Autumn Academy MINTeraktiv inspires around 280 children and young people The MINTeraktiv took place for the 16th time in the Oberberg education network.

Oberbergischer Kreis. Whether forging, programming, or experimenting with rubber: The 16th Autumn Academy MINTeraktiv once again offered children and young people a varied program with 24 activities during the autumn holidays, focusing on the topics of Mathematics, Informatics, Natural Sciences, and Technology (= MINT).

Around 280 children and young people aged 6 to 14 participated in a wide range of workshops and courses as part of “MINTeraktiv.” The holiday program ranged from traditional forging to insights into technical professions at companies like Unitechnik, to programming their own games and using Virtual Reality (VR). The focus was on practical experimentation.

Design your own games, build your own controllers

For example, students learned how a drawing can be turned into a video game during the workshop “Make Your Own Game” at the Dietrich-Bonhoeffer-Gymnasium in Wiehl. The 11- to 13-year-olds first drew their own game worlds on paper, which they then turned into digital games using the app “Draw Your Game.” Afterwards, they built their own controllers using Makey Makey from aluminum foil, modeling clay, and fruit, which they used to control their self-designed games. The workshop was offered by the zdi Center investMINT Oberberg and the Media Center of the Oberbergischer Kreis. “Our aim is for children not only to use media but also to create it themselves,” says Mona Weinle from the Media Center of the Oberbergischer Kreis.