Below are descriptions of classes, workshops, and tutoring currently offered by Imagination Unlimited.
- Weekly class descriptions: Science
- Weekly class descriptions: Public speaking
- Workshop descriptions
- Workshop locations
- Current class schedules can be found on our Calendar page.
- See photos of our students in action.
- See "View related websites" below class descriptions to find websites for kids that tie in thematically with the classes.
Weekly class descriptions: Science
Our motto, "Serious Play, Factual Fun, Creative Chaos," represents our philosophy - that the most memorable learning occurs when students are enjoying themselves and fully engaged. Sometimes (often) the process is messy, noisy, even boisterous, but the result is an exporatory and educational experience to remember. [Download our brochure - PDF]
Young Science Explorers I: Rockets, Flight, and Motion (Parent and Me)
You and your young scientist will begin this incredible journey exploring and learning about Space, Rockets, Airplanes, and other things that fly! “Out of this world” experiments await the young scientists and their parents. Experiment with different types of rockets, airplanes, parachutes, and helicopters while learning what makes them fly in the sky. Each week we will create exciting, hands-on science projects that will encourage the children to use their imagination and creativity. We will have fun making paper rockets, helicopters, blimps, hoopsters and go on a pretend hot-air balloon ride in the classroom! Children will take turns flying an UFO and a flying bat while they find out what makes these objects soar. Children will also learn about constellations and design their own to take home. They will have many opportunities to use their fine and gross motor skills, share their projects and activities with other moms and children. Students will be engaged in 2-3 activities or experiments each week and will be able to take-home several of their projects. Come join this fun and creative stepping stone to understanding science and space! [View related websites]
Young Science Explorers II- Over the Mountain and Under the Sea (Parent and Me)
Young scientists will marvel in the thrilling science adventure that awaits them! They will discover exciting facts about ocean treasures.Through fun hands-on activities, role-plays, easy science experiments and games children and their parents will explore a variety of fish, ocean mammals, and sea birds, create ocean waves, and make their own ocean floor in the classroom. Other interesting activities include going on a nature walk to collect rocks, leaves, and other interesting objects, digging for more rocks and geodes. learning about insects and feeding bug-eating plants! Come join in to explore our exciting planet Earth! [View related websites]
Chemistry class
Young Science Explorers III: **I can do Science Magic too: Invisible forces (super-heroes of science) (Parent and Me)
Students will enter the magical world of science to learn easy science-based “tricks” that at first astound them and then leave them confounded. Through songs, role-plays, fine motor activities and fun experiments, children will explore why some objects behave in funny ways. Children will invert a water-filled glass without spilling, see water “rise” and magnets levitate. They will watch paper flowers bloom, make raisins dance, watch how a paper clip floats on the surface of water, bounce a ball very high with very little effort, and do other exciting experiments while learning how the invisible forces of science make our lives so interesting. [View related websites]
Gearing up with Gizmos
The marvel of machines becomes child’s play as we explore gears, wheels, pendulums and springs. Students will experiment with simple machines and open up more complex contraptions to see how they work. We’ll discover some of the ways machines can be powered, including magnetism, heat and wind.
Space Explorers
Get ready for take-off as we embark on a journey of discovery. This fanciful flight to the moon and beyond will give students a chance to build their understanding of the concepts of force introduced during PlayMotion, as well as learn about our place in the solar system. We’ll launch rockets, discover how different things are outside the pull of gravity, and compare the other planets to Earth.
Creative Chemistry I
Both safe and “explosive,” this chemistry class introduces the basics of chemistry. Students will do experiments in which solutions bubble, fizz, change color or temperature. They’ll learn about the states of matter and how they change, how to tell a chemical reaction has occurred and the effects of temperature and concentration on reactions. Along the way they’ll be introduced to the periodic table and some of the most common elements. Students will have fun and learn as they carefully mix and work with safe chemicals while understanding why things change! All classes are tailored to meet the intellectual and developmental needs of the students. [View related websites]
Don’t Play with Your Food!
This fall students will be able to learn their science and eat it too. Come cook up chemistry experiments that are finger-licking good. Try tricking your senses as we explore how we taste and smell food. Eggsperiment with eggs to discover their multitude of fascinating properties, including as emulsifiers in mayonnaise, leaveners in meringue, and coagulators in custard. Make edible slime. Grow and eat helpful bacteria. Take home a windowsill sprout garden while learning biology. Map the microwave with marshmallows. These are just some of the possible projects we’ll do in this food oriented science class. The actual recipes we choose for this class will be adjusted based on the dietary restrictions and food allergies of students who sign up. Each parent will be asked to provide information on any food items their child should not eat or touch. [View related websites]
- Parent of a 5 yr old girl at a local preschool
Don’t Play with Your Food II: Into the thick of it
This fall students will be able to learn their science and eat it too. Come cook up chemistry experiments that are finger-licking good. We’ll explore the many ways foods get thicker to create jams (fruit pectin), jellos (gelatin), custards (eggs) and cheeses (enzymes). Besides eating many of our experiments, we’ll learn about plant cell structure, coagulation and the many roles of enzymes. These are just some of the possible projects we’ll do in this food oriented science class. The actual recipes we choose for this class will be adjusted based on the dietary restrictions and food allergies of students who sign up. Each parent will be asked to provide information on any food items their child should not eat or touch. [View related websites]
Don’t Play with Your Food III: Candy Lab
Here’s the sweet side of science, learning all about crystallization and chemical change through the tastiest molecule of all – sugar. For starters we’ll discover where that sweet taste comes from and all the many kinds of sweeteners there are, from sugar cane and beets to honey and agave. We’ll explore how the sugar molecule can become clear and brittle (lollipops), gooey and chewy (taffy), or soft and fluffy (marshmallows) depending on how it is handled. This class does involve cooking and eating (yum). The ingredients used will depend on student food allergies. Each parent will be asked to provide information on any food items their child should not eat or touch. [View related websites]
Splish-Splash Spectacular (formerly Spectacular Science)
Touch sand that can’t get wet and feel “snow” erupt in your hands. Blow bigger and better bubbles. From soggy to sodden, this class will wet your interest in science while exploring surprising aspects of a substance we think we know well – water. This simple chemical provides the perfect entryway into the scientific method and basic concepts such as observation, molecules, states of matter, chemical vs. physical reactions, matter vs. energy, wave motion. Expect students to come home damp and delighted.[View related websites]
Dr. Sherlock - Solving Medical Mysteries
The doctors in, and it’s you! Patients are waiting with mysterious symptoms – tingling fingers, orange-tinted skin, and continuous hiccups. You’ll make your own medical kit and then use it through out the class to diagnose and treat ailments while learning more about the human body. In the process we’ll make model lungs and eardrums, create fake blood and mucus, and learn to bandage simple wounds. [View related websites]
Science “Magic”
These science-based tricks will first astound and confound, then lead to profound new understandings of physics and chemistry. Make metal float, marbles rise, Styrofoam disappear, and salt taste like sugar. Students will penetrate an un-popped balloon with a solid object and blow up a giant bag with one breath of air using the Bernoulli’s effect. Besides fascinating in class demonstrations and experiments, participants will learn simple tricks to try at home using ordinary household items such as drinking straws and cups of water. [View related websites]
Sand, sun and science fun
Here's a science class as much fun as a day at the beach. The simple pleasures of summer become a medium for learning about scientific processes, including states of matter, force and motion, energy conservation, erosion, archaeology, and liquefaction. Participants will transform ordinary beach sand into “Moon sand," which can be formed into amazing shapes. They'll puncture balloons without popping them, test out water’s ability to absorb heat and learn how water droplets behave differently in the low-gravity of space. They'll explore the power of the sun, using it to warm water in a solar heater and make a big bag float.
SASSY Science
Chemistry goes glamorous in this hands-on class, where students learn while making lip gloss (emulsion; oil & water), fizzing bath bombs (chemical reaction), soap and candles, and natural perfume (distillation and solution). They’ll learn about mathematical sequences while creating a necklace or bracelet. Stepping outside, the class will study biology while collecting plants to press and print for fashionable crafts, then create a super-mod fashion pin using LED lights and a simple electronic circuit. Finally, we’ll combine engineering, electronics and nimble fingers to make cute robotic pets.
- Parent of an 8.5-year-old boy
Make and Take: Toy workshop (toys from around the world)
Toys are the tools of the young and fun and this class appeals to both. We’ll tour the globe, learning about how children played in different times and places, while building blowpipes, whirling propellers, mini pocket yo-yos, cup and ball toss, propeller boats, Eskimo yo-yos and Maori poi. Combining engineering, basic physics and materials science with history, geography and multicultural studies, this toybox is full of learning. By the end of the class the students will be inventing new toys of their own, and have learned the most important lesson of all – that it’s more fun to make a toy than just to receive it.
Polar science
We went to the ends of the earth to brrrr-ing back science for this class, which will cover all things polar. Students will explore how glaciers grow, shrink and carve the landscape, how plants and animals adapt to extreme environments, how humans survive in the cold, how climate change is affecting the polar regions, and why the magnetic poles are near, but not on, the geographic poles. They’ll test the insulating and reflective properties of snow and ice, make a compass and Inuit snow goggles, and make a crystal snowflake. Each week parents will receive an information sheet outlining the lesson of the week and providing ideas for reinforcing the learning at home. All classes are tailored to meet the intellectual and developmental needs of the students.
Entropy hats!
Make and Take: Fascinating machines & unique inventions
We invite young scientists, artists, and inventors to this stimulating session! It will challenge their imagination for designing and creating one-of-a-kind contraptions while exploring basic physics principles and laws of motion. Each week we will present scientific concepts including force, mechanics and laws of motion, speed, velocity, friction and momentum. Students will apply what they have learned along with their own creativity to design, build, and test unique creations, including kinetic sculpture, rotating jet balloons, marshmallow catapults, putt-putt boats, cotton spool tanks, mousetrap cars, and vibrobots. Then they will take their projects home. [View related websites]
- Parent of a 4 year old at a local preschool
Going Wild : Winter wonderland
Let your young “Wild Thing” out of the house to explore and learn about the natural world with this seasonally-based outdoor science class. The young naturalists will develop their skills of observation, measurement and documentation during weekly nature walks. In the outdoor segment they will learn how to spot animal tracks and other animal signs, how to identify parts of plants, how to recognize seasonal changes, and skills for taking care of themselves in the outdoors. Then the young naturalists will come inside to do activities focused on basic biological principles and engage in hands-on activities designed to solidify what they have experienced into real knowledge. Topics include how biologists define living and non-living, categorizations of organisms, how plants and animals adapt to the seasons, how the earth’s orbits determines the seasons and how seasons differ around the world, and what happens when water freezes into snow or ice. Each child will keep a nature journal through the class to record in pictures or words what they have observed, just as biologists do. Please have students dress appropriately for the weather. This class adheres to the No Child Left Inside philosophy, which tries to get children outdoors more and experiencing nature directly. Outdoor education programs have been demonstrated to improve student test scores more than 25 percent, benefit students physically, increase self-esteem, problem solving, and motivation to learn.
Break, Make and Take
For every budding engineer whose wanted to see what’s inside a radio or understand what makes that remote controlled car go, here’s your chance. In this class students will dismantle old appliances and mechanical toys, learning how the machines work from a close study of the insides. They’ll break the appliances down into gears, wires, motors and other components while learning what each part does and how it works. Then students will try to build their own “junkbot” or other invention from the collection of parts amassed through the class. This class will involve using screwdrivers, pliers and wire cutters, so students must be capable of handling those tools responsibly.
Many of today’s finest engineers were originally inspired by their experiences in reverse engineering, also known as DAA- Dissassemble/Analyze/Assemble. A recent study at Purdue University confirmed that the DAA process teaches engineering skills more successfully than a conventional lecture/lab situation, while also leaving students more excited about the topic. [View related websites]
Boarder-zone
Now that students have seen how electronics are made, it’s time for them to try building it themselves. Students will be introduced to bread boarding and soldering, then design and create an electronic project of their own based on a simple schematic. By the end of the school year students should be ready to continue exploring electronics on their own at home.
Soldering Simple Electronics
Students will learn to identify components, such as resistors, capacitors and inductors. They’ll learn standard soldering connections and how to desolder when necessary. They’ll learn to analyze the voltage and resistance of a circuit. Then they’ll apply their new and improved soldering skills to build a beginners kit from the Maker Shed. Each student will be able to choose from projects that create flashing LED lights, hand-held electronic games, or sound-producing circuits. Pre-requisite: Break, Make and Take Engineering class
Up, Up and away... The history and physics of flight (8 week session)
The sky’s the limit for learning in this class, where students build and fly working models each week. Learning lifts off as students discover how humans first defied gravity with kites and hot air balloons. They’ll delve into the concepts of lift, thrust, gravity, drag, force and propulsion as they create gliders, jets and propeller-driven planes using simple materials. Then we’ll jet into the future with rocket cars and hovercraft. [View related websites]
Play-motion: Physics goes Physical
Dropping, running, sliding and jumping – this will be a full-bodied exploration of some basic laws of physics. Through active play young scientists will learn about gravity, friction, inertia, acceleration and equal and opposite force. They’ll experiment with blocks, levers, wheels, balloons and other science toys. Students will behave like scientists, routinely experimenting, observing, questioning, documenting what they learn and sharing it with others. This hands-on, feet-on, mind-on physics curriculum is designed to develop an early interest in and enthusiasm for science and to excite children about learning in general.
Play-motion: Physics goes Physical
Dropping, running, sliding and jumping – this will be a full-bodied exploration of some basic laws of physics. Through active play young scientists will learn about gravity, friction, inertia, acceleration and equal and opposite force. They’ll experiment with blocks, levers, wheels, balloons and other science toys. Students will behave like scientists, routinely experimenting, observing, questioning, documenting what they learn and sharing it with others. This hands-on, feet-on, mind-on physics curriculum is designed to develop an early interest in and enthusiasm for science and to excite children about learning in general. [View related websites]
Inside Out, Outdoors In
For a class that can’t go outside to explore, this series of lessons brings the outdoors in. Young students practice observing, sorting, and categorizing while learning about the parts of plants and plant cycles. Along the way they will dissect flowers, make leaf rubbings, count tree rings and use natural plant pigments to create drawings. These will be collected into a “nature journal” for students to bring home. Students will also explore bugs and insects and observe their similarities and differences. They will discover how insects help plants and trees produce fruit and grow. The budding naturalists will be ready for summer nature walks, able to point out flowers, seeds, leaves, trees, and insects.
Sense-ational Science
Lights! Colors! Music! All science begins with our observations of the world through our five senses. This class explores the physics, chemistry and biology behind our sensory experiences. Students explore how sound and light travel, the relativity of touch, the relation between smell and taste, and how the brain brings all the information together to inform us about the world we’re in. We’ll split light into rainbows of color, make sound with instruments of our own creation, and learn tricks to fool our senses and our friends. Through our experiments we’ll also discover why scientists often rely on tools, such as magnifying glasses and thermometers, to enhance their sensory perceptions and give more precise data.
Krazy Kemistry I & II– (6 classes each)
When matter gets mixed-up, amazing things happen. Liquids turn to solids, colors change, and potions bubble. And the really amazing thing is that chemistry can make sense of all this transformation. In this series of classes students will do safe chemical experiments, learning to identify when a chemical reaction has occurred and what has happened on a molecular level. They’ll explore what changes the speed or intensity of a reaction. Students will regularly refer to an age-appropriate periodic table and be introduced to the concept of chemical equations as fun puzzles to solve.
In second session, will explore difference between endothermic and exothermic reactions, reactions that combine versus those that break down, and continue learning about periodic table and chemical equations. We’ll further our understanding of acids and bases, preparing our own ph indicators and using chemistry to determine the origins of various “mystery substances.” [View related websites]
Fab Lab: Mixed Up Matter I & II– (6 weeks each)
Chemistry heats up in this class where students build and use their own lab equipment for classic experiments. Learn and practice essential laboratory skills. Apply the techniques used in the discovery of radiation to isolate a safe element. Capture the gas from a bubbling reaction, and then use it to put out a candle flame. Through hands-on experiments, dramatic demonstrations, and innovative games, students will develop an understanding of atomic structure, bonding and how to use a periodic table. Safety is stressed in this class, where students will occasionally apply heat to accelerate reactions. Students will handle and sometimes taste safe examples of chemical elements. [View related websites]
Shockingly Electric
Sparks fly when students plug in and play with electricity. In this class pickles glow, hair stands on end, and fruit generates power. Students will learn where electricity really comes from (not that switch on the wall, but the movement of electrons) and some of the history of its discovery. They’ll take apart old appliances to trace the circuits and learn about how electronics work from the inside, then build their own batteries and experiment with simple circuits. [View related websites]
Trick-ology: The Magical Side of Science
Objects float, disappear, or suddenly change color. It looks like magic, but it’s real science. In this entertaining class students use their powers of observation and critical thinking to determine what is really happening in “magic” tricks, including the tablecloth pull (inertia), spinning buckets (centripetal force), balancing butterfly (center of balance), climbing water (capillary action), bed of nails (distribution of weight), and vanishing Styrofoam (chemical reaction). They’ll learn how magicians use physics and chemistry to create astounding effects and come home eager to try their tricks on you.
FunDroids
From R2D2 to Wall-E, the robots in science fiction capture our imaginations. This class will explore the many aspects that go into creating real life robots, from the mechanics of simple movement to simulating the operation of a remote vehicle. The class will cover aspects of physics and engineering. By the final class students will make a vibrating robot toy to take home. This is a great precursor for future explorations of technology and robotics, but does not involve any programming.
Extra-terrestrial Explorations
3,2,1 – blast off for discovery! Riding rockets fueled by imagination, we’ll travel through space to visit other planets and compare them to Earth. At each destination we’ll do hands-on experiments, discovering what the sun is made of, how craters tell us about ancient meteors, what causes volcanoes, and how life can exist in extreme environments. As often happens on a journey, we’ll learn as much about the home planet we’ve left as we do about the strange places we visit, allowing us to splash back down with a renewed appreciation for this wet and wonderful world.
Weekly class descriptions: Public speaking
The ability to communicate and interact well with others is an essential life skill, but one seldom taught in school. We use games and fun activities to build communication skills useful in life, school and work. Through our classes students learn to speak clearly, with confidence and poise. In all our classes, students practice effectively using facial expressions, hand gestures, body posture and tonal variation. They also practice social skills including conflict resolution. Our experienced teachers provide immediate feedback, allowing for constant improvement. [Download brochure - PDF]
It is really impressive to see her confidence growing and I've actually had someone point out to me how good she was communicating.
-Mom of a 6 yr old
Speaking and Social Skills for Young Children
Is your child shy? Do you feel your young child could use help in learning basic social skills? This fun class will motivate kids to step out of their comfort zone and become more gregarious. Emphasis will be on teaching young kids how speak in front of others, adopt pleasant social skills, and be exposed to interacting with others in a positive way. Strategies such as giving a class report, making a gracious personal introduction and even conflict resolution with other children will be taught. Parents are encouraged to attend the classes with their kids so they can see their child's progress and be aware of what skills to practice out in the "real world". Public schools do not have the time to teach these types of important life skills so learn it here. The teacher has extensive experience teaching public speaking and working with lower elementary school students.
Speaking and Social Skills
Build confidence, basic communications and ability to interact.
Basic Public Speaking
Learn to organize speeches and make formal presentations.
Presenting with Poise
Overcome awkwardness and become a polished speaker.
Advanced Communications
Develop debate strategies through mock trials and debates on a variety of issues.
Workshop descriptions
- Parent of an 8.5 yr old boy at a local public school
Make and Take: Back to school
Design and build the perfect lunch container for yourself, while learning about engineering and applied materials science. Include insulation for your milk or solar heating for your soup. Trick it out with LED lights while making a simple electrical circuit. Use chromatography and tesselations to create unique and colorful book covers.
Spooky Science
Turn out the lights and learn in the dark during this Halloween oriented workshop. Students will learn about phosphorescents and other glowing materials while painting glow-in-the dark art and eating sparking candy. They’ll test how eyes adjust to low light and explore how other senses compensate. Make and take home fake blood, in human or alien form. This class is not for the faint-of-heart, but is for those full-of-fun.
Make and Take: Toy Workshop (holiday toys)
Santa’s got nothin’ on this toy workshop, where young engineers can build a traditional toy, or invent their own. Depending on the toy each student chooses to make, they may learn about wheels and axles, spring action, simple electronics… But their sure to learn what all elves know - ‘tis more fun to make toys than just to receive them.
- Parent of an 8.5 yr old boy at a local public school
Chemistry Cookout
This scientific picnic basket overflows with delicious snacks and savory facts. For the main course, students will harness the sun to cook hot dogs and vegetarian “dogs” in a solar oven. They’ll brew sun tea, and then cool it using conduction. For dessert, they’ll get sticky transforming fluffy marshmallows into taffy, and then cool off making ice cream in a bag. It’s an edible education sure to leave them hungry for more science. [View related websites]
Science to the Rescue: Fix it with facts
Start saving the environment by making your own paper from recycled materials. Measure how much water is used, and wasted, in the process of several daily activities, and then see how much you can conserve with a few simple changes. Students will recreate the greenhouse effect and discuss ways to minimize the production of greenhouse gases. Understand how alternative energy works by making your own waterwheel or windmill. [View related websites]
Water: Weird and Wonderful
70% of our planet and our bodies are made up of water. This famous molecule is the basis of life on earth and deserves some in depth exploration. This workshop is all about fun with water, we will make unpopable water balloons, split water using electrolysis, and compare and contrast the three states of water. We will experiment with chemical reactions which depend on water and must take place in the liquid state.
Workshop locations
Imagination Unlimited offers workshops at a variety of locations. Please consult our calendar for registration information, which is different depending on the location of the class.
Making Friends Preschool
528 Hubbard Ave
Santa Clara, CA 95051
makingfriendspreschool.com/
Parent of a preschool student at Stratford Schools
Los Gatos-Saratoga Recreation Center
123 E.Main St
Los Gatos, CA 95030
(408) 354-8700
www.lgsrecreation.org
Santa Clara Recreation Center
969 Kiely Boulevard
Santa Clara, CA 95051
(408) 615-3140
santaclaraca.gov/park_recreation/pr_crc.html
Los Alto Recreation Center
97 Hillview Avenue,
Los Altos, CA 94022
(650) 947-2790
www.losaltosrecreation.org
Discovery Learning Center Santa Cruz
411 Roxas St.
Santa Cruz, CA 95062
www.dlcsantacruz.org
- Parent of a 5 year old boy