Partnership Classes - The Class Structure
(For a Parents/Guardians/Aid for each 1-2 Student Builders Ages 7-14)
 
​Classes consist of 12-16 students, along with a parent/guardian for one-two students, and one class instructor. 

Each class is two hours long, and courses are eight weeks in length, for a total class time of 16 hours per course.

Parents and students will be given instructions and supplies to create builds together. Whether your student is completely new to Lego and you're encouraging them to get started, or your student is an experienced builder-  our partnership classes work for students across multiple age ranges and everyone can find enjoyment in creating fun and engaging build projects - learning to work together, problem solving, and building creatively.  

Our partnership classes are able to accommodate students of a wide range of ages and abilities because parents can help the student as much or as little as they want, and can choose how strongly to direct the student and their ideas. Each partnership's builds can be as simple or as complex as they wish, and our instructions and projects will be fun and interesting regardless of the builder's previous skills or abilities. 


​Who are Partnership classes ideal for?
Our Mini-Master Builders Partner classes are designed as cooperative classes where students and parents actively attend and participate in class side by side and is ideal for;

 - Students who are shy, uncomfortable or not used to being away from their parent(s) for any length of time or who suffer from anxiety. For students who may not be comfortable speaking to, or working with other kids in a group setting, having a parent partner can help to ease them into working together with other students their age. For younger students who have never taken classes or participated in groups/clubs or classes away from their parent, you should consider your individual student's comfort level with being left alone at activities, classes, sports or parties in the past. For students who have significant anxiety or become overwhelmed with emotion when left without a parent - we recommend take our partnership class.

- Students who have physical or intellectual disabilities which may require extra assistance to take part in class activities, to understand the instructions given or to complete projects in a specific amount of time without having one-on-one direction and support. Remember that during our drop-off classes, students are expected to work independently or in small groups, and those who are not able to express themselves clearly or are not comfortable contributing to group discussions, they may find partnership classes to be much better.

- Students who are on the Autism spectrum, especially those who have trouble understanding or following directions, who need assistance and support working on multi-step projects, who have communication differences that may require extra instruction and explanations, who may have a more difficult time working in partnerships or groups with those that they do not know or who do not know them well, in addition to other considerations. Not all students who are on the spectrum need to take our partnership classes, but for many, it's going to be the best fit. Please communicate with our staff if you have any concerns! 

- Students who are deaf or hard of hearing that need translation / sign language in order to understand spoken instructions. (At this time, we do not currently have staff that speak fluent ASL - as a result - we would prefer that students needing a translator participate in our partnership classes with a person over the age of 15 who is willing to both translate AND participate in the class with them.)

- Students with learning disabilities / neurodivergence or behavioral difficulties who may have trouble behaving appropriately without one-on-one supervision and direct assistance from a supportive adult. As our classes typically have a staff to student ratio of 10-1 or 20-1, it is difficult for everyone in the class when students are repetitively disruptive to the class environment. If your child has an IEP, a behavioral diagnosis, a suspension or expulsion from classes, camps or activities within the last 24 months, we would ask that you would register for our partner participation classes, as you will be able to provide the direct supervision and direction your child needs, while still allowing them to participate in the class and our activities and projects. 

Can a parent be a partner to more than one student?
One parents/adult can choose to attend with up to two students, and actively participate with them in this class, as long as that parent believes they will be able to fully assist both of their children to whatever extent they will need your assistance.

This situation would likely work better if you have one student who needs more support and another student who is more able to build independently.

Who makes an adequate "Partner" for a student?

Any adult known personally to the student such as a parent, guardian or nurse/aid. In the event that a professional caretaker / caregiver or aid will be attending with the student, please understand that in the context of our classes, Aids, Nurses or Caregivers will be expected to participate in class alongside the student, and not just be present to assist the student in understanding the class objectives. We realize this may be different than other programs, where Aids or Caregivers are expected to be hands-off with the exception of helping students to be able to participate in activities.

In addition to parents, grandparents, guardians, nurses or aids, a responsible teenage sibling (age 14-19) can act as a student's partner, as long as the teen is responsible and able to assist with the younger student and any specific needs he or she might have. This will be left to the parent's discretion. ]

We do ask that the student has the SAME partner each class / week, unless the situation has been otherwise discussed with our staff (for example, parents who share custody who would like to participate on a rotating basis can be accomodated, likewise, a parent who needs to miss a single class may choose to elect a different partner to work with the student for a single class as long as our staff is made aware of this ahead of time. 

Regardless of the age or abilities of each student, the student's partner is expected to stay with their partner student(s) AND participate in class alongside the student. Each classroom activity will expect students and their partners to discuss and design their builds together, with both the child and adult taking part in the design and building process.

Weather your child would simply feel better with your presence or you are the parent of a child who needs your ongoing assistance to fully understand and follow instructions or to participate in the class activities- our partnership classes are a great fit for a WIDE spectrum of kids and their adult partners - and the activities are going to be fun and interesting for everyone!

** IMPORTANT:  No additional children or adults are able to stay on site during class if they are not a registered student, or the partner of a registered student. We do not have space for adults to wait during classes, and we can not have unsupervised children on-site during class. If you show up to a scheduled class with additional children who are not registered /  participating in class, you will be asked to leave.

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Partnership Classes Available (Ages 7-15)

​Mini Master Builders - Orange Co-Op Class
Student Builders Accompanied by a Parent/Guardian -
​(for Builders Ages 7-14)

Each student, along with their parent partner, will participate in six different projects, with a new project/topic being covered during each of the eight two hour long classes. The teams will learn about the different types of Lego parts, how to speak "The language of Lego", and they will participate in six multiple single-day projects such as working in teams to build Castles (and defending their Castle from a siege), building structures to protect eggs from being broken when they are hit/dropped, building rally cars, building marble-runs, working on a large class mosaic build, participating in a class rally car race and more!

Skills Necessary for Participation in this Class ​

Register for this Class

​Mini Master Builders - Red Co-Op Course
(For students who have completed the Orange & Blue Co-Op Courses)
Student Builders Accompanied by a Parent/Guardian -
​(for Builders Ages 7-14)

Building on the two previous classes, students will learn more in-depth skills to work on larger scale projects. Students will participate in four different projects, with a new project/topic being covered every two weeks during each of the eight two hour long classes. ​

Skills Necessary for Participation in this Class ​

Register for this Class

​Mini Master Builders - Blue Co-Op Course
(For students who have completed the Orange Co-Op Course)
Student Builders Accompanied by a Parent/Guardian -
​(for Builders Ages 7-14)

Students (along with their parent/partner) who have already taken Mini Master Builders Orange Class are able to take our Blue class. The Blue Class will involve students working on six additional single week projects. During this class, student teams will learn about certain building mechanics and concepts, and then they'll be helped to develop their ideas. They will use their new skills and ideas to bring their ideas and designs to reality, with six new and different projects than those from the Orange class, with a new project/topic being covered during each of the eight two hour long classes. 
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Skills Necessary for Participation in this Class ​

Register for this Class

​Mini Master Builders - Purple Co-Op Course
(For students who have completed the Orange, Blue & Red Co-Op Courses)
Student Builders Accompanied by a Parent/Guardian -
​(for Builders Ages 7-14)

Students will participate in two three-week projects, which consist of a planning and decision-making stage, a development and building phase, and a clean-up and finishing process, so that the projects students develop are show-ready! ​

Skills Necessary for Participation in this Class ​

Register for this Class

​Mini Master Builders 
​Partnership Drop In & Build
(For students who have completed the Orange Co-Op Course)
Student Builders Accompanied by a Parent/Guardian -
​(for Builders Ages 7-14)
An on-going drop-in and build program where student & parent partners will have access to our program facilities to build on-going projects. Build challenges will be offered and projects will be developed and built for participation in shows such as Brickfest / Brickfair and Brick World. 

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