Arlington Community Education

Form your own architectural firm and start imagining the skyscraper of your dreams. From the mathematical calculations every good architect must make to the history of how the elevator revolutionized Manhattan, you’ll learn about key elements of architectural design and engineering. Create a stunning blueprint that considers sustainability, transportation, and green spaces. Then bring your vision to life with a LEGO model. Present your architectural masterpiece to your peers and showcase why your tower will be the defining structure of the 21st century.

Explore Scratch programming, using the MIT-developed programming interface to craft stories and games. Then we will use Makey Makey boards to invent new ways to interact with the Scratch projects using everyday objects. Our circuitry projects will become musical instruments, video game controllers, pressure sensors, and more. No prior coding experience required.

Blast off! Develop your own space mission including rocket design, launch, and orbit, using Kerbal Space Program (KSP). KSP is a space flight simulation game that provides an exciting and intuitive environment for learning about space exploration. You’ll learn about astrodynamics and physics as you explore realistic, modern-day space flight.

Ever wanted to craft diamonds from dirt, smelt up some bedrock, or add your own custom blocks? Modifications—or “mods”—are one of the coolest things about the Minecraft community. In this class we'll get you started using Java coding to write your own mods using the Forge API.

Discover how apps work and learn how to make your own. In this no-experience-required course, we will make fun, creative apps for Android phones and tablets using MIT App Inventor software. We will also explore wireless communication by building custom bluetooth hardware controllers and readouts for our apps.

FULL DAY: Join a wild, crazy, and extravagant week of geeking out on tech. We’ll give you the tools and confidence to complete five exciting projects in five days. You’ll become a Scratch superstar and learn to code as you build cool interactive games. As a Minecraft mastermind, you’ll design and engineer towering castles and sprawling cities. Use powerful design software as a graphic design guru to create eye-catching logos, posters, and illustrations. Photo phenoms will capture amazing shots, explore angles and lighting, and discover the magic of visual storytelling through stills and video. Please note: Although this is a screen-heavy class, there will also be lots of movement and outdoor breaks throughout the day.

Buckle up for an epic adventure as you explore the world of vehicles with tens of thousands of LEGO parts. Build and design fast, furious, and fantastic machines that race across land, sail on water, and soar through the skies. Learn about the engineering and design principles behind motors and gears as you take your creativity for a spin.

Unlock your creativity and become a Minecraft mastermind by engineering your own interactive escape room. Discover the secrets of redstone, Minecraft’s powerful circuit system, to build traps, locks, and hidden mechanisms. Design devious challenges and clever contraptions that will keep players guessing at every turn. Along the way, you’ll test your creations, collaborate with teammates, and fine-tune your designs—just like a professional engineer.