Coding Lab · Grades 1–6 · Belmont, CA
Three tools. One studio. Students choose one track — Godot, Unity3D, or Blender — and build a real game, 3D scene, or asset, one hour at a time.
10–14 weeks 60 minutes WorkStation provided
01 The tracks
Godot, Unity3D, and Blender are separate tracks, not a sampler. A session runs one track, chosen by the teacher around the group, the calendar, and the equipment.
One track per session. Families ask which track is running this term. Ask us.
2D and 3D projects in GDScript.
The friendliest first engine: a scene editor, a small language, and a project a student can finish. A good place to learn how a game is put together.
Godot 4GDScript
Session fit · Summer camps, first-time coders
3D scenes and C# systems.
A full-term Unity project: scenes, components, physics, and typed C# scripts. This is the track that can run all Spring, one system per class.
Unity3DC#
Session fit · Full-term sessions, Spring example
3D assets for any engine.
Modeling, materials, lighting, and export. Students make an asset and bring it into a game engine — the piece that makes a world feel like a place.
BlenderglTF / FBX
Session fit · 3D track, scheduled sessions
Not a rotation. Each track is a complete project strand. Students go deep in one, then can choose another in a later term.
02 The project
A project gives every lesson a reason. Students start with one feature, add systems, and finish with a build they can play, test, and explain.
50+ projects to work on, from beginner to advanced.
A village, a hero, a health potion, and one system per class: movement, health, inventory, enemies, quests.
Gather, craft, and survive. A clock turns every system into a decision, and every shortcut into a consequence.
A track, checkpoints, a lap timer, and a car that feels fast. Then the tuning that makes it fair.
Waves, paths, upgrades, and the balance work that turns a pile of turrets into a strategy game.
One input, a score, and a reason to press play again. A tiny physics game with a very clear loop.
Grid state, merges, and a clean win/lose rule. Simple to explain, surprisingly deep to build.
Model, material, light, and export. Bring a game-ready asset into a scene and see the whole world change.
Examples, not a fixed menu. The track, the group, and the calendar decide the build. The studio’s Unity project library also includes 2D arcade, match-3, runner, voxel, FPS, and kart projects.
Programming is a skill best acquired by practice and example rather than from books.
— Alan Turing
03 The session
Same rhythm in every track. The coach demonstrates once, then builds alongside the group — close enough to help, far enough to let them think.
Open the project and review the goal.
One new tool or technique.
Make this week’s feature work.
Play it and find the weak part.
Explain one choice.
$ every session ends with something that runs.
Ten to fourteen weeks. One hour at a time. No prep, no software to install.
04 Under the hood
The syntax is the small part. The real skill is seeing how the pieces connect: what the player does, what the game remembers, and what happens next.
THE LOOP
Every build — a 2D flyer, a 3D RPG, a tower defense — is the same idea in a different costume. Students learn to see the loop, then change one part at a time.
ALGORITHM
What happens, in what order. When the player presses jump:
DATA STRUCTURE
How the game remembers what matters, so the next frame can use it.
THE VOCABULARY THEY’LL MEET
Learn the tool, the language basics, and what the pieces are called.
Build the core loop end to end. See how the pieces connect.
Add the feature only they would think of — then test it.
05 The arc
A term is a project, not a syllabus. The same arc works in Godot, Unity3D, or Blender; summer camps use a one-week version.
Learn the editor, the language basics, and the project brief.
Build the core loop end to end. The game starts to exist.
Add features, polish, and a clear interface.
Test, fix, and present the build. Explain one choice.
A deeper feature, a second project, or a portfolio piece.
After-school sessions run 10–14 weeks. Summer camps run weekly, Monday–Friday, 9:00am–3:00pm with a one-hour lunch.
06 The studio
iMacs, Godot, Unity3D and Blender installed. Twelve seats max. A coach who builds alongside them — close enough to help, far enough to let them think.
Something they can send to a friend.
Modeled, textured, and exported by them.
Read the error, form a theory, test it.
A final build and a short creator talk.
07 Questions
The practical bits — tracks, experience, and what to bring. Still unsure? Ask us about your child.
A session runs one track. The teacher chooses it around the group, the calendar, and the equipment. The Spring example is Unity3D; summer camps use Godot; Blender runs when the schedule allows. Ask us which track is running before you book.
No. Coding Lab starts with the tool and the language basics. We work in small groups and meet each student where they are. Grades 1–6.
Nothing. WorkStations and software are provided. Students just need to arrive ready to play, test, and explain their choices.
Yes — in a later term or session. Godot, Unity3D, and Blender are independent project strands, not a sequence. No track is a prerequisite for another.
Yes. Summer camps run weekly, Monday–Friday, 9:00am–3:00pm with a one-hour lunch, and families choose one program for the week. Coding uses Godot projects in the summer; after-school sessions run 10–14 weeks.
SteamWorks Academy
Tell us your child’s age and the track you’re curious about. We’ll tell you what’s running this term.
