Embrace the future! Rivendell technology classes will have you programming, engineering and calculating. We’ll explore computer science, mechanical engineering, audio and video technology, energy and the environment, and more. During the school year, we offer classes on many days that school is not in session, including winter and spring breaks, as well as some Saturdays. Our technology classes are for kids grades 1-6 (6 to 12 years old).
2014-15 Class information listed below. Check back later for information about our class offerings for next year.
Payment: Class costs are listed below. Payment in full (for one-day classes) or a $25 deposit (multi-day classes) is due at registration. $25 of the cost is non-refundable except in case of class cancellation. You’ll receive a confirmation email from Rivendell that will be the official acceptance to the class. If a session is already full, your deposit will be applied to another class or refunded. Classes may be canceled if there are fewer than 5 students registered, if that happens deposits and fees will be fully refunded. If not paid in full at registration, the remainder of the payment is due two days before the first day of the class. School-year class registration closes two days before the start of the class, so sign up early!
Classes run 8:00am to 3:30pm daily (no aftercare provided; late pick-up fee of $25). Students should bring a snack and sack lunch.
See our list of dates and classes below, and register today. For questions, please contact us at 970-493-9052 or rivendell-camps@rivendell-school.org.
Skip to classes for October, November, December, January, February, March, or April.
October 2014
Thursday, October 16
Exploring Digital Audio
Jeff Benjamin
Cost: $62
Music, podcasts, news reports.. these days, it’s all done digitally. We’ll turn Rivendell into a recording studio and be audio engineers for a day, learning how to do multi-track recording, editing and production. Register here.
Friday, October 17
Stop Motion Animation
Jeff Benjamin
Cost: $62
If a picture is worth 1000 words, then making a video with those pictures is priceless! Learn the art of making video using your digital still camera. We’ll do stop-motion video with various subjects, from claymation to your classmates. Please bring a digital camera if you have one (we can provide one for you if you don’t), along with extra batteries and/or charger and the proper cable to connect it to the computer. Register here.
Friday, October 24
I’m an Inventor
Jim Bowes
Cost: $62
Anyone can be an inventor! We will unlock your natural creativity and innovation to solve problems and improve our world. What will you invent? Register here.
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November 2014
Saturday, November 8
Being Windwise
Jim Bowes
Cost: $62
Renewable energy is a big part of the future. Learn about wind and solar energy. We’ll build and use wind turbines—there will be lots of fun challenges and activities! Register here.
December 2014
Monday, December 29-Wednesday, December 31
The Internet of Things
Jeff Benjamin
Cost: $154
Your refrigerator might not be connected to the internet… yet! But more and more things around us are connected, communicate with each other, and bring the digital and real world together. We’ll explore how computers interact with the physical world via sensors and data gathering, and how the machines can communicate to us with robotic movement, light, sound and information. Register here.
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January 2015
Monday, January 5
Take-Apart Day
Jim Bowes
Cost: $62
Have you ever wondered what’s inside that machine, what makes it tick? Have fun and discover how things work by taking apart a variety of objects and machines. And, you don’t have to worry about putting it back together! Register here.
February 2015
Monday, February 16
Beyond the Lever: How Machines Work
Jim Bowes
Cost: $62
The most complicated tools and machines all use very simple principles. Discover what’s behind making them work, and use the science to construct your own machine with levers, wheels, pulleys, screws, wedges and planes. Register here.
Saturday, February 21
Lighter Than Air
Jim Bowes
Cost: $62
Have you always wanted to fly? You won’t in this class (sorry!) but you’ll learn about simple principles that help us get things off the ground. We’ll study balloons and gliders and find out what makes them “lighter than air”. Register here.
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March 2015
Monday, March 16-Thursday, March 19
Digital Creations
Tina Wood
Cost: $206
What kind of things can you create with a computer? A comic book? Your own animated creature? A green screen video? Funny photo manipulations? Amazing artwork? YES! Come create and explore these projects and more during this four-day class. Register here.
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April 2015
Friday, April 10
Rube Goldberg Machines
Jeff Benjamin
Cost: $62
Rube Goldberg was a cartoonist who drew fantastical machines that accomplished simple tasks in the most complicated and ridiculous ways possible. Put your engineering skills to work creating fun, bizarre and absolutely useless machines. Register here.
