Ages 5-7 and 8-12
Mackenzie Park Adult Building
Las Positas and McCaw
Information: 564-5495 or www.play-well.org
Monday-Friday from 9am-12noon (5-7)
or 1:00-4:00 pm (8-12) June 15-19, July 21-26

Take a ‘crash course’ in Demolition Derby, design a Mighty Metropolis, challenge the Battle Track, build and race a locomotive faster than a speeding Worm Drive. Explore concepts in physics, mechanical engineering, structural engineering, and architecture while playing with your favorite creations. Children will be given instruction, design challenges and competitions appropriate to their facility with LEGO novices to “maniacs”. This class is not affiliated with the LEGO group. For more information about Play-Well TEKnologies please visit their website, www.play-well.org.

Pre-Engineering (ages 5-7)
Create, Play and Learn. Build a town, city or star base with houses, buildings, pyramids, bridges, tunnels, towers and more. Build motorized cars, trains, buses and trucks; race them; crash them; repair them. Explore the many possibilities of LEGO building systems while learning useful construction techniques.

Engineering FUNdamentals (ages 8-12)
Learn how to design and build motorized machines, houses, pyramids, bridges, catapults, buildings and other constructions. Experienced students will be given new projects.





Sample Curriculum (5 Days)

• Belt Drive Cars: Intro to motors/ Batteries/ Pulley Systems
• Corbelled Arch Bridges: Bridge Design, Architectural Corbels, Overlapping
• Gear Drive Cars: Gear Ratios: Torque Vs. Speed
• Inchworms: Eccentric Motion, complex Gear Train
• Castles and Catapults: 1st, 2nd 3rd Class Levers. Fulcrum, Throw
• Gondolas: Friction and Slippage, Continuation of Belt Drive system
• Skid Steering Vehicles: Steering Mechanisms, Friction
• Battle Tracks: Rack Gear System, Monorail Vehicle Design, Integration of All Concept

Play-Well Instructors will provide all class materials.

Instructor
Ben Pfister

Hello,
My name is Ben Pfister. I’m a graduate of Stanford University with a teaching credential and Masters Degree from the University of Hawaii.
I’ve taught art at the college level including drawing, painting, art history and wood carving. I’ve been teaching Engineering for Play-Well for almost two years and manage the courses for Ventura and Santa Barbara County. Currently I’m teaching at Washington Elementary school and look forward to teaching for Parks and Recreation this summer.