Are you trying to find daytime activities for you and your group of curious comrades? Maybe you’re a childcare provider with school-aged kids and looking for special fieldtrip opportunities to cure the afternoon slump. Perhaps you are a team leader seeking innovative ways to conduct team building events. You might even know a group of folks with sensory powers that are hindered by crowded spaces, and can do much better in a smaller group and controlled setting. Allow me to share my enthusiasm with adults, families, and groups of all abilities seeking new dabble-worthy experiences at the library. In the sphere of RCU Dabble Box Makerspace happenings, I’m excited to say, “We know just the thing you didn’t know you were looking for!”

Presenting “Private Open Labs”: Season Two. You read that correctly. After a soft launch of this customer-driven program last summer, we are going for round two. I’m thrilled to tell you all about it. Now let’s get down to it!

What are Open Labs and who can participate?

The RCU Dabble Box Makerspace is located on Level 0.

Open Labs take place in the RCU Dabble Box Makerspace. They have been in high demand since the Dabble Box’s inception nearly 8 years ago, and can have up to 64 people dabbling at one time in this inspiring space. How does an Open Lab operate? Like a hands-on “open house” style event, similar to an elementary school open house night with the exception that it’s fun for any curious school-aged-person, caregiver-person, and simply a person-person; still following? Equipment and materials have been made available with thoughtful curation that fosters DIY curiosity, lifelong learning, building new skills, and self-led exploration for ages 8 to adult. (Children under the age of 8 are also welcome with their helpful and responsible adult caregiver.)

Visitors can expect the art and technology closets’ glass doors to be slid open, providing access to our STEAM-focused materials and equipment. We encourage learning through exploration and experimentation, and staff is nearby if you have questions or need help. Program goers can drop in anytime during a scheduled Open Lab to try out robots, test our VR sets, play an electric drum set or piano, watch our 3D printer render print jobs, make rad buttons, or even sew a puppet if one is so inclined. Play, make, and share is our motto!

The question remains, “Can I book an Open Lab for a special group event?” Yes! You can!

Bookable Private Open Labs in the RCU Dabble Box Makerspace

The Dabble Box Task Force, responsible for developing makerspace programs, came up with the idea to offer Private Open Labs as an “a la carte” summer offering through August 31. Our staffing allows us to offer Private Open Lab sessions Tuesdays-Thursdays starting as early as 9:30am and as late as 3:00pm, with the latest session wrapping up by 5pm. Minimum group size is 8, maximum is 64. Booking a Private Open Lab guarantees your group 1 hour and 45 minutes of lab time and 15 minutes of participant cleanup time. Visit our Private Open Lab webpage to review the qualifying criteria for booking a private open lab and learn more about this summer offering!

Check our RCU Dabble Box event calendar for all the offerings this summer!

Don’t miss our well attended 18+ Open Lab event, “Dabble on the Patio (with Mocktails!) “ Wednesdays, July 10 and August 14 from 5pm-7:30pm.