Day Calendar

Experience writing code in HTML or continue to improve current skills in code writing.

Registration required. Grades 6-12. 

Taught by a HiTech instructor.

Are you taking Algebra 1 this fall? Review Pre-Algebra skills and get a preview. Get a head start on the PARCC assessment that you will take at the end of the course. Graphing calculators recommended.

Registration required. Grades 6-9.

Walking is a great way to get some activity into your routine.  Lets get up and walk together. Come and walk around East Columbia Library. Please wear comfortable shoes and bring a water bottle.

Focus on the science and modeling of long-term shifts in our world’s temperatures and weather patterns. Create a hands-on project class that attempts to create small global changes and identify changes they want to see.

STEAM Leadership Academy: Over two weeks, explore the opportunities and skills for STEAM leadership. Interact with leaders in the field and apply what you learn to hands-on projects.

Prerequisite: This class is a review of Algebra 2; registrants must have already taken Algebra 2 in school.

Computational thinking and design is a dynamic course that introduces students to the fundamental concepts of computational thinking and design thinking through a blend of interactive lessons, hands-on projects, and collaborative activities.

Come on board. It’s your one stop trip to higher level math! In this course, we’ll be reviewing one-variable statistics and linear equations, inequalities, and systems.

Prepare for Algebra by learning the basic terms and concepts used to solve equations in this Pre-Algebra class. 

Registration required. Grades 6-9 only. 

Taught by a HiTech instructor.

Using the iPad Pro and animation apps such a FlipAClip and Animation Sketch, students will learn how to create their own 2D animations using their own drawings and the principles of squash and stretch.

Ever wonder how meteorologists predict storms and detect weather patterns? Launch a weather balloon to collect high-altitude video footage and weather data.

Registration required. Grades 6-12.

Taught by a HiTech instructor.

Engineer a Strongman Game for the HiTech Carnival!  Build this classic carnival game from scratch using Arduino micro-controllers, pressure sensors, and LED lights. Whoever can light up the most lights wins!

This course is an introduction to paleontology. Learn about a variety of fascinating fossils, how they are formed, and how they inform us about the Earth’s past. 

Registration required. Grades 6-12.

Compete in the ultimate racing challenge! Working in teams, learn how mechanical systems operate by using a 1:10 scale electric radio-controlled car that can be set up in 4 million ways. Teams race their engines at the HiTech Carnival!

Have you ever looked at a digital illustration and wondered “How did they do that?”  Learn tips, tricks, and the steps to creating your own illustration in the iPad app, Procreate.

Registration required. Grades 6-12. 

Discover the basics of Java, a class-based, object-oriented language used to design applications. Learn data and expressions, using classes and objects, conditionals, and loops. Create programming projects each day based on the topics covered.

Sound effects are an integral part of video and animation. After learning about the history of sound effects and the basic physics of sound, we will create sound effect objects for telling stories in motion picture formats.

Have you ever wondered what the difference is between you and a microorganism? Were you ever curious about the difference between cellular respiration and photosynthesis?

Engineer Pinball games for the HiTech Carnival!  Build a table-top pinball machine, and use Arduino micro-controllers, sensors and software to keep score!

Registration required. Grades 6-12. 

Ages 2-5 with adult; 30 min. Ticket required.

Olympics-themed music and movement.

Tickets will be available at the children's desk 15 minutes before class.

Ages 3-5 with adult. 45 minutes. Ticket required.

Discover the creativity of children's illustrators through stories and activities. Dress for mess; children will come into contact with tempera paint, clay, Play Doh, or oil pastels.

Ages 0-5 with adult. 30 minutes. Ticket required.

Únase a nosotros para cuentos, canciones y rimas en español. Seguido de un tiempo de juego.

Interested in learning more about your smartphone camera? Come to this lecture to explore your smartphone's camera and some features like recording video, adding filters to pictures, and using your camera's timer!

Ages 2-5 with adult; 30 min. Ticket required.

Olympics-themed music and movement.

Tickets will be available at the children's desk 15 minutes before class.

Learn about the elements as you arrange the periodic table, name compounds, balance equations, and discuss orbitals, electron configuration, and VSPER Theory.

Registration required. Grades 6-12.

Taught by a HiTech instructor.

Learn the basics of programming in Python! Create games, interactive programs, and anything else you want. Absolutely no experience required -- you'll learn how to program a basic game in the first class!

Creating sound has been a preoccupation of humanity since the beginning of time. But what is sound? How is it created, and how can we manipulate it into the variety of tones, pitches, and timbres that become symphony or cacophony?

Dive into the world of special effects, through the view of a Makeup Artist! Students will learn the history and science behind the film industry’s own movie magic.

Discover the world of post-production! Learn the skills of a film/video editor while acquiring an understanding of the technology involved with the profession. Edit video and audio using iMovie and Logic Pro X.

The students will do a deep dive into some of the marine environments they see often but know little about.

Would you live in a 3D printed house? Join us to learn how 3D technology is transforming the field of civil engineering. Try your hand at constructing a truss bridge using 3D pens to test your engineering prowess.

To continue meeting the growing need to feed hungry children and families and fill the nutritional gap over the summer months, the Howard County Public School System -HCPSS- continues its free summer meal program

Lights on, lights off! Ever wonder what happens behind the scenes when you flip a light switch on the wall or press the ON button of a battery-powered fan in the summer?

Learn how to use TinkerCAD and the basics of 3D Modeling and 3D printing.

Registration required. Grades 6-12.

Taught by a HiTech instructor.

Register once for all sessions.

Want to know how to garden without soil? Learn about the structure of plants and explore various hydroponics technologies to grow food using less space and less water.

Registration required. Grades 6-12.

Have you ever wondered what goes on during a crime scene investigation? Join us to learn the techniques forensic scientists use to crack a case. Learn about fingerprinting, footprinting, and hair, saliva, and DNA analysis.

Exploring the intricacies and design processes of model LEGO car engines using a mechanical engineering mindset.

Registration required. Grades 6-12.

Taught by a HiTech instructor.

Come and learn how to program a robotic arm! You won't just program the arm to move and carry out simple tasks, but you will also program generative AI, enabling the robotic arm to grow smarter with each movement it makes.

Learn to Sew: Sewing Machine Skills for Teens

Learn about the elements as you arrange the periodic table, name compounds, balance equations, and discuss orbitals, electron configuration, and VSPER Theory.

Registration required. Grades 6-12.

Taught by a HiTech instructor.

This course will cover an overview of the topics in zoology, including cell biology, taxonomy, major vertebrate groups, physiology, genetics, evolution, and ecology. Activities related to the course material will be completed each day.

Did you know that programming is a key component in many technologies used today? Robotics and automation are two of the areas that are at the forefront of technologies that require programming knowledge.

Exercise your artistic abilities to create art with dot stampers!

Drop in for hands-on, interactive activities for family members of all ages.

Ages 7-12, 45 minutes. Ticket required. 

Excavate! Explore! Embrace your inner paleontologist digging up dinosaur eggs. Take home the dinosaur you uncover. 

Maximum 15 participants. 

Ages 14-17, 2 hours.

All ages.  30 min.  Ticket required.

We read and discuss historical fiction from a wide-range of time periods and settings—everything from ancient Greece to 1970s Hollywood so far. We occasionally read other genres as well.

Dive into underwater robotics.  This summer stop by and participate in the 3-week Seaperch submersibles and marine science classes. SeaPerch is a remotely operated vehicle built by students to accomplish underwater competitions.

Explore the use of color and tie-dye techniques in this fun class.  Students will tie-dye drawstrings bags, pencil cases, and fabric that will be part of a larger project for the Carnival.

Registration required. Grades 6-12.

Students will brainstorm, personalize, engineer, and problem-solve prototypes of toys.

Engineer a Skee Ball Game for the HiTech Carnival!  Build this classic carnival game from scratch using Arduino micro-controllers, sensors and software to keep score of your game. Highest score wins!

Using the iPad Pro and animation apps such a FlipAClip and Animation Sketch, students will learn how to create their own 2D animations using their own drawings and the principles of squash and stretch.

Have you ever wondered about the basics behind how humans tell computers what to do? Do you like awesome robots? If your answer was yes to one or both of those questions, this is the class for you!

Design and build a champion mousetrap car! Explore physics and engineering concepts such as torque, energy, and inertia to maximize speed and distance -- all the way to the finish line!

Grades 6-12.

This is a 2-week class.

Using the principles of engineering, help us keep our carnival cool this year by building the water mister arch! Registration required. Grades 6-12.

Taught by a HiTech instructor.

Learn how the digital single lens reflex camera is engineered to utilize part of the electromagnetic spectrum we call visible light. Obtain hands on experience using a DSLR camera and learn numerous picture-taking techniques.

Prerequisite: Histology

Discover the gross anatomy of the human body. Discuss the form and function of three organ systems that help us live, feel, and heal. We’ll cover the nervous, endocrine, and immune systems.

Scientists use lots of different telescopes to peer into the vastness of space. What have they found? From powerful supernovas and quasars to massive black holes and huge nebulas, the universe is full of extreme and strange objects.

Ages 10 - 14. Registration required.

Experiment with watercolors and try your hand at a new paint medium. Paint a famous site from around the world or create your own. All experience levels welcome!

Ages 5-10; 60 min.  Ticket required. Tickets will be available 15 minutes before class.

Play Bingo featuring book characters and win a book to keep!

Ticket required. Free tickets will be available 15 minutes before class.

All ages.  30 min.  Ticket required.

Ages 9-12. Registration required.

Calling all LEGO™ bricks fans! Receive your challenges for the day and work individually or in groups to create and engineer designs with LEGO™ blocks.

This Summer, read and discuss books that celebrate journeys of discovery around the world.

June 17: Spirit Run: A 6000-Mile Marathon Through North America's Stolen Land by Noé Álvarez

Join us for a casual D&D game, open to all experience levels, beginners welcome! Missed the first meeting? No problem--this D&D club is designed for flexibility! Ages 12+.

Find the answers to gardening questions by talking with a University of Maryland Extension Master Gardener. Drop in; no registration required. 

Looking for ways to get your small business more connected online? Learn about the ways that different social media sites (Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter) can work to support your goals! 

Join our monthly discussion of Asian American literary titles. 

Discuss LGBTQ-related books and make new friends in a queer- & trans-affirming group setting. All identities and all ages (18+) are welcome.

ONLINE CLASS | Geared toward high school & college students, but all are welcome. Registration is required for the Zoom link.