Blog

By Linda S. Englund, VEV

We all know how much fun it is to build with Legos in our Design Studio. I have marveled at the creations visitors make every week. But even as a Design Studio volunteer, I did not know the extent of other activities taking place year round. There are an impressive number of programs and activities that all VEV and docents could point out to our visitors to give them a more complete picture of the studio. Here is a brief look at those programs and activities:

Teen Open Studio: This is a drop-in program on Thursday evenings where teens use the design process to create solutions to real-world problems. Affordable housing is this year’s theme, and participants can submit designs for an annual national competition.

After School Matters: One of the hundreds of programs available to teenagers through ASM, teens in CAF’s program explore the fundamentals of architecture, build projects together, and have the opportunity to receive stipends if they complete the entire ten-week program.

Saturday Studio: Every 4th Saturday of the month, teens can work with architects and designers on basic design challenges.

Girls Build:  During this six week program, girls ages 11-14  work together on as different challenge each session, like Girls Minecraft.

Engineering Fest: A weekend celebration of engineering challenges, this year’s fest will take place Feb. 18-19 and focus on bridge building.

Lego Build Workshops: On the 3rd Sunday of each month, children ages 8 and up can work to solve a different design challenge, with a new theme each month.

Read and Build: On the 1st Sunday of each month, kids ages 3-6 listen to a story related to design, architecture, or our city, and create art projects based on those stories.

In addition, the Design Studio is available for birthday parties and is used for quarterly festivals, like Back to School Block Party or Winter Fun Festival. There are also camps and classes held in the studio each summer. Brochures or flyers are available in the Design Studio with further details on most of these activities. Stop in to learn more, and be sure to share the information with our visitors.