Genius Projects

Entrepreneurship/ Technology / Engineering / Math

The word genius comes from the latin word meaning “innate ability or inclination, the attendant spirit present from one’s birth.”   The Genius Project is all about helping our students unlock their natural abilities, develop skills and joy in using their skills and talents in serving others.

Students will have the opportunity to choose from different tracks and workshops throughout the year.  As they do so, they will discover new talents and interests, have the opportunity to explore and create, and implement their new knowledge in real-world settings as mentors help guide them to find what lights them up. 

Older youth will have the opportunity to complete personal projects, learn new entrepreneurship, tech and creativity skills, teach workshops to younger children, sell at youth markets, plan and carry out events and more!  Younger students will have time to be creative and make their ideas come to life, sell at youth markets, develop STEAM, entrep and tech skills skills in workshops and learn to work as a team.  

The year long Genius Project class includes access to all the Skills Workshops offered, as well as the events, the makerspace lab and other options.  Students may choose to participate in these different areas during the nearly 3 hours of class time. 

Students will have the opportunity to select from diverse tracks offered throughout the year, each tailored to different age groups and skill levels. Students may opt to explore multiple choices, maximizing their learning opportunities the two and a half hours of class time.

Try-It-Out Workshops

Workshops are taught by skilled instructors who love what they do!  Genius Project students will be able to select which workshops they would like to attend.   (If there is extra space, workshops will be opened up to others for individual purchase.)  

Each workshop will last 1-4 weeks or so.  Topics may include the following:

• Robotics

• Photography

• Auto mechanics

• Book Binding

• DIY slime, soap, bubbles, etc.

• Videography

• Wood carving

• Face painting & Balloon Animals 

• Coding

• Lawn mower repair

• Sublimate your own T-shirt 

• Make your own stickers with Cricut

• Simple sewing 

• Canva proficiency

• Hair & nails

• Entrepreneurship

• And more

Guided Makerspace Lab

In our guided makerspace lab, students engage in structured hands-on learning experiences under the supervision of instructors, using our provided tools and materials.  Students can work with others or on their own to solve problems and then create a prototype to bring their ideas to life.  During this session, the instructors will offer guidance and ask questions to help students develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills while developing creativity and innovation.  Students will troubleshoot issues, improve their designs and reflect on what they have learned. 

Nature Investigation

Being able to learn from nature provides abundant stimuli for both the body and the brain. Under guided supervision, students will be able to investigate and enjoy things in nature.  Students may be provided with some of the following to aid their investigations:

• Magnifying glass

• Nets

• Sealable bags

• Pocket microscope

• Field notebook

• And more

Exploration Play

Play may just seem like play, but experts affirm that play is one of the most effective methods of learning.  For this option, teachers will introduce various play possibilities for the week for students to choose from.  Within established guidelines, students will be able to explore, sometimes in a more free range manner and other times with greater instruction. Exploration play is all offline and hands on. Exploration materials may include these:

• Balls, cones, poly spots, bean bags, etc.

• Ladder golf and other lawn games

• Group games

• And more

Personal Projects

As students engage with a diverse range of subjects, they may discover a particular topic that ignites their passion. We aim to foster this enthusiasm by permitting students to dedicate extra time to projects they feel deeply passionate about and providing resources and guidance when needed.   These may include:

• An entrepreneurial project

• Yearbook creation

• Writing a book and peer editing

• Planning an event and running it

AGE GROUPS  
All Ages

TIMES & DATES 

Tuesdays, 12:30-3:00pm

CLASS TUITION 

$900/year or $125/8 monthly payments