A pair of kids at Gangplank Jr created this Zombie Apocalypse stop-motion animation! Check it out.
Category Archives: Junior
Hamilton High Robotics Club rocked Gangplank Jr
The Hamilton High School Robotics Club came to hang out with us October’s Gangplank Jr event and worked with the kids to build some sweet robots as well as showcase their own projects.
They brought in a robot created at last year’s First Robotics Competition (FRC) that could shoot a basketball across the street. Almost 30 kids hung out with us on Saturday and (if the smiles were any indication) had a blast!
Our next event will be on Nov. 17 from 1p.m. – 2:30p.m. doing a videography lesson. Come join us and have some fun!
Lots of laughs with the Torch Theatre
A huge thank you to Jose & his crew from The Torch Theatre who came out last weekend for an improv comedy class! The kids all had a great time and learned some fun ways to unlock personal creativity, communicate effectively, and empower themselves to collaborate with others to create awesomeness. Continue reading
Experiments and rocket launches
The last Gangplank Jr. event was a rousing success with over 30 kids joining us for electrolysis experiments (separating hydrogen and oxygen from water) and launching homemade rockets with pressurized oxygen. Continue reading
Gangplank Jr. is Back
Our fearless leader, Mike Benner, is moving on to greener pastures (literally, to North Carolina) and two of the Downtown Chandler Community Partnership staff have volunteered to take over the initiative.
Selena Larson and Allie Davis of the DCCP have taken the reins and are planning some fun, educational projects that kids can’t learn in a traditional educational atmosphere. Continue reading
Startup Academy for High School Students
Startup Academy is an immersive entrepreneurship experience open to rising sophomores, juniors and seniors from any Arizona high school. Students will propose ideas to real world problems, form teams to work on them, and work under the guidance of mentors and faculty from ASU’s College of Technology and Innovation (CTI) to turn their solutions into businesses.
CTI is working with a great set of partners on the Conscious Capitalism Startup Academy, including MAC 6, Gangplank, and Retreat at Tontozona, which will host the camp from June 21 – 24, 2012 (free bus transportation is provided from CTI).
Eligibility and Cost
- The camp is open to any Arizona high school sophomore, junior or senior.
- To apply, please complete the application below.
- The camp costs $180, but tuition waivers are available based on need. (The fee covers camp costs for the weekend, but if the fee is a barrier to applying, please see the application for the waiver request option.)
Apply by June 8, 2012 for this great summer opportunity!
Business ideas submitted as part of application
At the start of the camp, the attending students and mentors will evaluate all the ideas presented and vote on the ones they want to work on. Please complete the application to tell us about your plan to start changing the world this summer!
LEGO Madness Week
On April 1st, the largest American flag made out of LEGO bricks will arrive at Gangplank where Building Bonanza will be reconstructing it. In honor of this, Gangplank will be holding a variety of LEGO based activities to promote creativity.
Join us April 4th at 7pm for the first part of a two part adult stop motion class or express your creativity through free play with LEGOS for adults. Saturday April 7th from 9am- noon we will have LEGO activities for ages 6+. This will include car racing, tower and bridge building. April 11th at 7pm we will have the second part of our 2 part adult stop motion class as well as a LEGO building challenge for adults.
Our final event, April 14th from 9am- noon, will include LEGO activities for ages 9+. Join us for a children’s stop motion class, scaling (building LEGO creations to scale), and a First LEGO League robot demonstration.
A Pirate’s Night Before Christmas
A Pirate's Night Before Christmas
Just wanted to share a little something with you guys today
A Pirate’s Night Before Christmas
A Pirate’s Night Before Christmas written by Philip Yates and narrated by Mike Benner
Explore Arizona Gangplank Junior Edition
It’s hiking season and it’s time to get out and enjoy the weather. We have a few hikes scheduled for the season. Hikes will begin at 9:30am and generally last 1-2 hours. Most hikes will be about 2 miles in length. More information will be posted as we get closer to the dates.
December 11th : Gilbert Riparian Preserve 2.0 Miles 0.5 Difficulty
December 18th : Piestewa Peak Alternate Summit 0.8 Miles 1.5 Difficulty
January 15th: San Tan Regional Park (Moonlight) 1.3 Miles 1.5 Difficulty
January 22nd: North Mountain 1.42 Miles 2.5 Difficulty
January 29th: Shaw Butte 2.7 Miles 2.0 Difficulty
Lego League Reflections: This Year vs Last Year
Ryan Dinnan and Tanner Saadi take some time to reflect on changes in First Lego League from last year. They analyzed the good and bad of how things have changed. Including, bot design, board layout, challenges, overall topic, the team and much more.
Tanner’s Thoughts
The bot design is much better this year. We can attachments in more ways and much easier than last year. The board this year is harder because there are more things on it than last year. The challenges are harder this year because it feels impossible to get 100% this year. The topic this year is better because it is something you never thought was a problem. The team this year is better because we argue a lot less.
Ryan’s Thoughts
This year Lego League has been awesome. There are less people so now everyone is involved. Unlike last year when some people were sitting in the cornering watching instead. This year the board has more challenges so is more exciting. The challenges are difficult and easy. The topic is also better because it has a variety of things that can be chosen from it. The bot design is also better for adding attachments and easier to line up. In conclusion, I think this year is better than last year.