Calling all Makers! Join us at our outdoor Maker Space for weekly workshops challenging participants to design and construct solutions to real-world problems. Guided Maker workshops challenge participants to design and construct projects inspired by science and river concepts. Learn about the Hudson River through an engineering scope. Come tinker, test and build!

Each Maker workshop has two components: a Build Challenge and a “Larger than Life” build. Build Challenges are accompanied by a small educational piece to inform the building and design of the theme project. After completing the Build Challenge, participants are invited to think big and build with materials such as dowels, PVC pipes, pool noodles and grid beams. You can design your own skyscrapers, forts, tunnels, or whatever you make up!

Build Challenges:

Squid Suction Cup Grabber (7/7): Skilletfish and longfin squid both have suction cup adaptations. Using common items, build your own suction-powered vacuum to pick up small objects.

Oyster Restoration Mat (7/14): Help Hudson River Park construct new oyster habitat. With recycled oyster shells, design and create a space for organisms to settle in the River.

Plankton Mechanics (7/21): Plankton are microscopic plants and animals that float under the water’s surface. Using craft materials, build a plankton model that is able to remain in the center of the water column, just like in nature.

Bionic Hand (7/28): The human hand is made up of numerous tendons. Create a pulley system using cardboard and make your own bionic hand.

Paddleboats (8/4): Boats allow humans to travel across bodies of water. Construct a miniature paddleboat using the power of mechanical energy stored in rubber bands.

Water Filter (8/11): One of the primary methods of cleaning water is running it through a filter to remove foreign solids. Construct a functional water filter out of household objects in order to clean “polluted” water.

Bots (8/18): Motors turn electrical energy into mechanical energy. Build your own robot using a simple motor which can move around and even color.

Kaleidoscopes (8/25): Kaleidoscopes use mirrors and translucent objects to create constantly symmetric patterns. See the world through a new lens by building a kaleidoscope with craft items.