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Left to right:MarinMakerspaceinNovatoisconvenientlylocatedadjacenttothe So uth No vat o L ibr ar y i n N ov at o' s H amilt on neighbor hood; Ba y A re a D isc ov er y Museum's Fab Lab offers hands-on STEAM activities and resources to children of all ages .– P hot o c re dits lef t t o right: Marin Mommies , B ay Ar ea Di sc ove ry Museum GetsomeSTEAMinafterschoolactivities yard.FromNovatointhenorthtoSausalitointhe south, there's a STEAM resource for every age and skill level. MarinMakerspace In Novato, families can find the Marin Makerspace. Conveniently located adjacent to the South Novato Library in Novato's Hamilton neighborhood, Marin Makerspace offers both children and adults the opportunity to get hands- on with 3D printing, laser and vinyl cutting, small electronics, hand and power tools, and more. This innovative center for learning and fun is a partnership between the Marin County Free Library, the Novato Unified School District, and the local nonprofit New Media Learning. Marin Makerspace offers after-school workshops where middle and high school students can participate in a variety of projects including design challenges, coding, and a Friday Challenge Lab. Marin Makerspace also offers the LunaTech program for girls in grades five to eight, which helps girls bridge the gender gap and build confidence using technology and hands-on skill building in a variety of disciplines. They also hold drop-in hours for youth in grades five to 12 and summer camps for ages 11 to 14. Their free monthly family workshops are a great way to introduce everyone in the household to the magic of STEAM. Registration is required for most programs. Location: 931 C St., Novato; marinmakerspace.com. Fab Lab At the southern end of Marin, the Bay Area Discovery Museum is home to the newly redesigned and re-launched Fab Lab. Located near the Golden Gate Bridge in Sausalito's historic Fort Baker, the Bay Area Discovery Museum has long been a favorite of local parents with young children, and provides engaging and educational hands-on early childhood education experiences. While the focus of the museum in general is on educational activities for little ones, the Fab Lab offers hands-on STEAM activities and resources children of all ages, from toddlers to 10-year-olds. Even adults can get involved and learn something new! Attend classes or camps or drop in for open hours Wednesday through Sunday to explore tools and technology in the studio. Open studio hours are designed for kids ages 5 and older and are included with regular museum admission. Check their website for class and camp schedules and Fab Lab open studio hours. Location: Fort Baker, 557 McReynolds Road, Sausalito; bayareadiscoverymuseum.org. MV Code Club For computer-crazy kids, local business MV Code Club offers opportunities to explore the world of coding and programming. MV Code Club started out in Mill Valley (the "MV" part of the name) and has proven so popular they've branched out to Greenbrae, San Francisco, the East Bay and the Peninsula. At school-year and summer camps, kids can get an introduction to coding, learn how to develop their own computer games, learn web development skills, and even build robots! It's a fun, social environment that encourages kids to learn, with a low student-to- teacher ratio and skilled instructors who make sure everyone gets the support they need. Our kids have done some camps at MV Code Club and had a great time. There's nothing quite like coding your own 3D computer game and then getting to play it and show it off to your friends! mvcodeclub.comn AMarketingSupplementoftheMarinIndependentJournal | marinij.com BacktoSchool July22,2018 5

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