COBBLE HILL — Computer whiz kids and storytelling toddlers don't have to look far for fall activities as two new workshops head to Bergen Street this month.
Beam Center, a nonprofit learning and youth development organization, will host Find & Seek’s program called “Building, Shadow and Story” for 4- and 5-year-old children and a separate coding workshop for 7 to 17-year-olds, both on Sept. 28.
The Brooklyn-based project creates workshops for young children to explore different kinds of materials while crafting their own stories.
The program is an “interesting fusion” of storytelling and materials, where materials become the vehicle for the children’s improvised stories, said Kristin Eno, who co-founded Find & Seek with Elisha Georgiou.
At the Beam Center, located at 47 Bergen St., Find & Seek’s program will focus on lights, shadows and recycled objects, including sticks, stones, cardboard, plastic containers and “a range of weird things," Eno said.
“We really want to highlight their stories,” said Eno, adding that Find & Seek is inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach, an early childhood education philosophy.
Along with the Beam Center workshop, Find & Seek will also lead free weekly storytelling program at Red Hook Branch of the Brooklyn Public Library on Sept. 27 for children from birth to age 5.
Find & Seek’s Beam Center program will be held on Sept. 28 from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. To register for the first free session, visit this website. Register for the following four sessions on Sept. 28 for $130.
For more information, visit this website.
Computer geniuses can band together this month for CoderDojo’s Beam Center workshop, an international organization that teaches children about coding and programing.
The four-to-six-hour workshop on Sept. 28 calls for children aged 7 to 17 to create their own music through code using a toolkit called “Overtone.”
Mentors, who are often professionals in the tech industry, are paired with groups of three to five children to ensure individualized attention for each junior coder, said Rebecca Garcia, co-founder of CoderDojo’s New York chapter.
Kids will also learn fundamentals of programing like writing their first code and learning what a variable is, Garcia said.
While the Beam Center program will focus on music, CoderDojo also teaches workshops on developing apps, games and Web pages.
Laptops will be required for the program, but if you don’t have your own, contact CoderDojo for more information.
To register for CoderDojo NYC, visit this website.
