Fall STEM Programs The Kids Will Love

Give your junior builders a boost with these robotics, coding and engineering programs.

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ENGINEERING FOR KIDS

Edison, 732-963-4101

Choose from a range of classes like Apprentice and Masters Inventor’s Academy (grades 4-7), which teaches CAD, 3-D printing and laser engraving; Apprentice and Masters Coding Academy (grades 4-7), which covers coding with drones and electronic game design; and Junior Inventor’s Workshops (grades 1-3), which teaches STEAM coding, and more. Classes are six weeks and start at $135 per session.

GENIUS GEMS

Millburn, 973-376-2623

Looking for design challenges, competitions, games and creative play that’ll inspire your little one’s interest in STEM? Ages 2-4 can try Fall Science, where they’ll learn math, life science, chemistry and engineering concepts. Ages 3-4 can join Kitchen Chemistry, where they'll use traditional cooking materials to conduct experiments and create chemical reactions. Ages 4-5 can sign up for Engineering & Maker, where they’ll learn to make LED circuits, plus design and build bridges, floating boats and more. Ages 6-8 can problem solve in Robotics & Coding and ages 9-12 can try the Inventors Course, where they’ll find solutions to real world problems. Classes are offered multiple days per week and run from September to December. $275/ages 2-5, $300-325/ages 6-8, $125/ages 9-12.

GLASSROOTS

Newark, 973-353-9555

Every class at GlassRoots covers the basic principles of science and math. Ages 10 and up can try Flame and Flat Shops. The Flame Shop offers a chance to fuse glass by melting thin rods of colored glass with a gas-oxygen torch. Kids can then shape and form the glass using small tools. In The Flat Shop, they’ll set small colored glass pieces in a pattern, then bond them using grout or a kiln. Ages 14 and up can try The Hot Shop glassblowing classes, where they’ll learn to shape molten glass and about the properties of matter, rates of heating, cooling and expanding, centrifugal and centripetal force, viscosity, gravity and more. Public workshops, offered on weekends and evenings, are open to nall skill levels ages 10 and up. Classes start this month and begin at $25.

INTERNATIONAL CHESS ACADEMY

Glen Rock, Teaneck

Looking to master that black-and-white board? Chess classes begin in September and end in December, and are available for beginners and beyond. It’s not just about nabbing the king at ICA—aside from chess, kids can explore STEM concepts, build robots using LEGO kits and learn the basics of coding, programming and  mechanics. Eleven classes range from $253-550 per semester depending on hours and class. 

L3 ACADEMY

Caldwell, Glen Rock, Montclair

Choose from a range of coding, robotic and math classes, including LEGO Robotics (grades 2-5), Intro to Programming (grades 3-6), Math Mania (grades 3-5), Coding: Kodu/Xbox (grades 3-5), Minecraft Monthly (grades 1-6) and more. Kids can also join the STEM Club (grades K-2) or Stock Wizards (grades 4-8). Classes range from $50-450 and typically run for eight weeks.

THE MAKER DEPOT

Totowa, 862-245-3805

Beginning the week of September 10, class offerings for ages 10 and up include the Internet of Things, which will show kids how the Internet can be used to power things like lights and doors. Make Your Own Pinball Machine teaches the basics of design using building blocks, electronics and 3-D printed parts. Classes are once a week for seven weeks. Each class is $120 (discounts available for multiple classes).

ZANIAC

Jersey City, 201-360-2450

Looking for classes in engineering, computer programming or design? Your smarty has plenty to choose from: Robotics (simple machines, LEGO robotics and environmental science), Tinkinger: Intro to Circuits, Intro to Drones,  Computer Programming (Intro to Scratch, Intro to Java),Game-Based Learning using Minecraft and the Kerbal Space Program (exploration, architectural design, physics), 3-D Printing & Design or GarageBand. Enrollment is ongoing and begins September 9. Six-week sessions for grades K-8 range from $309-379.

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