Explore Engaging STEAM Classes for Kids in Portland, Oregon—Grades K-8!
Welcome to Saturday Academy in Portland, Oregon—your place for hands-on, innovative STEAM classes for children in grades K-8! We are thrilled to announce our full lineup of Winter Classes and Days Off programs for 2025, providing opportunities for local youth to engage in exciting science, technology, engineering, arts, and math education. Whether you're looking for weekend classes or fun activities on school days off, Saturday Academy has something for everyone.
New this Winter, we’re offering an innovative hybrid class to fit into your busy schedule—read more about it below!
Our unique STEAM Classes program takes place on Saturdays from January 25 to March 15, 2025. We are proud to offer 6 hands-on STEAM classes this semester, each exploring a different letter in the STEAM acronym, including engineering, animation, physics, and more! To accommodate all learning styles and meet students at their developmental level, we offer grade-banded classes: Explorers for K-2, Makers for grades 3-5, and Creators for grades 6-8.
In addition to our Winter Classes, we’re excited to announce the full schedule for our Days Off program in Portland. These fun and educational full-day programs take place on Portland Public Schools, Beaverton Public Schools and Newberg School District no-school days—so while your child has the day off, you can work with peace of mind, knowing they're having an enriching and hands-on STEAM experience.
Explore our Portland-based STEAM class offerings and Days Off programming below!
If you have any questions about our programs, we're here to help. Please feel free to contact us by email or phone, and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.
Happy exploring!
Classes
Explorers (K-2)
Animal Science
January 25 - March 15, 2025 | Saturdays 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Engage your inner scientist and animal lover in this fun-filled class! Explore animal adaptation, biology, and physiology, while discovering the careers tied to animal science. Perfect for budding scientists!
REGISTER HERE
Engineering Journeys
January 25 - March 15, 2025 | Saturdays 2:15 pm - 3:15 pm
Explorers will dive into exciting engineering projects that involve modeling, collaborative problem-solving, and building. Students will develop skills in the design process while exploring engineering careers.
REGISTER HERE
Makers (3-5)
Animation Fundamentals
January 25 - March 15, 2025 | Saturdays 1:00 pm - 2:15 pm
Students will learn the basics of animation and its terminology while exploring processes like research, scriptwriting, and storyboarding. This class is offered as part of an optional 2-part series.
REGISTER HERE
Urban Engineering
January 25 - March 15, 2025 | Saturdays 2:30 pm - 3:45 pm
Makers will explore urban planning and sustainability as they create models of their own cities. From designing community gardens to building bridges, students will focus on the engineering challenges of sustainability, energy consumption, and transportation efficiency.
REGISTER HERE
Creators (6-8)
Physics Investigations
January 25 - March 15, 2025 | Saturdays 1:00 pm - 2:30 pm
In this class, Creators will dive deep into physics and explore how it relates to other science studies like quantum computing and data analytics. Learn about exciting careers in physics!
REGISTER HERE
Photojournalism (Hybrid)
January 25 - March 15, 2025 | Saturdays 2:45 pm - 4:15 pm
Step behind the lens of a camera in this hybrid photojournalism class! Students will explore photography and storytelling techniques while also learning how to craft a narrative through photos. A portion of the class is virtual, making it ideal for parents looking for flexibility.
REGISTER HERE
Days Off!
Running Full-Day 9am-4pm
Time Travelers
Monday, January 27, 2025
Take a trip through history and explore critical discoveries that have shaped the world today! Using STEAM principles, this hands-on experience will introduce students to fascinating moments from the past.
REGISTER HERE
Future Makers
Tuesday, January 28, 2025
Travel to the future and explore clean energy solutions and sustainability through experiments, engineering, and design. This STEAM day off encourages students to brainstorm possibilities through experimentation, engineering, design, and storytelling, imagining a world that celebrates machine learning.
REGISTER HERE
Rainforest Discoveries
Monday, February 17, 2025
Explore the rainforest, from underground ecosystems to life in the canopy, with STEAM guiding the way! Students will investigate animal adaptation, weather patterns, and the diverse world of the Amazon.
REGISTER HERE
Mysteries Decoded
Monday, March 3, 2025
Solve mysteries like a pro! Students will form their own detective agency and practice observation, critical thinking, and problem-solving through exciting experiments.
REGISTER HERE
STEAM Your Own Adventure
Friday, April 4, 2025
Using story genre as our guide, students are led through a day of adventure with choice-making and improvisation offering surprises at every turn. From sci-fi to fantasy, history to thriller, students work together to dive into story, crafting their own STEAM journey with every collaborative decision or experiment along the way.
REGISTER HERE
Machine Learning Innovators
Monday, April 7, 2025
Explore programming and robotics in this fun-filled day focused on automation, AI, and machine learning. Students will develop a deeper understanding of how to use technology responsibly and creatively.
REGISTER HERE
All of our programming takes place at the University of Portland.