Designed for grades 3-5, Tech-A-Sketch combines a classic drawing toy with electronics and coding to teach a variety of STEAM concepts. In this project, students assemble a handheld drawing device, complete with a programmable LCD display, buttons, and knobs. As students create their digital device and unique artist palette, they explore the science of displays, X-Y coordinates, plotting basic shapes, creating brushes, and more. They can then apply what they learned through a customizable, one-of-a-kind drawing experience.

TinkRsynth is a project for grades 6-8 that reinforces the fundamentals of coding through music. Students create a sound mixing board to produce, manipulate, and synthesize sounds. They do this by programming the board to combine various electrical waves to create sound for their unique instruments. Along the way, they explore the properties and physics of sound waves. In addition, they get to use their instruments to learn about rhythm, chords and melodies, and to compose music. To demonstrate what they learned, students can orchestrate a solo performance or form an ensemble with classmates.

"Hands-on projects give all students the opportunity to build essential skills and envision how STEM can be part of their futures," said TinkRworks CEO, Dr. Chad Stevens. "Whether students are building a digital toy to create their own drawings or developing a device that allows them to make their own music, they can see the connections between what they're learning and real-world applications. Those connections not only make learning fun, they make learning stick."

For each project kit, TinkRworks provides all of the essential components to ensure a successful STEAM implementation. Both Tech-A-Sketch and TinkRsynth include a curriculum overview, curriculum map, instructional slides, programming challenges, activity guide, and student assessments.