Local STEM workshops
Avanza STEM's signature hands on STEM workshop series helps younger students build, code, and explore AI through three connected sessions. It is usually hosted through libraries and community partners so families can learn in trusted local spaces.
Local workshop dates depend on confirmed library and community partner schedules. Use the Workshop Finder to check partner locations and newly announced sessions. Open the Workshop Finder
The series is built as three separate workshops: Building, Coding, and AI. They are usually held about one week apart. Each session gives students a new way to think like a maker: understand a problem, create something real, and reflect on how technology should be used.
Workshop One
Students start with engineering and design. They learn how mechanical, electrical, civil, and chemical engineers solve real problems, then connect those ideas to hands on building challenges that make engineering feel concrete and approachable.
Workshop Two
The second workshop introduces Python in a beginner friendly way. With guided practice, each student builds a simple game by the end of the session, giving them a real first coding win instead of just a lecture about programming.
Workshop Three
The final workshop helps students understand AI through examples they recognize, like video recommendations and Spotify song suggestions. They learn how AI systems process information, make predictions, and affect everyday choices.
Just as importantly, students are taught how to use AI responsibly without becoming overly dependent on it. They learn that AI is a powerful tool for learning and creating, but it should be used thoughtfully because overuse can reduce critical thinking and independent learning.
Attend or Host
The Maker Mindset Series runs when a library, school, or community partner confirms dates. Families can check the Workshop Finder for current locations, and partners can request a series for their students.
This program was hosted at the Clifton Public Library in Clifton, New Jersey, where I taught a group of 3rd to 5th grade students through interactive STEM activities. We also held an extra session for a hands on Coke and Mentos demonstration, used to explain the science behind the eruption and introduce the concept of physical vs. chemical changes, learning to figure out why it is actually a physical reaction rather than a chemical change.
This program was held at the Allwood Branch Library, where I taught a group of grade school students through several fun, hands on STEM activities. The session encouraged students to explore core scientific concepts through engaging demonstrations and guided experimentation.
This program was held at the Library of the Chathams, where we led grade school students through hands-on STEM activities designed to make engineering and science feel approachable, fun, and interactive. Students explored STEM concepts through guided building challenges, demonstrations, and collaborative problem solving.
This program was hosted at the Roseland Free Public Library, where students participated in engaging, hands-on STEM activities focused on creativity, experimentation, and teamwork. The session encouraged students to explore science and engineering ideas through interactive projects and guided demonstrations.
This program was hosted at the Wayne Public Library, where students participated in engaging, hands-on STEM activities focused on creativity, experimentation, and teamwork. The session encouraged students to explore science and engineering ideas through interactive projects and guided demonstrations.
This program was held at the Verona Public Library, where students worked through hands-on building challenges that turned engineering ideas into something they could design, test, and improve together. Working in small groups kept every student involved, from the first sketch to the finished build.
This program was hosted at the Little Falls Public Library, where students followed along on laptops through a beginner-friendly introduction to coding. Step-by-step demonstrations and guided practice gave each student the chance to write and run their own programs during the session.
This program brought our hands-on STEM activities to the Wenbo Shuijing Community Reading Room in Minhang District, Shanghai, our first partner venue in China. Students worked through guided building challenges and demonstrations, the same format we run at our New Jersey libraries.
The lessons for this program were translated into Chinese, courtesy of Enqi Qi.
No photos: libraries in China are strict about photography inside their spaces, so we were not able to take any during this program.
This program was held at Lanyu Books in Minhang District, Shanghai, a neighborhood reading space that opened its room to hands-on STEM activities. Students explored science and engineering ideas through interactive projects and guided demonstrations.
The lessons for this program were translated into Chinese, courtesy of Enqi Qi.
Libraries in China are strict about photography inside their spaces, so we could not photograph the session itself. The photo above is the reading room where the program was held.
In their own words
Partner libraries and community groups describe the Maker Mindset Series in their own posts, to their own communities.
The Maker Mindset Series, hosted by Liam Salcedo & Tommy Qi, high school students from Seton Hall Prep, brought students together at The Library of the Chathams for three fun, hands-on STEM workshops. … More than just learning about engineering, coding, and AI, the program gave students the ability to be curious, creative, & collaborative in a welcoming community space.
A big thank you to Liam Salcedo and Tommy Qi, two rising seniors at Seton Hall Prep, for bringing “The Maker Mindset” STEM series to the Roseland Library! During this three-part series, participants ages 8 and up learned how to build and test suspension bridges, Python coding basics, and how artificial intelligence works through fun and interactive approaches.
YA Creates: Maker Mindset Series where students explore engineering, coding and artificial intelligence through hands-on interactive activities with Liam, our volunteer.
For his Eagle Community Service Project, Liam, 17, planned and ran a series of Saturday STEM workshops for kids at the Clifton Public Library last December and January. Liam's goal was to give local children access to engaging STEM opportunities they might not otherwise have access to. … He used it as a springboard to launch Avanza STEM, a youth-led, free STEM resource offering workshops and more, focused on reaching Hispanic and underrepresented students.
Our Approach
The Maker Mindset Series turns big STEM topics into simple, active learning experiences. Students do not need prior experience; they need curiosity, encouragement, and room to try.
Our goal is to help students see themselves as people who can build, debug, question, and create. That confidence matters long after the final workshop ends.
Built for engagement
Incorporating activities that reinforce concepts through real interaction.
Using examples students already understand and experience daily.
Keeping students engaged through participation, not passive listening.