactive Trivia game using the Kahoot! framework and even learn how to create your own and quiz your friends!

Mixcraft - Day 4

Today was the last day to finish our masterpieces. We got down to the finishing touches of our songs and left with some pretty cool end results. Here are some samples!

Mixcraft - Day 3

Today was the day we got in the zone and really tried to pump out a good song. The first week was us just getting familiar with the software and what it can actually do. Now that we have all that behind us, we can actually get to the elements of making a song.

 We took advantage of the tempo and key change tools, differentiated intros from choruses and bridges, and made some radical riffs . Cant wait to see how these turn out!

Mixcraft (MidKids) - Day 2

Day 2 of Mixcraft is in the books! Getting our ideas down in the program can be tricky, but today everyone learned about the Virtual Instrument tool that let everyone create their own sound. We are making some really good progress and are well on our way to having a complete song.

Sillouette Silhouettes Vinyl Cutting - Day 2

Today was the last day everyone had to finish our designs! With a newcomer today, we really had to pick up the pace so we could have a cool result, and that we did!

 Be on the lookout for

future PNG classes using our vinyl cutter.

Mixcraft (Mid-Kids) - Day 1!

Day number one of becoming pro music producers! Most people here has never used the music software we use (Mixcraft) so today was a day to just familiarize ourselves with the program. What that basically means is everyone just played as many samples as they can!

Stay tunes in the days to come because we are going to begin the songwriting process in less than 48 hours!

Sillouette Silhouettes Vinyl Cutting

Today was the start of the Silhouette vinyl class. Most of the class was spent adjusting a side profile picture of the student to make it ready to send to the Silhouette Cameo cutter. We managed to print it out before class ended. The most daunting task is still ahead, however. We still need to actually peel of the vinyl and place it on the canvas, which is when all the trouble starts occurring...

Kano Computer Kits (Mid-Kids) - Day 4

Today is the last day we all had to play around with the Kano computers. Everyone was saddened by this, but we still managed to power through this emotion and code some awesome stuff. While Dounia never actually got to summon water onto her farm, she still managed to build some awesome houses using some hacking she learned while coding.

Fear not, students, Kano is far from over though. Stay on the look out for future Kano coding classes.

TinkerCAD - Day 4!

Today marks the end of the TinkerCAD session. We are all leaving here with our own original designs! After battling though some struggles, we managed to to add the finishing touches to our designs. After that, all that was left to do was to pick a color and export the files to print. Now we wait for the prints to complete...

Kano Computer Kits (Mid-Kids) - Day 3

We got into some pretty heavy coding today. Now that we are familiar with coding itself, as well as the Kano computer itself, we were able to explore some of the Kano's more advanced programs. Everyone tried out the programs. Some loved it. Others...not so much. But no worries, the Kano had plenty of programs to try out and everyone found one they enjoyed!

TinkerCAD - Day 3!

Today marks the last week we have to finish up our 3D designs. They are looking really promising. We  are getting more in-depth with the software as we progress with our designs, having to use more advanced tools, like the align tool, to get the shapes we want.

With one class left, things are looking good!

Kano Computer Kits (Mid-Kids) - Day 2

Day 2! Today everyone got familiar with coding via Minecraft. The Kano includes a "hackable" version of Minecraft that lets you make entire floors made of diamond, giant water towers, etc.  By passing levels in the game that teaches them how to code in block style, the learn new skills that help them enhance the gaming experience.

We are hoping to get deeper into the coding world in classes to come! Kano offers many more programs with a different levels of difficulty. Some people even already started on that!

TinkerCAD - Day 2!

Now that we have the basics out of the way, we can start building our very own designs! The hardest part was probably deciding what exactly we wanted to make. After that, we all got in the zone and started grinding out an awesome 3D design to print out. We can't wait to see how the turn out

Kano Computer Kits (Mid-Kids) - Day 1

Today was the start of the much anticipated Kano computer classes! With so many new comers to the class, today was a debriefing day for everyone. We all learned the basics of what a computer is and got to put together our very own computer, too! Everyone got to tinker around with the Kano computer and got to see what it was all about.

From here on out, we are going to concentrate on coding and hacking games!

TinkerCAD - Day 1!

It feels good to be back! After a week off, PNG is back in session! We are starting off with a 4 part TinkerCAD class, where the students are able to design and print their own figures on TinkerCAD's website. When we are all done, we can print them out using our Makerbot 3D printer.

We have a lot of new comers this time around so we are starting of with the basics. Everyone has very promising ideas and we cant wait to see them come to life!

School Visit in the Summertime?

That's right, while most kids are off galavanting for the summer Mr. Uhler's class at Elmwood Elementary were hard at work improving their tech skills.

 For the final week of class Mr. Uhler invited me to visit the class and demonstrate the 3D printer and TinkerCAD. The kids all printed out a design of their own and hopefully they'll be stopping by the library in the fall for our next round of TinkerCAD classes!

Movie Making (Mid-Kids) - Day 6

Today was the last day to complete our movie! For some, a sigh of relief that they don't have to cut footage any longer. Others, a sad day that brings forth the end of a terrific movie.

We learned today that computers aren't the most reliable things in the world. They were unresponsive for a good 20 minutes, making us lose some valuable time.

Nevertheless, we went big with this movie. It was quite ambitious and we ended up with a pretty good end result. Not the hollywood movie we all wanted, but for a bunch of movie making beginners, they've exceeded expectations!

Stay tuned for more PNG classes soon!

Movie Making (Mid-Kids) - Day 5

This was the boring class...We all had to do what the worst part of movie making is...editing. Unfortunately, you can have a movie without it! We all had to power through and do our best attempts at making rough cuts so we are able to add effects on the final class. Hopefully we can pull through and have a good project to present.

Movie Making (Mid-Kids) - Day 5

This was the boring class...We all had to do what the worst part of movie making is...editing. Unfortunately, you can have a movie without it! We all had to power through and do our best attempts at making rough cuts so we are able to add effects on the final class. Hopefully we can pull through and have a good project to present.