Calling all Storytellers! Girls will work with female artists to shape their stories through theater, dance, poetry, visual art, and whatever else they can imagine! Then they will share their stories with an end-of-week performance, open to friends, family and the public. 

This special workshop is held at our Gowanus workspace and limited to 10 girls. It is only offered the week of July 17th –– join us!

What is Camera Obscura Theater? It is like performing inside a giant pinhole camera! Crazy cool!

Girls will use the camera obscura to project images through pinholes to their audience as a dynamic backdrop for their creative stories + performance. All girls will take part in the development of the story, but girls can choose to perform or work behind the scenes as part of the crew based on their interest and comfort level. This unique week of exploring the female narrative Curious Jane-style is in partnership with The Vanderbilt Republic, a Gowanus-based creative production agency. 

Mix, make and sample fab pampering goodies!

By request: one of our most popular themes is available for the older girls now, too! Mix it, make it, try it out and take it home! Girls get busy making Fizzy Bath Bombs, Sweet Lip Smackers, Shake ‘Em Up Bath Salts, Yummy Face Masks and more. They’ll become clever spa scientists for the week as they learn about ingredients and how to combine them to make fun (and fabulous!) pampering goodies. They also get busy playing around with packaging and naming their concoctions in this spa-chemistry exploration — the end of the week is “Spa Day,” where girls sample and share what they have made!

Delve into food science!

This theme focuses on the science behind mixing and combining ingredients. Girls mix, measure and experiment using simple kitchen tools as science tools. They explore matter, states, liquids and solids and super-saturation. They learn what happens when combining wet and dry ingredients and the chemistry behind combining different elements. Possible projects include: a rainbow density column, pickling, crystalization, liquid spherification, solar pizza boxes, candy chromotography, and ingredient emulsification. Equal parts chemistry, recipe experimentation, fun!

Experiment with the science behind everything SPY!

A super-popular theme! Girls learn the science behind everything SPY in a clever mix of chemistry, physics and biology. Their activities include making footprint molds and matching the tread, dusting for fingerprints, extracting DNA and writing in invisible ink. They build spy periscopes and intruder alarms; they mix their own invisible ink and create and crack secret codes. They combine plenty of lab experiments with a bit of detective discovery. This is a perfect fit for super spies and scientists alike!

Design cool things and make them GO!

This NEW theme explores the many different ways in which to make things move! Girls experiment with a variety of techniques -- wind-up mechanisms, zip lines, cam mechanisms, levers, catapults and more. Projects may include: PVC pom-pom launchers; rubber-band propelled cars; mini-marshmallow catapults; bristle bots and other favorites from our Gadgets that Go and Mini-Pets classes. All the projects use tinkering and hands-on engineering to achieve a “zoom!” factor.

Create cool accessories to add personal style to your space!

Design-it-yourself… fun accessories for your room! Girls spend the week creating original decorative elements to add personal style to their space. Favorite projects include lanterns and beaded shades, throw pillows, wall art, t-shirt throw rugs and colorful desk-top organizers. Through each project, girls are introduced to various different DIY techniques – sewing, weaving, taping, notching, decoupage, beading and simple construction. They finish the week with an array of new accessories for their room!

Introduction to electronics + wiring basics!

In Wired 101, girls learn to construct circuits and incorporate them into fun and interesting objects. Favorite projects include light-up quiz boards, marker draw-bots, circuit cards, brush-bugs, magnetic standing dolls and programming games. After just one class, girls are comfortable planning their own circuitry, adding switches, and experimenting with small motors. All materials are simple and safe – no shocks here – just plenty of discovery!

Design + construct your very own miniature dream home!

Girls will think broadly about engineering + design while being introduced to basic principles of architecture, interior design and product design. They'll begin by sketching ideas, planning their spaces and curating their materials. They will learn about scale and proportion, as well as basic construction and building techniques. Using a variety of materials -- wood, plexiglass, specialty papers, and re-purposed small items from your recycling bin -- they'll construct their very own miniature house complete with furniture, accessories and the inhabitants who will call this new place home.

Girls design their own toys, and learn hand-sewing techniques!

We hear it from them all the time -- girls want to learn to sew! This theme combines our popular toy design curriculum with hand-sewing. Girls conceive of and design toys or creatures they would like to have for their own, and then create them by sewing. It’s a true combination of design and fine-motor-skill hand execution using a needle and thread and various soft materials -- fabric, felt, fur, and more -- and a few hard ones, too, to create one-of-a kind soft, take-home toys. Fab, fresh and fun!

Explore narrative through creative visual storytelling!

Girls learn visual sequencing and storyboarding — a great tool that helps a storyteller focus on the key parts of a story. They learn to develop plot, character and setting through key frames layered with important details, with a focus chiefly on the visual rather than the written word. By the end of the week, each girl pens her own visual short story. They learn drawing techniques and use fun tools to add texture and color while weaving their unique narrative. Creative, visual storytelling taken to a new level!

Sewing on machines!

In our Gowanus workspace, girls will get busy learning the basics to sew on sewing machines. They will learn how to navigate a machine, thread a bobbin, sew various stitches, draw and cut out a pattern and more. A small group setting will allow girls to collaborate over ideas and work individually on various projects over the week. Examples might include: a tote bag, hair band, soft toy, a skirt, pillows and more. Limited to 8 girls per week.