Make something Awesome: Winter after-school sessions

A 7 week session is starting up on Mondays at Artscape Youngplace. There will be a pick up at Givins Shaw school. Students from other schools are welcome to join us at Artscape. 

Here's our schedule:

Week 1: “Toddler alert” Squeeze it, chew it, pull it, shake it. Using colour and texture, invent a new toy for toddlers.

Week 2: “Animal Treehouse” Plan and build a cosy tree-home for critters.

Week 3: “Groovy grub” Young entrepreneurs create a special meal, logo, brand and advert for their own restaurant.

Week 4: “Ready, set, go!”Make a super speedy junk-mobile and race your friends.

Week 5: “Set design” Create the stage for a production of your favourite story: Harry Potter, Star Wars, Cinderella.

Week 6: “Fairground game” The Wackamole moles have had enough! Invent a new game for the Ex. and test it by playing it.

Week 7: “Can-Am 2015” Design a new uniform for Canada in the 2015 Pan-Am games

For more information or to register, please email us: info@inventionsquad.ca

And here's our schedule for a 7 week session at Niagara Street on Tuesdays (starting on Jan 27th): Week 1: “Lunchbox” Invent a smarter way to dine in style at school. Week 2: “Animal Treehouse” Plan and build a cosy tree-home for critters. Week 3 : “Groovy grub” Young entrepreneurs create a special meal, logo, brand and advert for their own restaurant. Week 4: “Ready, set, go!” Make a super speedy junk-mobile and race your friends. Week 5: “Set design” Create the stage for a production of your favourite story: Harry Potter, Star Wars, Cinderella. Week 6: “Fairground game” The Wackamole moles have had enough! Invent a new game for the Ex. and test it by playing it. Week 7: “Can-Am 2015” Design a new uniform for Canada in the 2015 Pan-Am games For more information or to register, please email us: info@inventionsquad.ca

Designing Play Workshop

What if...

…your playground was sushi-themed, with sticky rice trampolines, nori slides, a dual level cucumber monkey bar and a springboard salmon ramp for the swimming pool.

…your playground was a sports deck (exclusively for Grade 6 students) with a basketball court, a giant minecraft climbing tower and a skateboard park.                    

….you could climb on the roof maze, before landing on a giant rotating wheel.  And if you make it along the monkey bar maze, you can stop at the video game station.  

..... you could use your stick token in the hunger game jungle maze (as long as you promise not to kill anyone)

... you enter your playground through a giant squirming snake tunnel

... there are real monkeys on the monkey bars and a petting zoo on the upstairs play deck

... there was a roller-coaster connecting different parts of the playground.

... you could go fishing during recess

... there was an electronics centre in the playground

... or there was a slide from the upper deck down to a trampoline on the lower deck???

Invention squad has redesigned the school playground!  In this week's workshop the emphasis was on 2D drafting. We encouraged everyone to design beyond traditional play structures and you can see some of the ideas above. At the end of this landscaping session we challenged the kids to transform their blueprint into a 3D model of the playground.  This kind of quick cardboard modelling is an exercise in form, function and scaling and can be tricky.  It requires spatial perception, mathematical thinking and basic crafting skills.

Fantasy Homes

You have been commissioned to plan a new dream house.  Your client is Harry Potter. Your client is the Prime Minister. Your client is an alien hamster. What does their new house look like? Is it made of wire, wood, candy or balloons? Does it have any special features: high tech hubs, indoor gardens or play zones? Here's some of the blueprints the student architects at Clinton Street Public School came up with in the Invention Squad planning workshop.

This design workshop asked the participants to consider how functionality relates to space, shape and layout. Who is using this space and what do they need to do in it? How big does everything need to be? How do people move around in the space?