CRITTER presents: Musical Soldering Workshop

Presented by Machine Project of Los Angeles, CRITTER will host an aurally ebullient event: the Musical Soldering Workshop.  Register at http://machineproject.com/events/2009/07/25/soldering-workshop-critter-edition/.

Learn to solder in this three-hour workshop presented by Machine Project at CRITTER. Participants will learn to solder by building a primitive synthesizer. During the workshop the band ing will play music to solder by. As people get their synths working, they will join ing in playing some simple repeating musical patterns. At the end of the workshop everyone will play a simple and inevitably out of tune musical piece together. Taught by Mark Allen, Director of Machine Project.

A Curious Summer week 5 begins: Cardboard City

July 20-24: Cardboard City
(recommended for ages 7-10)

The Project:
Build a miniature city entirely out of cardboard limited only by your imagination. Become a cardboard engineer and experiment with scale and architectural modeling. Keep a video blog about your creation.

Activities:
Convert the Studio for Urban Projects into a miniature cardboard landscape with cities, villages, farms, rivers and forests. Learn about the ingenuity and resourcefulness it takes to live in a world where everything you own was once thrown away by somebody else. Enjoy a guest appearance by artists from The Cardboard Institute of Technology masters of all things cardboard!

For more information about the series click here.

A Curious Summer week 4 begins: Shelter

July 13-17: Shelter
(recommended for ages 7-10)

The Project:
Lean how to stay warm, dry, and cozy in the woods with no tent or sleeping bag! Build wilderness shelters out of natural materials. Explore the building techniques of different cultures around the world. Take photos and keep a video blog that displays your structures.

Activities:
Build forest structures and see what it’s like to live inside them
Identify plants and wildlife, and discover what’s native and what’s not in San Francisco. Spy on birds with binoculars and learn about bird language.
Compare your structures with pictures of natural buildings from around the world. Learn how the native people of San Francisco, the Ohlone, built their homes.

For more information about the series click here.

The Self-Sufficient Kitchen: bread

This class will give students an introduction to bread from threshing the wheat to pulling a loaf out of the oven. We will discuss local sources of grain, how it is harvested and milled and we will grind our own flour. Techniques for storing grains will also be discussed. The class will make sourdough starters for participants to take home. Students will learn how to make naturally leavened bread from a variety of grains and explore different techniques for making delicious and healthful loaves.

To see a full description of the series click here.

A Curious Summer week 3 begins: Curious Cafe

July 6-10: Curious Cafe
(recommended for ages 7-10)

The Project:
Turn the Studio for Urban Projects into a Cafe that serves REALLY local food: grown within San Francisco city limits! Make a video blog that investigates urban farming and documents the opening of your Curious Cafe.

Activities:
Explore the hidden gardens, farms and wild foraging spots of San Francisco.
Design and print our own menu of SF-grown dishes. Invent meals and desserts that use locally grown ingredients, then prepare and serve them to our family and friends.

For more information about the series click here.