The 2017 MakerEdTO Maker Education Conference (July 5th, 2017) is a free gathering by teachers for teachers who are using or would like to use Maker tools (anything from drinking straws and scotch tape to high end 3D printers) to facilitate learning in their classroom. The day will have a keynote, some ignite talks, two sets of workshops, spark talks and “playground” time in which people can play with some of the tools we will cover in the workshops.

Put your creativity to the test at Inventorium, a dynamic, curiosity-driven space that encourages play, creation and collaboration.

Show off your ingenuity through engaging, interactive experiences for aspiring innovators of all ages.  Let your imagination soar in our evolving, hands-on learning space, and see where your curiosity takes you!

Tech Bar
Try out today’s tech. Make a simple circuit; see how AR and VR are used to teach science; and use a homemade Arduino microcontroller board to d...

Needle Felting is the art of turning fluffy unspun wool into mini fuzzy sculptures. Learn how to make this transformation happen in this introductory crash course. Use needle felting to make toys, jewelry, mobiles, and ornaments. All materials are included in this class just bring yourselves and your imaginations.

Inclusive Hackathons, participants will form teams and then, with some help from our facilitators, come up with a solution to your choice of design problems that have been collected from the disability community. You don’t have to bring anything but your experience and perspective and we will supply the rest from markers and sticky notes to circuits and 3D printers. Participants will be able to gain skills in a range areas: policy design, interface design, software/application specifications, r...

In this class, students will learn everything about basic insect preparation. We will discuss harvesting and drying specimen, rehydrating dried specimen, and in class we will practice handling techniques, spreading, mounting, the nuances of posing, display, and maintenance. An assortment of ethically sourced insects; Beetles, moths and butterflies, in various sizes, shapes, and colors will be provided. Students will learn how to put together and maintain their own rehydration chamber, things to ...

What can you do with film and video in the gallery space beyond a projected loop? This workshop is an overview of how film/video installation can be expanded out of the movie theater to incorporate the viewer and the gallery. We will look at methods to create interactive cinematic spaces including: starting a video only when a viewer is present, syncing multiple video channels, developing sensor systems for viewer interaction and syncing film and video with physical output such as lights and moto...

Where: 401 Richmond St. W, Toronto, ON M5V 3A8
When: Saturdays from 10 am to 4 pm
Who: This program is designed for high school students in the GTA.
Cost: Free!

Day 1: EMPATHIZE [July 8]

Kick-off the program with a food crawl around Kensington Market (how’s that for team-building?) and a visit to our site, St. Andrew’s Playground!

Day 2: DEFINE + IDEATE [July 15]

Movie time! Watch Design + Thinking to see how designers identify users and their needs, then do the same with your team! ...

While most commercial animation is done using completed artwork, whether drawings or digital images, many of the finest animated films have been created by hand, one frame at a time, under the camera. Here is a chance to explore animation using paper cutouts, and Dragonframe, the premiere image capture software for stop-motion animation. This hands-on workshop can help you to understand the enormous creative potential available using these methods, tease out ideas for a project, and understand t...

During Codezilla’s Fashion Makers workshop, kids will create an interactive fashion boutique or an animated paper doll with a variety of colourful clothes and hair styles. Bring your sense of fun – and flair! – while also developing your graphic design, math and coding skills.

Kids program with Scratch, an introductory coding language created by MIT and enjoyed by millions of budding programmers worldwide.

Curious Cabinets is a free 1-month exhibit devoted to the exploration of video game arcade hardware and public play. A collaboration between the Hand Eye Society, Electric Perfume and SpriteBox Arcade with funding from the Toronto Arts Council, the exhibit features games created for two custom arcade machines — the One-Button Torontron and the SpriteBox. The exhibit will kick off with this all-ages launch event which will feature presentations by the game artists about their creative process,...

Hatch Canada Camps is a premier STEM camp for kids. We teach coding in a unique project-based approach and create experiences for kids that will last a lifetime. Nothing Hatch does is average. Hatch Camps are extraordinary programs that create lifelong memories and teach new skills that open doors for kids and provide them with the tools required to succeed in the 21st century knowledge economy.

In this class, learn to use photographic imagery with the intricate art of papercutting with Tiny Blades Project’s Annyen Lam! By separating the layers of the image into papercuts, you will be able to turn your photograph into a tunnel book. This workshop is an opportunity to make miniature 3D worlds through handcut paper while exploring a classic book format.

We will provide all materials for the class including samples of photographic images from old books and magazines to use for your own ...

Paper’s sculptural properties are some of our favourite things about the medium. In this class we explore the lightness and toughness of paper through experiments with different techniques and paper fibres. Learn how varying the fibre and how it is processed can produce an almost limitless variety of pulps from soft opaque cotton to hard translucent flax and hemp. This variety makes paper an exciting material when combined with light.

We will show multiple techniques such as casting over form...

Learn the basics of sewing over four sessions. Create a project to keep.

Registration required, space is limited.
To register, please call 905-615-4770 ext. 2275, or sign up in the library.

Do you wish your images looked more professional? Adobe Photoshop can be a bit intimidating for a beginner, but it doesn’t have to be. In this workshop, Adobe Certified Expert Paul Kelly will show how easy it can be to touch up your photos, integrate text, make a photo collage, add cool effects, and optimize your images for online use. You’ll learn tricks and techniques for creating background images from scratch that can be used on your Facebook and Twitter home pages.

Note: This wo...