CREATE Weekends
*The event has already taken place on this date: Sat, 03/14/2026
Please help us keep this calendar up to date! If this activity is sold out, canceled, or otherwise needs alteration, email mindy@kidsoutandabout.com so we can update it immediately. If you have a question about the activity itself, please contact the organization administrator listed below.
Program Highlights
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Unleash your creative problem solving on a journey that keeps getting more awesome every week.
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Turn your existing knowledge from math and science classes in school into real-world solutions.
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Meet other high school students who love tinkering, building, and solving puzzles as much as you do!
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Climate change, futuristic gadgets – how will you change the world?
Full Description
CREATE Weekends is a weekend program for high school students interested in exploring science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) from a design perspective. Led by a team of enthusiastic and experienced university students, you'll explore advanced engineering topics and learn how different disciplines of engineering work together to build a better society.
CREATE Weekends is more than just lectures and theories. Over multiple weekends, you'll gain hands-on experience and practical skills by working collaboratively on a real-world challenge. Using the engineering design process, you'll learn to identify a problem, brainstorm solutions, build and test prototypes, and refine your design. This is your chance to apply what you've learned in the classroom to solve a tangible problem.
CREATE Weekends is designed for motivated high school students who are curious about STEM and eager to connect with like-minded peers. If you're interested in exploring advanced topics, developing your problem-solving skills, and seeing how engineers make a difference, this program is for you. You'll not only expand your knowledge but also build a community with other students who share your passion for innovation and design.
Grades
This program is offered to students in Grades 9–12 (2025/2026 academic year).
Dates
Round 1
Saturdays
9:30 AM - 3:30 PM
January 24, January 31, February 7, 2026
Round 2
Saturdays
9:30 AM - 3:30 PM
February 28, March 7, March 14, 2026
Schedule
9:15 AM–9:30 AM — Arrival
9:30 AM–3:30 PM — Lectures & Activities*
3:30 PM — Dismissal
*A 1 hour lunch break will be scheduled in the middle of the day. Lunch is unsupervised.
Course Offerings
Classes are divided by grade. Please read the course descriptions carefully to see which courses are offered to which grade group.
There are two courses offered per grade, and courses offered in Round 1 are repeated in Round 2. Students may take a course from one round or both rounds as long as they do not take the same course twice. Participation in Round 1 is not required before taking a course in Round 2.
Course Offerings in Round 1: January 24, January 31, February 7, 2026
Engineering Sampler - Intelligent Systems
Grade 9/10
Have you ever wondered how your favorite apps know exactly what you want to see? Or how robots can learn to navigate the world? This course will pull back the curtain on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and show you how it's shaping our world, from fighting climate change to designing the businesses of tomorrow. Join our course and explore current applications of AI in areas like sustainability, modern business, and robotics. You'll learn what makes an intelligent system truly "smart." Working in teams, you'll take on the ultimate challenge: designing and programming an AI model that can learn to make smart decisions in a field you choose! You'll master the foundational tools of AI development, including key concepts used by top engineers, such as neural networks, deep learning, and how AI "learns" from its mistakes (backpropagation). Get ready to not just use AI, but to build it and become a future leader in technology!
Disciplines: Mechanical Engineering, Electrical & Computer Engineering
Engineering Sampler - Mechanics of Games
Grade 9/10
Have you ever wondered why some games are addictively fun while others fall flat? This course looks behind the scenes of game design, not for coding, but to understand the core principles of fun, fairness, and functional design. In this course, we will break down successful games to analyze their fundamental concepts, including rules, balance, risk/reward systems, and player motivation. You will discover the essential elements that make any system (a game, a business, or a traffic network) work effectively. You will apply math, logic, and engineering principles to solve practical, day-to-day problems. Problems such as resource management, optimal strategy, system balancing. This course will help you master skills in math, logic, engineering, and manufacturing design that are essential for any future career.
Disciplines: Civil Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering
Engineering Sampler - Design to Heal
Grade 11/12
Have you ever wondered how biology and engineering intersect? Are you interested in how engineers help in the medical field? Over three weekends, this course invites you to learn about biomedical engineering, a field where engineering, medicine, and biology come together to solve real-world health challenges. We’ll explore topics such as biology, human anatomy, robotics, and biomaterials. Together, you and other students will work together to learn about how the human body moves and how engineers simulate these movements using simple biomedical devices. Get ready to go beyond the basics and build the technologies that will shape the world of tomorrow.
Disciplines: Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, Electrical & Computer Engineering
Engineering Sampler - Nature's Blueprint
Grade 11/12
Have you ever stopped to think about the incredible engineering found in the natural world? What powerful secrets could we unlock by studying the flexibility of an elephant's trunk or the color-changing magic of a chameleon? This exciting course is all about biomimicry, the intersection of nature and technology. You will step into the shoes of innovative engineers who look to wildlife and the natural world for the ultimate inspiration in design. In this course, you will explore examples of nature's best inventions and learn how engineers are using these biological mechanisms to solve modern-day problems. Through hands-on projects and workshops, you will develop skills in the complete engineering design process: from ideation (getting amazing ideas) and prototyping (creating early models) to fabrication (building the final device). You'll create devices that use mechanisms copied directly from nature for applications in our modern world—like sustainable materials, agile robotics, or energy-efficient structures. You will not want to miss this opportunity to explore how life on Earth is the greatest inventor of all!
Disciplines: Materials Science, Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering
Course Offerings in Round 2: February 28, March 7, March 14, 2026
Engineering Sampler - Intelligent Systems
Grade 9/10
Have you ever wondered how your favorite apps know exactly what you want to see? Or how robots can learn to navigate the world? This course will pull back the curtain on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and show you how it's shaping our world, from fighting climate change to designing the businesses of tomorrow. Join our course and explore current applications of AI in areas like sustainability, modern business, and robotics. You'll learn what makes an intelligent system truly "smart." Working in teams, you'll take on the ultimate challenge: designing and programming an AI model that can learn to make smart decisions in a field you choose! You'll master the foundational tools of AI development, including key concepts used by top engineers, such as neural networks, deep learning, and how AI "learns" from its mistakes (backpropagation). Get ready to not just use AI, but to build it and become a future leader in technology!
Disciplines: Mechanical Engineering, Electrical & Computer Engineering
Engineering Sampler - Mechanics of Games
Grade 9/10
Have you ever wondered why some games are addictively fun while others fall flat? This course looks behind the scenes of game design, not for coding, but to understand the core principles of fun, fairness, and functional design. In this course, we will break down successful games to analyze their fundamental concepts, including rules, balance, risk/reward systems, and player motivation. You will discover the essential elements that make any system (a game, a business, or a traffic network) work effectively. You will apply math, logic, and engineering principles to solve practical, day-to-day problems. Problems such as resource management, optimal strategy, system balancing. This course will help you master skills in math, logic, engineering, and manufacturing design that are essential for any future career.
Disciplines: Civil Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering
Engineering Sampler - Design to Heal
Grade 11/12
Have you ever wondered how biology and engineering intersect? Are you interested in how engineers help in the medical field? Over three weekends, this course invites you to learn about biomedical engineering, a field where engineering, medicine, and biology come together to solve real-world health challenges. We’ll explore topics such as biology, human anatomy, robotics, and biomaterials. Together, you and other students will work together to learn about how the human body moves and how engineers simulate these movements using simple biomedical devices. Get ready to go beyond the basics and build the technologies that will shape the world of tomorrow.
Disciplines: Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, Electrical & Computer Engineering
Engineering Sampler - Nature's Blueprint
Grade 11/12
Have you ever stopped to think about the incredible engineering found in the natural world? What powerful secrets could we unlock by studying the flexibility of an elephant's trunk or the color-changing magic of a chameleon? This exciting course is all about biomimicry, the intersection of nature and technology. You will step into the shoes of innovative engineers who look to wildlife and the natural world for the ultimate inspiration in design. In this course, you will explore examples of nature's best inventions and learn how engineers are using these biological mechanisms to solve modern-day problems. Through hands-on projects and workshops, you will develop skills in the complete engineering design process: from ideation (getting amazing ideas) and prototyping (creating early models) to fabrication (building the final device). You'll create devices that use mechanisms copied directly from nature for applications in our modern world—like sustainable materials, agile robotics, or energy-efficient structures. You will not want to miss this opportunity to explore how life on Earth is the greatest inventor of all!
Disciplines: Materials Science, Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering
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