Dan & Cassidy Towriss IDEA Space KC

STEAM LEARNING FOR ALL

IDEA Space offers after school STEAM classes, summer camps and special programs for students in preschool through grade 12 throughout the Kansas City metro area.
As a community resource, we also welcome educational partnerships focused on creating consistent and ongoing STEAM experiences for every learner.

Summer STEAM Camps

IDEA Space hosts Summer at Barstow STEAM camps for preschool-grade 8 all summer long. If your student wants to develop science, technology, engineering, arts and math skills through exciting hands-on activities, this is the place to be!

STEAM camps are run by Summer at Barstow, a Kansas City Favorite that offers hundreds of adventures for every age, interest, schedule and budget. Experiences offered at IDEA Space include 3D Printing, Comic Book Creators, PC Gaming, Modern Quilting, Drone Building, Virtual Reality and more.

AI Scholars Summer Program

Artificial intelligence is the defining technology of our times. Will you be ready for it? This summer, students can prepare themselves with hands-on AI experience at an intensive program taught by instructors from Stanford and MIT. AI Scholars is a pre-college enrichment program that exposes curious students to artificial intelligence tools and technology through in-person classes. In Kansas City, it's offered exclusively at IDEA Space and open to every area student in grades 8-12.

The Inspirit AI Program

Inspirit AI was created to help students of all interests to understand and apply Artificial Intelligence to improve the world. What do self-driving cars, Alexa, ChatGPT and iPhone's face recognition technology have in common? What's next? And how can you apply AI skills in your college and career pursuits?

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After School Classes

Looking for after-school activities that are enriching, active and fun for your child? IDEA Space students acquire future-proof skills and get comfortable with the technologies and tools that are shaping our future. After-school classes are offered at convenient times, Monday-Thursday. 

James Battmer, parent

"The technology and classes available at IDEA Space really knocked our socks off!"

Monday

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  • IDEA-Saurus Dinosaur Puzzling

    This hands-on class invites students to color and assemble their own dinosaur puzzles while learning about life in the Mesozoic Era. These 3D puzzles were designed and laser-cut at IDEA Space specifically for this class and each student’s unique coloration will make every piece a one-of-a-kind work of educational artwork. At the end of the course, your collection of hand-colored dinosaur puzzles will go home with you to play with and display.

    Grades K–3
    Mondays, March 31–May 5
    4:30–5:30 p.m.
    $165

  • Claymation Movie Makers

    Learn how 3D animation was done the old-fashioned way, with clay and cameras! Develop a story and build your set, props and characters with modeling clay.  Shoot each frame of your motion picture to render together with a voiceover and soundtrack. By the end of the course, you’ll have a finished movie to share in a claymation film festival!

    Grades 4–8
    Mondays, March 31–May 5
    4:30–5:45 p.m.
    $190

Tuesday

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  • The Knight School Chess Class

    The Knight School teaches students of all skill levels and ages to play chess. Beginners are welcome! This course features fast chess clocks, colorful silicone wristbands, zany movies, tournaments, tactics curriculum and a fun spirit that kids love. This semester-long class includes a chess set with first enrollment. Already taken this class? Repeat it to build your skills. 

    Grades 1–6
    Tuesdays, January 14–May 6 (full semester)
    4:30–5:45 p.m.
    $595

  • Cupcakes & Coding: Scratch Jr.

    This rendition of Cupcakes & Coding uses the free block-coding app from MIT, Scratch Jr., allowing students to program their own interactive stories and games. In the process, they will learn to solve problems, design projects, and express themselves creatively on the computer. Everyone can code their way to success and celebrate with a cupcake toast!

    Grades K–3
    4:30–5:30 p.m.
    Tuesdays, April 1–May 6
    $165

  • IDEA Launchers

    This camp takes model rocketry into the future using 3D printing to turn your ideas into rocket-powered aircraft.  Become familiar with Tinkercad and let your imagination be the guide as you take advantage of the rapid prototyping capabilities of IDEA Space to create, test-launch and reiterate until you have the rocket of your dreams. You won’t believe some of the crazy rocket designs that have made it off the launchpad!

    Grades 4–8
    Tuesdays, April 1–May 6
    4:30–5:45 p.m.
    $180

  • Club SciKidz: Little Paleontologist

    Build a rock-solid foundation in Earth sciences while being introduced to the history of life on our planet. Your little paleontologist will learn about a variety of dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures. Rocks, minerals and fossils are studied while campers take on a variety of geology-themed projects. Pan for gems and minerals, build a volcano, make a cast of a sea shell fossil and excavate a dinosaur. 

    Grades Preschool–PreK
    Tuesdays, April 1–May 6
    4–4:30 p.m.
    $120

Wednesday

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  • Mini IDEA Makers

    In Mini IDEA Makers you will get to know your creative side and make one-of-a-kind projects while building confidence and familiarity with crafting tools and materials. Students will be introduced to the fundamentals of visual arts and study shapes and colors and how they are combined and used to represent objects and ideas. Learn how to draw and sculpt with clay, paper, fabrics and more to make expressive works of art.

    Grades Preschool–PreK
    Wednesdays, January 15–March 12
    4–4:30 p.m.
    $135

  • Brick Bunch

    Building with LEGOs is always a blast, but this class takes the fun to the next level with new challenges and themes each week. Assemble and race clever vehicle designs, work separately and together as a class to create a space station, engineer and test bridges and towers learning science and engineering principles along the way. Your path to becoming a LEGO Master starts here!

    Grades K–2
    Wednesdays, April 2–May 7
    4:30–5:30 p.m.
    $165

  • Mad Science: Tiny Laboratory

    This tiny laboratory changes each week to study different facets of the natural sciences. Students will explore our solar system, study the life cycles of living organisms, and experiment with shapes and building techniques while building a noodle structure. Discover the joy of chemistry while experiencing chemical reaction demonstrations and study the speed of sound.

    Grades Preschool–PreK
    Wednesdays, April 2–May 7
    4–4:30 p.m.
    $95

Thursday

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  • IDEA-Saurus: Sculpting Fossil Creatures

    How do we know what animals that lived millions of years ago looked like? This class explores how specialists in reconstructing extinct animals blend science and art to make accurate reconstructions of never before seen creatures. Learn about different fossil animals, when and where they lived, and then sculpt your own recreation of what the living animal would have looked like. At the end of the course you will have created your own fossil menagerie to take home and play with.

    Grades K–3
    Thursdays, April 3–May 8
    4:30–5:30 p.m.
    $180

  • Little Green Thumbs

    Spring is in the air and it is time to start planting! Students in this class will gain exposure to the basics of botany while sprouting and planting their own seeds and learning to care for their plants each week. Study the life cycles of our photosynthetic friends and learn to appreciate all they do for us and the planet.

    Grades Preschool–PreK
    Thursdays, April 3–May 8
    4–4:30 p.m.
    $90

Educational Partnerships

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