Idea · v0
01
Idea
Every session opens with a short demo and a question. A plan can be a doodle on scrap paper. Then parts go straight into kids' hands.
“what if it rolls downhill by itself?”
What would you create?
createMPLS brings robotics, coding, circuits, 3D printing, sound and flight labs into Minneapolis schools and community sites. Kids sketch it, build it, test it, and make it better. Always free for students and families.
← idea · build · test · revise →
REAL ◂ ▸ IDEA
Hands on real parts
Simple machine · test #3
Kit arrives on site
Fig.01
TitleTwo builders, one simple machine
Scale1:1
RevA
Sheet 02 / 08 — Why we exist
We bring the lab to you
We pack up robots, circuits, code, 3D printers, drones and sound gear and bring them to Minneapolis classrooms, rec centers and community sites. Kids lead. Coaches help. Every student gets real tools in their hands, and it costs students and families nothing.
01 / On site
It comes to you.
In-school curriculum during the day. STEM Learning Labs after school and in summer. Your room, your schedule.
02 / No cost
Free for every kid.
No fees for students or families. Partners bring the room and the kids; we bring the kit, the plan and the coaches.
03 / Hands on
Parts in hands, fast.
Demos stay short. Build time is protected. Cleanup and explaining your build count as part of the making.
From a createMPLS parent
“It comes to us!”
Sheet 03 / 08 — What kids do
Sketch it. Build it.
Break it. Make it better.
Every createMPLS session runs on one loop: make something real fast, test it, change one thing, explain it, and show it off.
Build · in progress
02
Build
Small teams, real kits: motors, sensors, LEGO, cardboard, code. Coaches sit beside the team, not in front of it.
build time is protected time
Still standing?
Test #203
Test
Then they try it. It wobbles, it stalls, it tips over. Good. Now everyone knows what to change.
failing is just data
Rev B · Show night
04
Revise
Change one thing, run it again, explain what happened. Projects end in a share: a show night, a race, a listening party, a gallery walk.
then show the neighborhood
Sheet 04 / 08 — Programs
What will
you make?
Every program ends with something real a kid can hold, play, fly or show. Pick a grade and a kind of making. Paper sheets are ready to schedule. Sheets still in blueprint are new pilots we're testing now.
Ready to scheduleNew pilot
Drafting table
Featured: 12 things kids make
Don't see your grade or idea? Ask us. We shape programs with partners.
Sheet 05 / 08 — Since 2019
5,657 students served since 2019.
Sum of yearly student counts, 2019–2023.
Sheet 06 / 08 — Get involved
Pick up a job ticket.
Work order · Partner siteNo. 001
Bring a lab to your site.
Schools, rec centers, libraries and community spaces: tell us your grades, your room and your schedule. We bring the kit, the coaches and the plan.
We are a
When
Programs
- None yet. Add some from the drafting table.
Job ticket · VolunteerNo. 002
Coach a build.
No engineering degree required. Sit beside a team, ask good questions, and hand over the screwdriver.
Volunteer with us →
Parts request · DonateNo. 003
Fund the parts bin.
Gifts cover the motors, sensors, filament and coach time that keep every lab free for kids.
Give on Givebutter →