Spark Box is a creativity toolkit designed to inspire children aged 5 and up to explore their creative potential. Rooted in the concept of "thinking ish," inspired by Peter H. Reynolds' book Ish, this workshop invites children to engage with various ISH prompts. They will draw, paint, and use materials to create imaginative representations of humans, objects, and their surroundings.

For example:

• Color-ISH: Kids will mix and create colors based on prompts like, "Can you make the color of a warm summer day?"

• Things-ISH: Children will draw an imaginary chair that can tell stories.

Using a variety of materials, participants will craft several ishful creations to take home.

When: Monday, Dec. 30 from 1-2 p.m.

Audience: Ages 5-10

Cost: FREE

Zoombini Isle has been taken over by the evil Bloats and they need your help to find a new home in a distant land, Zoombiniville!

Calling all gamers and problem-solvers, join other students for a morning of collaboration, problem solving, and fun! Use your critical thinking skills by solving puzzles that will send your little blue creatures across sneezing bridges and cooking pizza for trolls.

When: Tuesday, Dec. 31, 10:30-12 p.m.

Audience: Students in grades 3-6

Cost: $25/student

TLC Studios is excited to welcome Jonathan Todd, author/illustrator of TIMID and 2024 New England Book Award winner, for a six-week course all about comics and cartoons.

Week 5: Biographical Comics: I pair off students, and they learn to interview each other to create a one- page comic about the other person’s life. They also learn how to draw likenesses of real people in cartoon/caricature form. Students can later use these skills to create reports of famous and other real people using the comics medium for school or just for fun.

When: Tuesday, Jan 7, 3:30-5

Audience: Ages 7-17 and Educators

TLC Studios is excited to welcome Jonathan Todd, author/illustrator of TIMID and 2024 New England Book Award winner, for a six-week course all about comics and cartoons.

Week 6: Informational Comics: Comics are great tools to communicate educational and instructional information, including science, history and how to accomplish certain tasks—such as how to cook a favorite dish. In this workshop, we’ll practice breaking up information and translating it into a fun, comics form, whether it’s a comic about Australian animals or the invention of the telephone.

When: Tuesday, Jan 14, 3:30-5

Audience: Ages 7-17 and Educators

Roll up your sleeves and let’s get writing. The Science of Writing: Writing to Learn is the perfect intervention to layer onto your current curriculum or use as your go-to curriculum.

During this one hour introductory in person session, get started with this evidence-based program built on the researched foundation of self-regulation strategies and proven metacognitive science (SRSD). 

Writing to Learn inspires students to become aware of their strengths and weaknesses and take ownership of their writing. It begins with motivational techniques like positive self-talk, goal setting, and creating a collaborative classroom. Here, peers learn to score each other's work while you model your thinking process as you work through the challenges of planning and writing. 

This session launches the self-paced, 8-hour course for grades K-5 educators and provides comprehensive SRSD learning and implementation resources: detailed lesson plans, downloadable content, online support desk, and much more.

Virtual: Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025 9-10 a.m.

Bonus: Attend this class and get $100 off the entire course. 

This interactive workshop is designed to equip early childhood educators with the tools and strategies to seamlessly incorporate coding concepts into their students' everyday play experiences. Participants will explore the power of computational thinking and discover how it can enhance problem-solving skills, creativity, and logical reasoning in young children.

Workshop participants are asked to bring a device (computer/tablet).

When: Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025 10-12 p.m. 

Audience: This workshop is designed for early childhood educators. Massachusetts educators will receive a certificate of 2 hours toward their PDP credits.

Whether you have an idea, no idea, or a first draft, this two-day workshop will help you get past the knot in your stomach and jump start and/or refine your personal essay for college. 

The two day, two hour sessions will be held Tuesday Feb. 18 and Thursday Feb. 20 from 1 to 3 p.m. You must attend both sessions.

When: Tuesday, Feb. 18 and Thursday, Feb. 20 from 1-3 p.m.

Audience: high school juniors and seniors

Cost: $75/person

Discover your inner detective with Jan Brogan, an award-winning journalist and novelist. With four published four murder mysteries, Final Copy, A Confidential Source, Yesterday’s Fatal, and Teaser, to her name Jan is poised to guide you on your writing journey. This class is for adults, 18 and up: Students will write and workshop one or two chapters and create a blueprint to keep writing and progressing after the course is over. We will also discuss agents, publishers and publishing options.

When: Monday, Feb. 24; March 3, March 10, and March 17 from 7-8:30 pm. Participants must register for all four weeks.

Audience: Educators

Cost: $200/person for 4 weeks

Sample a smorgasbord of AI-powered strategies and apps to make teaching easier. Learn how to write smarter prompts, design creative projects, and better support your students—all while savoring delicious appetizers. Massachusetts educators will receive a certificate for 1.5 hours of PDP after attending the workshop.

When: Tuesday, Feb. 25, 4:30-6 p.m.

Audience: Educators

Cost: $25/person