Putting The A In STEAM… With Digital Art You Can Experience

TinkerTech strives to build children’s confidence and skills with technology through creative projects. Teachers create lesson plans and curriculum that are deliberately open-ended so students can use the project to express their own interests and passions.

We were blown away by the creativity and level of engagement in our TinkerTech Art Installations Camp at Super Cool Summer School in Larkspur. As we gear up for a new school year, teacher Emma Lefley shares her reflections on this camp:

What was your vision for this camp?

My vision for this camp was to encourage the students to collaborate on an interactive art installation. I aimed to encourage each student to focus on exploring a digital art form of their choice to be incorporated in the installation. 

What ages were in the camp and what did the students learn?

We had two groups of students – Grades 2-3 and Grades 4-6. Each group of students created an interactive art installation. They decided as a group what they learned: how to program LEDs, build circuits to light up LEDs, create graphics and animations on the computer, and make music on the computer. 

How did you combine the projects?

During the first week of this two-week camp, the students created the individual components of the installation, i.e. music, animations, graphics, circuits, LED programming, etc. During the second week, the students created the structure for the installation, placed the LEDs where they wanted them, and set up the music and animations to occur at certain times. 

What did you particularly enjoy about this camp?

It was interesting to see the difference in how each group went through the process of creating the installation. The younger students tended to work with each other more so than the older students. Additionally, the older students seemed to have a greater sense of what they wanted to make, and it was fun to see them develop their concepts.

Says TinkerTech Founder Claire Comins:

“We were so pleased to see how this camp literally took on its own energy and life. What student wouldn’t want to build their walk-through interactive world? It’s awe-inspiring, fabulous, and just makes us want to offer experiences like this at camp.”