Bolts & Bytes Maker Academy, inc.
Overview
Expert Summary
Detailed Insights
Bolts & Bytes Maker Academy excels at sparking children's creativity and fostering engineering minds through hands-on maker classes like woodworking and 3D printing. It's known for its highly engaging and encouraging staff who provide personalized attention and explanations, making children eager to return.
Key Highlights
- ✓Kids consistently love the classes and express a strong desire to return for future sessions (e.g., 'favorite camp', 'asked if he could do more next year').
- ✓Offers highly engaging project-based classes including woodworking, 3D printing, and skateboard building.
- ✓Staff members (e.g., Ansley, Mr. B, Reed) are praised for being communicative, warm, welcoming, attentive, and providing hands-on guidance and encouragement.
- ✓Effectively encourages an 'engineering brain' and facilitates significant learning of 'many new things'.
- ✓Environment sparks 'free building' and creativity, particularly appealing to 'lego loving sons'.
- ✓The owners are actively involved and described as 'great' and 'fantastic with the kids', consistently encouraging their ideas.
Standout Features
- ⭐**Specific Classes:** Offers unique and engaging classes like woodworking, 3D printing, and an upcoming skateboard building class.
- ⭐**Exceptional Staff & Owners:** Specific individuals like Ansley (communicative, warm, welcoming), Mr. B (attentive, guiding, hands-on explanations), and owner Reed (fantastic, encouraging ideas) are highlighted for their positive impact.
- ⭐**Creative Learning Environment:** The 'shop is incredible and offers so much room for kids to explore their creativity'.
- ⭐**Skill Development:** Classes are effective at 'encouraging his engineering brain' and helping kids 'learn so many new things'.
- ⭐**Hands-on Approach:** Learning is facilitated through practical, direct experience with staff giving 'hands on explanations'.
Perfect For
Ideal For
💡Pro Tips from Reviews
- →If your child loves LEGOs or building activities, this academy is likely to be a great fit as it specifically 'sparked free building' for a 'lego loving son'.
- →Consider enrolling children aged 7-13 in woodworking and 3D printing classes, as these were explicitly enjoyed by reviewers.
- →For children with a curious or 'engineering brain', the classes are highly recommended for new learning and personalized encouragement.
- →Parents considering enrollment might benefit from taking a tour, as one reviewer found the guidance and facilities 'incredible' during their visit.
Things to Consider
- ⚠No specific concerns or negative experiences were reported by parents in the provided reviews.
Price & Value
Specific pricing details for classes or camps were not mentioned in the provided customer reviews.
♿Accessibility & Special Needs
- •No specific accessibility accommodations (e.g., wheelchair access, sensory-friendly hours) were mentioned in the reviews.
🍎Food & Drink Policy
- •No information regarding food or drink policies (e.g., outside food, snacks available) was mentioned in the reviews.
🚗Parking Info
- •Specifics regarding parking availability or ease of access were not mentioned in the reviews.
👥Crowd Levels
- •Information regarding typical crowd levels, busy times, or capacity was not mentioned in the reviews.
🛡️Safety Features
- •While attentive staff and hands-on guidance are highlighted, no explicit safety features like monitoring systems, locked entrances, or first aid stations were mentioned in the reviews.
⏰When to Avoid
- • No specific situations or times to avoid were mentioned in the uniformly positive reviews, indicating a consistently positive experience.
Pricing/Package/Events
Pricing & Packages
3D Printing
Not specifiedDuration: Not specified
Introduces students to computer-based design tools and basic 3D printing and fabrication techniques.
Includes:
- •computer-based design tools
- •3D printing
- •fabrication techniques
Inventor's Workshop
Not specifiedDuration: Not specified
Hands-on projects that mix programmable electronics with new fabrication skills and tools.
Includes:
- •programmable electronics
- •fabrication skills
- •tools
Micro-Drone Racing Pilot School
Not specifiedDuration: Not specified
Learn to pilot 'Tiny Whoop' class drones (micro-quadcopters with onboard video cameras) and test skills on a custom-built indoor race course.
Includes:
- •Tiny Whoop class drones
- •onboard video cameras
Combat Robotics
Not specifiedDuration: Not specified
Build and battle combat robots in the Bolts & Bytes Battle Bot Arena. Covers basic bot building, RC electronics, offensive weapon design, defensive strategy.
Includes:
- •all hardware
- •RC electronics
- •bot building
- •weapon design
- •defensive strategy
Challenge Robotics
Not specifiedDuration: Each session
Introduction to robotics, building custom robots to solve fun problems and explore engineering challenges. Students build a new robot design each session to complete the challenge of the day.
Includes:
- •robot building
- •engineering challenges
CreateHERs Workshops
Not specifiedDuration: Not specified
Girls-only STEM programs designed for exploration, building, and creation with confidence and creativity. Explores science, technology, engineering, art, and math through hands-on projects, real-world challenges, and creative problem-solving.
Includes:
- •woodworking
- •hands-on making
- •coding
- •robotics
- •engineering challenges
Summer Camps
Not specifiedDuration: Week-long morning and afternoon sessions
Fun, project-based, hands-on camps in STEM, STEAM, Making, Robotics, Coding, 3D Printing, DIY Building and more.
Includes:
- •All materials
- •tools
- •instruction
After-School Classes
Not specifiedDuration: Not specified
Curriculum features imaginative, skill-building projects using maker technology like 3D printing, coding, robotics, electronics, and drones.
Includes:
- •3D printing
- •coding
- •robotics
- •electronics
- •drones
Weekend Classes
Not specifiedDuration: Not specified
Curriculum features imaginative, skill-building projects using maker technology like 3D printing, coding, robotics, electronics, and drones.
Includes:
- •3D printing
- •coding
- •robotics
- •electronics
- •drones
Homeschool Programs
Not specifiedDuration: Daytime sessions (e.g., 10AM & 12:30PM classes)
Daytime STEM classes perfect for the homeschool community, including robotics, 3D printing, coding, drone racing, hands-on making, video game design, woodworking.
Includes:
- •robotics
- •3D printing
- •coding
- •drone racing
- •hands-on making
- •video game design
- •woodworking
Events & Schedule
Special Events(Last 2 months - Next 6 months)
CreateHERs Workshops
Ongoing (NEW)
Not specified
Girls-only STEM programs designed to empower girls in science, technology, engineering, art and math through hands-on projects.
Day-off Camps
Constantly adding new programs
Not specified
Special camps offered on school day-off.
Holiday Workshops
Constantly adding new programs
Not specified
Special workshops offered during holidays.
Summer Camps
Week-long morning and afternoon sessions
Not specified
Project-based, hands-on STEM, STEAM, Making, Robotics, Coding, 3D Printing, DIY Building camps. Last summer all camps filled to capacity.
🍎Food Policy
- • Campers signed up for both morning and afternoon summer camp sessions can stay for lunch (bag lunch required).
- • Refrigerator available for camper lunches.
- • Bottled water provided for campers.
- • No snacks or food provided by Bolts & Bytes for campers due to potential dietary issues.
- • Parents encouraged to send in snacks and drinks for campers.
- • 15-20 minute break for snacks during each camp session.
- • Homeschool students in 10AM & 12:30PM classes can stay between sessions (bag lunch required).
- • Refrigerator and microwave available for homeschool student lunches.
- • No drinks or snacks provided for homeschool students due to dietary and allergy concerns (parents can send them).
🛡️Safety Policy
- • Supervised down-time provided for campers/students staying between sessions.
- • Small camp sizes (limited capacity).
📅Booking Policy
- • Class sizes are extremely limited; early registration is encouraged to secure a spot.
- • Last summer all camps filled to capacity.
- • Early Notification Mailing List available for notifications about new programs before general public marketing (enrollment is small, programs fill quickly).
Recent Reviews
Cat Howell
3 weeks agoBoth my son (13) and daughter (7) love the woodworking and 3D printing classes. Will definitely be trying more!
Travis Schryer
a month agoMy kids love this place! The owners are great and our kids learn alot! Thank you Bolts & Bytes!
Mary Jo Martin
a year agoOur rising 1st grader had a wonderful week at Bolts and Bytes. He said it was his favorite camp and each day asked if he could do more next year. Ansley was fast to communicate, warm and welcoming. We love that is sparked free building for our lego loving son!
Michelle Ballinger
6 years agoMy daughter and I took a tour of Bolts and Bytes last week and it was incredible! I loved the attention and guidance that Mr. B gave to my daughter. He answered all of her curiosities completely and gave her hands on explanations. The shop is incredible and offers so much room for kids to explore their creativity. We're very excited about the upcoming skateboard building class! Thank you for the incredible experience!
Karen S
6 years agoI can’t say enough great things about Bolts and Bytes. My son, who is 9, has taken two classes this session and I have been so impressed! The classes have continued to encourage his engineering brain and he has learned so many new things! The owner, Reed, is fantastic with the kids and is always encouraging their ideas. This is a fantastic place and I am so thankful we have found it!