Delve into food science!

This theme focuses on the science behind mixing and combining ingredients. Girls mix, measure and experiment using kitchen ingredients as science tools. They explore states of matter; super-saturation; the chemistry behind fizzy, repellent or delicious combinations; and the molecular change when things are heated and cooled. But what are they really doing? This is the fun part! Favorite projects include rocky candy and egg geodes (crystallization), liquid spherification (a favorite!), no bake granola, shake-it-up butter, solar s’mores ovens, and, definitely, diy ice cream. Equal parts chemistry, recipe experimentation, and fun!

Make your own designs to wear, tote, accessorize and store!

Inspired by a recent favorite issue of our magazine, we’ve designed this new theme around fun, simple things that girls can design, make and wear! Projects include fringed and beaded t-shirt totes, no-sew zipper pouches, duct tape wallets, t-shirt scarves, morse code bracelets, Shrinky Dink pins, emoji pebble necklaces, and, of course, tiny trinket boxes to store their wearable miniatures.

Design in miniature! Create your own composition, people, furniture and accessories.

For our CJ girls who loved DIY Dollhouse, Miniature World is a chance to make more! We’ve added a few extra projects like twig teepees and mini tins to keep things fresh. And this group puts a finer finish on the elements DIY Dollhouse. Girls start with pre-fabricated wooden boxes and assemble their own structure. (A trapeze school, toy museum, or ultra-modern home? They’ve made it!) With their architect’s hat on, they think about setting, scale, and who they are designing it for. They plan out the surface finishings and add extended spaces; they design the furniture and accessories; and they incorporate all sorts of clever engineering – like a pulley-system elevator or cantilevered swimming pool for tree frogs (yes, we’ve seen this!) Girls are doing so much learning while they are making, and they constantly amaze us with their creativity. The classroom becomes their studio and miniature world. Got designer’s block? Just visit the swap shop or inspiration station. This is a super popular class, so sign up early! And for girls who’ve taken it before, we’ve added new twists and projects to keep it fresh.

Learn five print-making techniques and design your own papers and textiles!

We love print-making here at Curious Jane, and we’re excited to introduce it to CJ girls in this new theme! Why is print-making a favorite for us? First, it focuses on key concepts in design – positive and negative spaces, composition, layering and color fields. But even better, it’s an incredibly accessible technique that any age and skill level can use and have fun with! Techniques include screen-printing, lino-cuts, stamping and cyanotype prints. Girls make their own screens and stamps, then print onto a variety of media. Projects include poster prints, small textiles, stamped stationery and gift papers, plus a screen-printed tee or two. Create something you’re delighted with? Make more! It’s the beauty of the print-makers studio.

Your own designs all over your room… DIY Room gets a Makeover!

It’s another CJ classic with a brand new re-do! Girls spend the week creating original decorative elements to add personal style to their space. It’s a colorful mix of objects, materials, and techniques with plenty of design learning. The fun is in the projects! A framed paint chip calendar, tied up t-shirt pillow, no-sew pretzel pillow, mini terrariums, paracord coasters, washi tape clothes-pin mirror, painted pen-and-pencil jars, and so much more. By the end of the week, girls have an array of fab new accessories for their room!

Learn to sew on a machine and start your own collection of wearables!

We’re bringing our machine sewing program from our Gowanus workspace to our Berkeley Carroll location and back. Girls can join us at these two locations to learn machine sewing and create a variety of projects to use and wear. Girls start with the basics of sewing – they learn how to navigate a machine, thread a bobbin, sew various stitches, draw and cut out a pattern and more. The class size is limited to 8 girls, and this small group setting allows girls to collaborate over ideas and work individually on projects. We offer two to three weeks of sewing (depending on the location), with different projects each week, so girls can take multiple weeks without repeat. Examples include tote bags, hair bands, soft toys, elastic-band skirt or shorts, pillows and more. This has been a favorite workshop all fall, so we’ve expanded our program for the summer. Join us!

Mix, layer, shake, scent and make your own spa goodies!

Mix it, make it, try it out and take it home! Girls become spa scientists for the week as they learn about soothing, fizzy and smell-good ingredients and how to combine them. They start the week by inventing their own spa brand and packaging – complete with spa caddy and eye mask – then they make all the products to go along with it. The week closes with a spa party (of course!) for the girls to sample and share what they’ve made. The packed line-up of projects includes fizzy bath bombs, chocolate body butter, peppermint foot scrubs, lip smackers, bath salts, soapsicles, yummy face masks, and soooo much more!

Learn the science behind everything *SPY* and use the clues to solve the case!

Always a super-popular theme! Girls learn the science behind everything SPY in a clever mix of chemistry, physics and biology. Over the course of the week, they use their findings to create a case file, collect clues and solve a mystery. Solving the “whodunnit” is the best way to end the week! Projects include DIY intruder alarms, cipher disk and scytale decoders, sneaky spy periscopes, and extracting DNA (from a strawberry!). Other activities include analyzing footprints, dusting for fingerprints, sending secret messages in invisible ink, and crafting their own gumshoe bag of disguises. See if you can crack the case!

A week of mixed media, storytelling and choreography – with a weekend performance!

At the end of July, we are offering a one-week specialty Theater Workshop at out Gowanus workspace – mixed media and choreography, with a weekend performance! This is all designed through the lens of Camera Obscura, an amazing technique that causes images to be reflected in large-scale reverse, like being inside a giant, pin-hole camera. What can storytelling be like with Camera Obscura? A kaleidoscope, zoetrope and roller coaster loop combined... so cool!

Girls will work with female artists to shape their stories through theater, dance, poetry, visual art, and whatever else they can imagine! Then they share their stories with an end-of-week performance, open to friends, family and the public. This week is in partnership with The Vanderbilt Republic, a Gowanus-based creative production agency. Space is limited to 8 girls entering 4th – 6th grades.

Wire your own projects that move, wiggle and light up!

In Wired 101, girls learn to construct circuits and incorporate them into fun and inventive projects. Girls use accessible yet remarkable materials (like copper tape and electrically conductive paint) to engineer their creations. Projects include light-up quiz boards, marker draw-bots, LED circuit cards, bristle-bots, constellation star maps, the pet’s pet (engineered with a switch and motor to let it wiggle and bounce) and a wired bracelet that shines bright like a diamond. We’ve done our own trouble-shooting to carry over the best projects and add fantastic new ones to this class!