About · Portland, Oregon · Since 2014
A printmaker, an engineer and a Saturday morning with the neighbours' kids. Twelve years later it's six studios, twenty-four programs and a lot of glitter we'll never get out of the floorboards.
2014 Portland, OR
the original “studio” ↘
(01) Our story
Seven children came. Four came back the next week with friends. By the summer the kitchen had moved into the garage, the garage had a waiting list, and one of the parents had quietly started writing down what worked: small groups, real tools, no worksheets, and adults who were genuinely interested in the answer.
The rules haven't changed much since. We hire working artists, scientists, engineers and musicians, and we give them six children at a time. We let things fall down. We put the finished work on the wall, on a stage or in a parent's hands — because being proud of something you made is the whole point.
— Co-founder, printmaker
Mission
Vision
(02) Educational philosophy
the short version: hands first, theory later.
Process over product.
We praise the trying, the fixing and the explaining — the finished piece is a bonus.
Follow the detour.
Lesson plans are starting points. If the class gets obsessed with snails, it's a snail week.
Mixed, not sorted.
Ages overlap on purpose. Seven-year-olds teach five-year-olds and both learn twice.
(03) What we value
01
Every session starts with a question, not a lesson. If a child asks “why?”, the plan can wait.
02
Spills, collapses and wrong turns are how understanding gets built. We clean up after, not instead.
03
Never more than six children per educator. Small enough to know every name, every idea, every bad joke.
04
Every term ends with an exhibition, a performance or a demo day. Pride is part of the curriculum.
(04) Milestones
Drag or scroll the timeline
- 2014
The kitchen table
Seven neighbourhood kids, one lino roller and a box of broken radios.
- 2015
The garage era
Saturday sessions move into the garage. The waiting list starts on a fridge.
- 2016
One microscope, one pond
A former field biologist joins and builds what becomes the Discover world.
- 2017
Larkspur Lane opens
Our first real studio: two rooms, a sink big enough for everyone, and a kiln.
- 2019
Enter the laser cutter
The Build world launches with First Robots and Tiny Architects.
- 2020
Wonder at home
3,100 project boxes delivered by bike to families across Portland.
- 2021
Studio two
The Move world gets a sprung floor, a piano and a stage curtain.
- 2022
Summer camps
First Splash Week at the lake. Nobody stays dry, including the educators.
- 2024
1,000th showcase piece
A cardboard city, a self-bound book and a robot named Gerald share the honour.
- 2026
Six studios, 2,400+ kids
Twenty-four programs across four worlds — and the table still comes out on Saturdays.
(05) By the numbers
children have made something here since 2014
programs across four worlds
studios in Portland
educator ratio — always
(06) The grown-ups
A biologist, a printmaker, a robotics engineer, a dancer, a violinist and a Montessori guide walk into a studio. That's not a joke — that's Tuesday.