In this class, LEGO fanatics can feed their need for speed as they figure out how much horsepower can be squeezed into LEGO creations. A souped-up cruiser, tractor and sled are just a few of the machines we’ll build using LEGO bricks.

Date Location Member/Nonmember July 29-Aug 2 OMSI $275/$325

Take your LEGO building knowledge, experience and imagination to the extreme as you build statues, make a working abacus, and erect the tallest or strongest structure using the fewest bricks. We’ll use gear trains, simple machines and power transfers to build working motorized carnival rides and visit OMSI’s Turbine Hall for project ideas.

Date Location Member/Nonmember Aug 5-9 OMSI $275/$325 Aug 19-23 OMSI $275/$325

Spend a week learning how to design and program a LEGO robot using Mindstorms software. At the end of the week, you can show off your programming skills to your family and friends.

Date Location Member/Nonmember June 24-28 OMSI $275/$325 July 8-12 OMSI $275/$325

This advanced class will build on techniques learned in our popular LEGO Robotics class. Students will delve deeper into the world of robotics and become masters of their own LEGO creation. Programming from the new Arduino platform will be incorporated using interactive objects. Note: This advanced class is for students who have completed LEGO Robotics.

Date Location Member/Nonmember July 22-26 OMSI $275/$325 Aug 5-9 OMSI $275/$325

Experimenting with LEGO bricks, axles, gears, pulleys and weights is a great way to explore energy, density and physics. Students will build a ski jump for marbles to experiment with speed and trajectory, and discover the structure of atoms and create an atomic model. Students will work individually, with partners and in groups, plus visit OMSI’s Turbine Hall for inspiration.

Date Location Member/Nonmember Aug 12-16 OMSI $275/$325

Design and create an ancient catapult — the trebuchet — and learn the physical forces at work in simple and complex machines. The challenge of LEGO brick-building gives us a chance to use the lever, inclined plane, wheel and axle, and pulley to construct stunning creations.

Date Location Member/Nonmember July 22-26 OMSI $275/$325

Join OMSI and the Community Cycling Center to learn how to navigate the city by bike. Students will build on riding skills and learn basic bicycle maintenance and repair. Community Cycling Center instructors will lead students on fun rides to neighborhood parks, supporting the group as they build confidence and skills on the road. Students should know the basics including starting, stopping and riding in a straight line. Ride distances will vary from 4 to 15+ miles, depending on the skill level of the group. A bicycle safety inspection is required prior to the start of class and a multi-gear bike is highly recommended. Participants will receive an email from the Community Cycling Center with more details prior to the class.

Date Location Member/Nonmember Aug 5-9 OMSI $285/$335

In this digital exploration, girls will design and animate e-cards, and create characters for their own web cartoons and music videos. They’ll also use computers, creativity and imagination to design their own worlds and creatures. Note: This class is for students in grades 4–8.

Date Location Member/Nonmember Aug 5-9 OMSI $275/$325 Aug 26-30 OMSI $275/$325

Explore emerging trends in renewable energy with solar panels, wind turbines and hydropower. Venture into the field and discover how different ecosystems support themselves and continue to survive. We’ll also take eye-opening field trips to the Port of Portland’s sustainable building, OSU’s wave energy labs and the Bonneville Dam.

Date Location Member/Nonmember July 22-26 OMSI $275/$325

Give your mind and body a workout in this class designed to explore the science behind a healthy lifestyle. Through yoga, Zumba, meditation, tai chi and other physical exercises you can discover your favorite way to be active. You’ll also learn how nutrition affects your body and mind.

Date Location Member/Nonmember Aug 19-23 OMSI $275/$325

In this high-flying class, students will make airplane prototypes out of paper and wood, experiment with lift, thrust, drag and gravity, and explore the fundamentals of remote controlled model airplanes. We’ll learn the basics of pilot training and then take over OMSI’s Vernier Technology Lab to test our skills on a flight simulator. This class includes a field trip to the Evergreen Aviation Museum, and on the final day, we’ll launch our very own rockets.

Date Location Member/Nonmember July 1-3 (Mon. thru Weds.) Jesuit High School $183/$213 July 22-26 PCC $305/$355

Students will design their own original video games, while exploring the world of computers, digital graphics and more. Then, they’ll bring their creations to life with characters that move and interact using Logo-based software on PCs.

Date Location Member/Nonmember June 17-21 OMSI $275/$325 July 1-3 (Mon. thru Wed.)  OMSI $165/$195 July 22-26 OMSI $275/$325

Building on skills learned in Games Galore, students will challenge themselves to learn how computers and keyboards interact to control programs. Using programming tools to add running scores, life meters and other features, students will be able to make their games even more interactive. Note: This advanced class is for students in grades 4-8 who have completed Games Galore.

Date Location Member/Nonmember Aug 12-16 OMSI $275/$325 Aug 19-23 OMSI $275/$325

Experience OMSI’s most popular field trips during a week of action-packed adventure. Each day we’ll “go mobile” with OMSI naturalists as we explore the most fascinating areas around Portland and beyond. An overnight stay at Newport South Beach is included. Our itinerary may require that students leave OMSI by 8 a.m. and return to OMSI later than 4 p.m. Parents will receive the week’s schedule two weeks prior to the first day of class. Each grade range will participate in separate activities each day.

Date Location Member/Nonmember June 17-21 OMSI $300/$350 Aug 26-30 OMSI $300/$350

Based on OMSI’s popular Hit the Road class, this experience incorporates the exciting, fast-paced world of sports and athletics. We’ll visit Hood River WaterPlay for windsurfing, and Tree to Tree to experience the team-building aerial course and zip lines.

Date Location Member/Nonmember July 29-Aug 2 OMSI $395/$445

Explore the sun and its many layers, tour the planets in our solar system, and crash-land on the moon to see how well you’d survive. Along the way, we’ll chart the stars and phases of the moon, and build a telescope to help us navigate. We’ll also visit OMSI’s Physics Lab, Kendall Planetarium and, at the end of our mission, design our own space station on the moon.

Date Location Member/Nonmember June 24-28 Jesuit High School $275/$325 July 29-Aug 2 OMSI $275/$325

Ever wonder how a hurricane forms or what causes earthquakes? In this class, we’ll learn about avalanches, volcanoes and other kinds of natural disasters common in the Pacific Northwest and elsewhere. Discover how the Hawaiian Islands were formed and visit Mt St Helens for an up-close look at the history and beauty of a volcano.

Date Location Member/Nonmember July 1-3 (Mon. thru Wed.) OMSI $165/$195

How does the moon affect the ocean tides? How can you tell the difference between a seal and a sea lion? Unlock the ocean’s secrets, discover unique adaptations of sea animals, and perform laboratory experiments using salt and fresh water. We’ll also visit the Oregon Zoo, take an all-day excursion to Cannon Beach, and discover answers to our questions about the ocean and its dynamic shore.

Date Location Member/Nonmember July 8-12 Jesuit High School $275/$325 July 29-Aug 2 PCC $275/$325

Animation brings math, science and the creative arts together in extraordinary ways. Experience this expressive medium as we investigate stop-motion techniques and motion picture perspectives. We’ll use digital video cameras, clay sculptures, drawn characters, cutout scenes, found objects and time-lapse portraits during this class. Students will develop ideas, design storyboards, create sets and characters, and produce mini-movies to take home on DVD.

Date Location Member/Nonmember July 22-26 OMSI $300/$350 Aug 12-16 OMSI $300/$350

In this class, LEGO fanatics can feed their need for speed as they figure out how much horsepower can be squeezed into LEGO creations. A souped-up cruiser, tractor and sled are just a few of the machines we’ll build using LEGO bricks.

Date Location Member/Nonmember June 17-21 OMSI $300/$350 July 1-3 OMSI $180/$210 Aug 26-30 OMSI $300/$350

In this class, we’ll investigate the powerful forces that shift and shape our local landscape and the face of the earth. Explore nearby volcanoes, make a model of a geyser, discover how mountains form and take field trips to the Rice Museum and Ape Cave. We’ll also learn to identify rocks and discover their origins, put together a rock collection to take home, and explore the longest lava tube in North America.

Date Location Member/Nonmember June 24-28 Jesuit High School $275/$325 July 1-3 (Mon. thru Wed.) PCC $165/$195

Students will have a blast with rockets as they experiment with Isaac Newton’s laws of motion to build and test a variety of rocket designs. They’ll also explore the history of NASA’s space program and construct, paint and launch their own solid-fuel rocket to take home.

Date Location Member/Nonmember July 8-12 Jesuit High School $275/$325 Aug 5-9 PCC $275/$325

Throw on a wizard’s cloak and embark on a week of science magic. Brew up chemical potions and “un–potions.” With the flick of a wrist, make colors change and objects shrink or swell. Then, cook up a chemically bonded magic snack. We’ll also visit OMSI’s Chemistry Lab and use science to simulate the magic of favorite books and movies.

Date Location Member/Nonmember July 1-3 (Mon. thru Wed.) Jesuit High School $165/$195 July 15-19 PCC $275/$325 July 22-26 Jesuit High School $275/$325 July 29-Aug 2 Jesuit High School $275/$325 August 12-16 PCC $275/$325

Spend a week exploring the 16-acre Sauvie Island Organics farm and adjacent grounds of Metro’s Howell Territorial Park. Sauvie Island Center’s education staff will guide students through exploration activities, daily nature journaling and gathering produce from the Grow Lunch Garden. Students will be dropped off and picked up every day at OMSI and bused out to the farm.

Date Location Member/Nonmember July 15-19 OMSI $275/$325

Learn how to create your own web page, blog, photo gallery and more. By learning simple, cutting-edge languages and codes that link to computers all over the world, we’ll design web pages where pictures move and stories are told.

Date Location Member/Nonmember July 8-12 PCC $275/$325 July 15-19 PCC $275/$325 July 29-Aug 2 PCC $275/$325

Create a story on a computer, complete with moving pictures and sounds. Learn to storyboard and design your own dynamic book. Then, using Logo-based software on PCs, we’ll work individually or with partners to draw unique worlds filled with characters that move and do silly, scary or funny things. Note: This class is for students in grades 4-8.

Date Location Member/Nonmember July 8-12 OMSI $275/$325