Here's a quick overview of the courses I teach. Let me know if you'd like to have me come teach your kids.
Beginner's D&D
Taking on kids as young as 8 (they do need to be able to read and do basic math) I teach them how to play D&D by just having them play it. They'll get to fight monsters, cast spells, roleplay with each other and NPCs, make savings throws and skill checks. And if they can focus enough they should get to level up.
This is run similar to the Historical D&D class but looser. I don't expect the kids to be masters of intrigue or capable of taking on powerful bosses. Much of the story will be based on what the kids want to do. But in the end they will be experienced players.
Historical D&D: Viking Age
Many kids find history and social studies classes to be boring, but they don't have to be. Immersing themselves into the persona of someone in a particular place and time can get them to think they aren't even learning - but they will be.
In this class we simply play D&D. The students will create a character from the early Viking age and see them through a series of events. Starting in a small village deep in mountainous Norway, the players will travel to real places and possibly participate in real events. Their characters will dress in period appropriate clothes and wield historically accurate weapons. They'll get bits of history, geography, and even language as they play.
How to be a DM
Does your young learner want to build a world? Control the destinies of gods? Manipulate the threads of intrigue winding their way through kingdoms? They might be budding Dungeon Masters, and this course is for them.
I'll guide them in the basics of running the game and get them working on building their own worlds for their friends to play in. They'll get to create hideous monsters and dazzling spells. They'll experience managing the chaos that is the gaming table.
And even if they decide they never want to be a game master, a lot of the things they'll learn could be useful in other fiction creation endeavors.
Crafting for TTRPGs
I'm no DM Scotty, but I can help others learn the basics of crafting terrain for TableTop Role Playing Games (TTRPGs) like Dungeons and Dragons. In this course I get the students to build their own battle scene suitable for using in a serious encounter.
We use foam insulation board, shaping it into an arena or field, igniting the students' imaginations to build it. They'll get to use a torch to melt interesting features into the terrain, pour resin to form ponds, streams, or deadly lava pits. They'll construct buildings using foam and hot glue guns. And they'll paint it all to look fantastic.
Beginner Video Production
"Reading is just a fad" is something I've been saying for around ten years now. By that I don't mean that it is going away, just that most people would rather receive information via video, plus that voice recognition has become so good that text-based interfaces will lose to audio based AI-driven interfaces.
This means that future workers and people of import will need to be comfortable with video technology. We're already seeing it in Social Media with "influencers" being able to make a good living through videos. It's just a fact that video is more effective at persuading and motivating people than text.
So in this course I guide the students to produce videos. Because I want everyone to be able to do this I prefer free and open source software, and can help the students install and use it. They probably won't make the next Emmy winning movie, but they can get a taste of what it takes. And even if they just get to the point that they can make a solid presentation to a group of important people, that will be a huge advantage over those that can't.
Intro to Using AI
For most of my lifetime Artificial Intelligence has been seen as perpetually 30 years off by most people. But in the last few years it has suddenly become very real.
In this course I guide the students in using AI, and can help them learn how it works. It is my firm belief that within 2-5 years in order to be employed in an office setting you will need to be able to use AI effectively. I want them to be prepared for this. Even better, some will take the opportunity to create their own jobs, using AI as a lever to amplify their talents and drive.