JOIN US FOR
A WEEK OF:

Creativity, Collaboration,
& Innovation!

June 16-20

Hawken School Upper School
Gates Mills, Ohio, 44040

Help us get to know you and save your spot by pre-registering.

Step 1: Pre-Registration & Participant Information

Step 2: Finish Registration & Payment

WHO

The Summer FAB PLAY conferences are open to all educators and organizations hoping to deepen their teaching and learning experience in Fab Labs and Makerspaces and share their expertise with the larger community. Although there will be some sessions on machines and techniques, the overall goal of the institute is for all participants and presenters to learn from each other and obtain new ideas to implement in their own space. Experienced and new users of all skills and abilities are welcome.

OBJECTIVE

The Fab Play Maker Educator Institute is an annual gathering of like-minded creative spirits who... just so happen to work in education. During this transformative week, we will elevate one another’s crafts, hone our skillsets, immerse ourselves in a fabrication environment and hands-on experiential learning, prototype new ideas, practice new machining techniques, connect as a network, share our challenges and best practices, and work together to move Maker Education forward.

Our Annual flagship Conference, now in its 7th year, is located at Hawken School’s beautiful campus and Fab Lab just outside Cleveland, Ohio. We encourage all educators, administrators, and practitioners of Maker Education, as well as those new to makerspaces and looking to establish a program, to attend. All levels of experience are welcome; you will leave with invaluable resources for teachers looking to build on prior success, and those designing their curriculum for the first time. This year’s Institute will feature many familiar segments repeat attendees have come to know and love, including conversations around best practices in Makerspace Safety, AI in Education, broader Experiential Education elements, and curriculum development.

Though each conference features foundational components in design, fabrication, safety, and best practices in maker education, we evolve the theme each year, keeping the session offerings new and fresh.

This year’s theme is Lucky 7: It’s Game Time!

Special sessions will focus on gamification, developing game concepts, and fabricating games with mobile components, using maker practices across all subject areas and grade levels.

Come make your own trading cards, design a game board, take apart and rebuild a Fishing Frenzy, build a sorting machine, or re-program Operation... and fill in your FAB PLAY card while you're at it. We are planning to have fun and play even more than ever before in our 7th Year of Fab Play!

REGISTRATION

Step 1: Pre-Registration - Participant Information

Step 2: Formal Registration & Payment

See the Table below for what is included at each price level.

- Group Discount (for groups of 4 of more)
- Graduate Credit available (additional cost)
- Scholarship/Financial Aid for qualified individuals may be available

For any questions about special or scholarship rates, please email Anna: @adeli@hawken.edu

COST

5-Day Full Institute Program: $800

3-Day Mini Institute: $600

Single Day Drop In (M,T,W,F): $200

HOTEL INFORMATION

Travelling from out of town? We’ve arranged for a special conference rate and room block at the nearby Hyatt Place Legacy Village, ~15 minute drive from Hawken's campus and conveniently situated within an outdoor shopping center with quick access to restaurants, coffee, and more. The conference rate is $174/night plus taxes/fees, available for the nights of June 15 - 20.

To make reservations online, click this link and choose “Book,” then enter arrival/departure dates.

To make reservations by phone, call 1-888-591-1234 and ask for “Hawken School Fab Play Institute.” Reference group code G-HFAB.

The group block will be held until May 15, 2025. After this time, rates and room availability will not be guaranteed.

Workshop Sessions:

Our workshops are always tailored toward the interests of our participants (and many of our workshops are offered and led by participants!). Everything we do is as hands-on as possible. While there will be some larger sessions with sharing of information, the majority of your time will include opportunities for hands-on making and fabrication and even time to work on and build out your curriculum during the week.

YES, we've been up to a lot in our labs PreK-12, and we would love to share with you.

Setting up Makerspaces
PBL & Design Thinking in the K-5 Classroom
Improvisational Design & Mindset
Best practices on a Makerspaces & Fab Labs
Elementary Science Integration
Woodshop & Workshops
3D Printers and TinkerCad
Maker-Centered Learning, habits, & dispositions
Digital Fabrication Machines
(Laser Cutter, Vinyl Cutter, CNC Mill, 3D Printing)
Science Concepts & Integration
PBL in the Elementary Classroom
CS and Computational & Design Thinking
Micro-controllers & Coding A
Arduinos, Raspberry PI, Micro-Bits
Electronics & Simple Circuits
FAB Fashion Design
Cardboard Prototyping & tools
AI and your Curriculum
Experiential Learning & Outdoor Classrooms

Ask About These Projects:

BirdBox Build, trail, and kiosks
A-Frame Cabin
Wood Chairs
Bluebird Houses
Chocolate mold making
Buttons Machine
Automata
Cardboard Verb Project
Fab Foundations Curriculum
Designer Glasses
Character Cube
Air Rockets
Lamps and Clocks
Marble Machine
Robot Chicken
Math Project Bin
Jewelry (box of projects)
Stamp Making
Ceramics (stamps, roller)
Embroidery Patches
Silkscreen Printing

3D Design
3D Printing (parts, jewelry, small, large, molds, robots)
Woodshop Slatwall
Model theater set
Mobile Fab Lab
Cardboard Mobile Lab Furniture
Wooden Toys
Nerdy Derby & Cars
Beginning Architecture & Models
Starter Projects
Designer Sunglasses
Pocket Making
Breakerspace
Pop-up Books
LED Signs, Neon Signs
Puzzles and Games
T-Shirt Making (Iron-on vinyl, Printer, silkscreen with mask, silkscreen with emulsion, block printing)
Embroidery