Lansing Tech Studio Workshops
Welcome to the Youth Tech Workshops series! These workshops are designed for students ages 12–14 with minimal prior programming experience.
Available Workshops
Tech Fundamentals
Date: January 15, 2026
Duration: 2 hours
Theme: “How computers actually work, and how you control them”
Learn the basics of how computers work, understand hardware vs software, explore files and folders, and get your first taste of the command line.
JavaScript Basics
Date: January 22, 2026
Duration: 2 hours
Theme: “Making computers respond to YOU - your first real programs”
Learn JavaScript fundamentals: variables, data types, console.log, and string concatenation. Build a dynamic story using Node.js.
Interactive HTML + JavaScript
Date: February 5, 2026
Duration: 2 hours
Theme: “Making the browser respond to you with forms and JavaScript”
Build a live message box using text inputs, dropdowns, and JavaScript-driven updates to the page.
Python Coding Introduction
Date: February 19, 2026 Duration: 2 hours Theme: “Talking to your computer - your first Python conversations”
Learn Python fundamentals: variables, data types, print(), input(), f-strings, and if/else decisions. Build an interactive text adventure.
Digital Art & Animation
Date: February 26, 2026
Duration: 2 hours
Theme: “Designing your own character sprites and bringing them to life in a game engine”
Customize character sprite animations using Piskel and import them into a ready-made Godot platformer. Learn about sprite sheets, pixel art, and animation frames.
AI Playground for Kids
Date: March 5, 2026
Duration: 2 hours
Theme: “Teaching computers to recognize patterns and create ideas”
Explore beginner-friendly AI with hands-on prompts, image and text generation, and activities that explain how models learn, where bias can show up, and how to use AI responsibly.
Sound Design and Foley
Date: March 12, 2026 Duration: 2 hours Theme: “Building cinematic sound effects from everyday objects”
Create custom sound effects, layer ambience and action sounds, and sync audio to short video clips while learning the basics of recording, editing, and mixing.
Advanced Python Coding
Date: March 19, 2026
Duration: 2 hours
Theme: “Upgrading our program structure - from scripts to systems”
Build a multi-room text RPG while leveling up core Python skills: functions, classes, modules, dictionaries, file I/O, and Git workflow.
About the Program
Branding: Lansing Tech Studio
Theme: Robot persona (“Lansing Techster” or just “Techster”) is learning alongside students, and they help each other figure things out.
Target Audience: Ages 12–14, minimal prior programming experience
Session Length: 2 hours each
Group Size: 8–12 students per session
Platforms: Windows laptops (primary), Chromebooks (secondary)
Workshops mix instruction and hands-on work. They slightly build on one another but are designed to be primarily independent so students may join at any point.
Guiding Principles
- Cut scope before cutting confidence
- Momentum over perfection
- Curiosity is success
- No student leaves feeling like the workshop failed