Tahoe STEM Academy

01/04/2024

We are very excited to introduce our latest series of STEM classes for kids! Participants will explore electronics, microcontrollers, 3D printing, and digital design. From crafting Smart LED lamps to building DIY Bluetooth speakers, enroll now for a hands-on learning experience for your budding scientist or engineer that sparks creativity and innovation.

Visit Tahoestemacademy.com to register or for more information.

12/08/2023

Our Light-Up Ornament class was a huge hit! Kids learned about basic circuits, soldering, and the laser cutter as they built these awesome projects.

We used switched 6V coin cell battery packs with prewired LED with resistors to make the wiring super simple for the larger ornaments. These LEDs are typically listed as 12V for auto or marine projects but they work fine with the CR2032 coin cells. This is one of our favorite, frustration-free ways to add lights to early elementary STEM projects.

10/30/2023

Excited to announce our schedule for upcoming STEM classes this Fall. We've brought back some favorites and are introducing some new projects we have been developing. Visit tahoeSTEMacademy.com for more information or to register!

10/30/2023

Excited to announce our Fall class schedule! I'm super excited to introduce some new classes we have been developing and bring back some old favorites. Visit tahoestemacademy.com for more information on specific classes or to sign up!

08/23/2023

Spent the day cleaning and organizing the STEM room with and our resident "dog-torate", with proper PPE of course!

Between LEGO robotics, Battle Robot Bootcamp, Maker Camp, and Wooden Boatbuilding, we made quite a mess over the summer. Looking forward to seeing our new and returning students with the after-school program starting next week!

06/11/2023

Our first CNC Custom toolbox class was a blast! We covered the basics of CNC using the Shapeoko 4XL, along with hand tools and handheld power tools and woodworking. Students even have time to add some engravings using the laser cutter.

We used the excellent files by and made toolpaths in Carbide Create.

05/30/2023

The su-purr-visor signing off on the glue-up for the portable workbench. I think I used just about every clamp I own on this one.

05/07/2023

Well, it was a bit hectic and we weren't able to actually meet up in person but I'm super happy with this Avatar: The Last Airbender inspired tea set that and I made for The Maker Collab.

He made the amazing tea cups using a custom 3D printed mold. I designed the tea tray in Fusion 360 and used my Shapeoko XXL to carve it, then finished with some hand tools and a homemade beeswax and mineral oil finish.

Even better, I think we got our final photo submitted about 10 seconds before the deadline 😳

04/23/2023

I think we can count our first Digital Woodworking: Mini Co****le Board class as a success! Students used design software and a combination of the CNC router, laser cutter, 3D printers, and vinyl cutter, along with traditional hand and power tools to bring their creations to life.

04/19/2023

Looking forward to hosting some awesome camps with BGCLT this summer!

It’s about to get even more AWESOME. Here’s a little sneak peek to our summer camps. Sign ups start the first week of May:

Art Camps (available to members and nonmembers): Let’s get creative! Kids will be creating decorative and useful items with clay and take them home all glazed up and ready to go the following week. Another class includes making plaster, paper, and tooling metal masks. What kids don’t know is that these masks can teleport them to a new universe or the past… seriously. Our other art camp includes Ms. Gina becoming Bob Ross and teaching kids to paint on a canvas with their imagination.

STEM Camps (available to members and nonmembers): Bill Nye the Science Guy-oh wait- we mean David Wise, will be the host of many stem camps. From coding, to building robots, to conducting experiments, to biology, to physics… there is a lot to learn and create! Become a scientist, mathematician, and a chemist all at once. Don’t be surprised if your child can defy gravity by the end of each camp.

Soccer Camp (available to members and nonmembers): It’s time for your kids to reach their goals and make some in the process! This is one of our largest camps, so it’s gonna be fun and friendly competition. We will have PROFESSIONAL coaches teaching the skills it takes to be an awesome soccer player. Your child will be able to have thousands of touches per day. Yes, we know, it’s gonna be a good one.

And more!!!

03/18/2023

Happy St. Patrick's Day! 🍀🍀🍀🍀

We had a great time engineering some leprechaun traps using the laser cutter in the STEM room yesterday! However, it doesn't seem like the leprechauns were too happy with our attempt to catch them judging by the mess they made!

03/16/2023

Giga Bite truly deserved this win. Can't wait for next season!

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, CA - Team #20681 Giga Bite, a South Lake Tahoe FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) youth robotics team, has emerged as a member of the winning alliance of the Nevada State Championships, held March 3rd and 4th in Henderson, Nevada. The team, along with VC Silver Circuits