Sign up for our new technology classes this fall!

Here are three exciting new classes that are being offered at some Park Districts this fall. Please check with your local Park District or schoool for availability.

Robotics Adventures
Yes, We CAN learn about Robotics! With the LEGO™ WeDo Robotics System, young children can build and program their own robotic creations. Designed by the experts at MIT, this unique system teaches children about simple machines, engineering, programming and so much more. Young imaginations soar! Students will work together in teams of 2.
Age: 6 - 8 years



Green Screen Adventures Climb Mount Everest, swim the depths of the ocean, or battle dinosaurs! Using a green screen and special photo-editing techniques, you will venture into real or imaginary locations and film the trip to share with friends. Experiment with photos and unique drawing software to set the scene for fantastic adventures. Don’t stay at home – jump into a green screen and find yourself some fun!
Age: 8 - 12 years

Inventions With Art and Technology
Jumping Jiminy Crickets! The newest in robotics and programming fun is the Pico Cricket®. Design and create your own creatures, sculptures or 3-D art, and then program them for action! Make a cat and program it to purr when someone pets it. Make a bobble-head with multiple heads that jiggle and jump on command. Make a birthday cake play a song when someone blows out the candles. Your imagination is the main ingredient! Students will work together in teams of 2.

Age: 8 - 12 years

What a great summer!

COMPUTER EXPLORERS students had a great summer! They created their own video games, wrote, filmed and edited their own Indiana Jones, Harry Potter or Batman movies, built and programmed Lego Robots and in the process learned some new technology and made new friends in our classes! This summer, we had the privilege of teaching 437 students at 18 different locations throughout the western suburbs during 8 weeks of our Technology Camps! Thank you to all the who participated in our classes! We hope you'll join us for some new classes this fall. Class listings and descriptions will be posted soon!

Here's a great Harry Potter movie created in one of our Moviemaking classes!

Some talented students from the Oswegoland Park District created this great Harry Potter movie in our COMPUTER EXPLORERS moviemaking class!

Make Your Own Harry Potter Movie!

The new Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince movie starts at theaters today! However, Harry Potter fans can make their own Harry Potter movie this summer in one of our COMPUTER EXPLORERS' moviemaking classes:

Lights, Camera, Action – Making Your Own Harry Potter™ movie
What’s the next adventure for Harry Potter, Ron and Hermione? You decide! We will create our own Harry Potter™ movie using special movie making cameras and software. As directors and producers, we will work in teams to create our own story and script, build various Harry Potter™ Lego® scenes and film our own movie. We will use graphic editing techniques and stop motion animation, add background noise and music, and show our movie at a private screening on the last day of class. All students will get a copy of their movie on a CD-ROM after class ends.

There's still time to sign up! Classes are available at the following locations:

Batavia Park District

Naperville Park District

Oswegoland Park District

Yorkville Parks and Recreation

New Technology Camps starting up July 6!

We had a break this week due to the July 4th holiday but new classes are starting up next week! There is still space in some classes so it's not too late to sign up!

Batavia Park DistrictEastside Community Center 14 N. Van Buren St Batavia, IL

Fun-gineering 10:15 am – 12:15 pm - Class is full

Fox Valley Park District
Eola Community Center 555 S. Eola Road Aurora, IL 60504

Alien Invasion Robotics – 1:30 pm – 3:30 pm - Class is full

Hinsdale Parks and Recreation
Memorial Bldg 19 E. Chicago Ave. Hinsdale, IL (2nd floor board room)
Moviemaking 101 - Making Your Own Batman™ movie 10:15 am – 12:15 pm - Class is full

Lombard Park District
Sunset Knoll Recreation Center 820 S. Finley Road Lombard, IL 60148

COMPUTERTOTS: Summer Series Times: 1:30 – 2:00 - Still have openings
Fun-Gineering With Simple Machines Times: 2:15 – Still have openings

Riverside Parks and Recreation
10 Pine Avenue Riverside, IL 60546

Video Game Animation Times: 10:15 – 12:15 - Still have openings

Woodridge Park District
Community Center 2600 Center Drive Woodridge, IL

Video Game Animation 1:45 pm – 3:45 pm - Still have openings

Yorkville Parks and Recreation
201 W. Hydraulic Yorkville IL 60560

Video Game Animation – 10:00 am – 12:00 pm - Still have openings

Transformers movie starts today - Get ideas for your own Transformers Movie in our newest COMPUTER EXPLORERS class starting in the fall!

"Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" starts at movie theaters today! Go see the movie and get some ideas for our newest COMPUTER EXPLORERS moviemaking class starting in the fall:

"Lights, Camera, Action – Making Your Own Transformers™ movie

Bring Bumblebee and Optimus Prime to life as they take on Megatron or Star Scream in your very own Transformers™ movie. You will create your very own Transformers™ movie using special digital movie making cameras and software. As writers, directors and producers you will work in teams to create your own story and script, design and create backgrounds and film your own movie using graphic editing techniques and stop motion animation. You can add your own voices or your favorite music to your movie and show it at a private screening on the last day of class. All students will get a copy of their movie on a CD-ROM after class is complete."

This class will be available at various Park Districts in the Fall. Check back with us in August for class locations and dates!

It's not too late to sign up for our Fun and Educational Technology Camps!

We have technology camps running weekly for 8 weeks between June 15 and August 13 at various locations throughout the western suburbs. (No classes are scheduled June 29 - July 3) Classes are filling up fast, but there are still some openings! Here are some of the classes we have scheduled:

Batavia Park District

The Community House in Hinsdale

Darien Park District

Elmhurst Park District

More class locations are listed to the right! If you don't see your location here, you can check with our other COMPUTER EXPLORERS locations

Our Summer Technology Camps start on Monday, June 15!

Our first round of classes will be starting up on Monday, June 15. Here are the classes that are running this week:

Elmhurst Park District
June 16 - 19, 2009

Computertots Session 1: 9:30 – 10:00
Session 2: 10:10 – 10:40

Video Game Animation 1:00 – 3:00 pm

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Glen Ellyn Park District
June 15 - 18, 2009

Fun-Gineering With Simple Machines 10:45 – 12:45 pm

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Naperville Park District:
June 15 - 18, 2009

Computertots 10:10 – 10:40

Basics to Building 10:45 – 11:45 am

Video Game Animation 1:00 – 3:00 pm

We still have many classes scheduled through August, so if you aren't able to join us the week of June 15, we still have openings in many locations! See our specific summer schedules to the right!

Claymation Cinema movie from the Lombard Park District

Here is a great Claymation movie about a family of ducks. This was created at the Lombard Park District.