Discovering CREA: Where Movement Meets Technology in Brooklyn

Discovering CREA: Where Movement Meets Technology in Brooklyn

Picture this: children leaping and crouching to tap projected asteroids floating across enormous video game backdrops, their movements triggering bursts of color and sound. This wasn't a scene from a futuristic movie—it was my introduction to CREA, a unique interactive space at Industry City in Brooklyn that's redefining how kids learn through play.

A Space That Lives and Breathes

As someone constantly in search of creative spaces and innovative learning environments, I was immediately captivated by what I witnessed. Children threw beanbags at targets, each hit rewarded with visual explosions. Suddenly, they abandoned their stations to race along a pathway lined with illuminated Power Packs—glowing stations that changed color as hands slammed them in sequence, turning their bodies into game controllers.

What struck me most was the thoughtful balance between high-tech and analog experiences. Alongside sophisticated projection systems, the space featured oversized therapeutic balls for exploration, hammocks suspended from the ceiling for quiet moments, a rotating climbing wall, and a bright climbing structure. The lighting responded to movement, colors shifted throughout the space, and music provided rhythm as children moved naturally between stations with genuine engagement.

I watched in fascination as kids developed coordination, problem-solving skills, and collaboration while fully absorbed in play—learning without traditional instruction through movement and creative interaction.

Meeting the Visionaries

As I observed this remarkable environment, co-founder Kate Gyllenhaal began sharing her vision for creating an interactive space that combines movement, gaming, and creativity around environmental themes. "CREA actually means 'create' in Latin," she explained with evident passion. "We wanted to merge creative movement with creative technology in a way that stimulates both movement and creativity."

Kate described the HERO adventure unfolding before us as a series of four adrenaline-pumping missions through deep space. She continued to outline CREA's summer camps, after-school programs, and school partnerships, all centered around teaching design thinking and STEAM-based game design skills. As a longtime advocate of design thinking, I was thrilled to see how CREA uses this approach to engage kids in designing their own games while continuously iterating and adding new experiences to the space.

I shared my own work as an ambassador of design thinking, creativity, and innovative technology in schools. What a joy to discover not only such an exciting and engaging space for children, but also a kindred spirit. We made plans to meet again and continue discussing our shared passion for creating engaging learning spaces where children learn with creative technology.

A Deeper Collaboration

At our next meeting, I had the pleasure of meeting co-founder Elizabeth Spratt, whose fascination with technology parallels my own. Soon we were sharing experiences about empowering kids with circuit boards and code. Elizabeth and Kate invited me to join them for their next school vacation camp to design STEAM-based activities around a new game theme centered on Arctic Melt.

What an incredible collaboration! I quickly began designing prototypes using Scratch and circuit boards that would engage campers in the process of designing games that could help address Arctic Melt challenges.

Learning Through Collaboration

The experience of working with the CREA team taught me so much. A professional game designer kicked off the week, setting an inspiring tone. The camp leaders were masterful guides, leading children through game missions while balancing structure and free play to create days filled with fun, engaging learning. I had the opportunity to follow the design thinking process, testing and revising my prototypes of STEAM activities in real-time with enthusiastic young participants.

Reflections and Gratitude

I'm deeply grateful to the CREA team for giving me the chance to experience their space both as an observer and as an educational experience designer. The opportunity to see learning happen through movement, technology, and creative collaboration reinforced my belief in the power of hands-on minds-on  innovative educational experiences

And yes, I even brought my grandkids—who immediately begged to return for another CREA camp. Their enthusiasm was perhaps the best testament to what Kate, Elizabeth, and their team have created: a space where learning feels like the most natural thing in the world.

CREA demonstrates how physical activity, technology, game design, and purposeful themes can create experiences that both engage and educate. It's a model worth studying and celebrating as we continue to reimagine what learning spaces can be.

Lasercut Layered Map - Covered Bridge Project at Cambridge Elementary School (Part 2)

From Confidence to Creation: Making Something Meaningful

This is the second post in our series documenting the Covered Bridge Laser Cut Map Project at Cambridge Elementary School, where 4th grade students applied their newfound maker skills to create something truly meaningful for their community--layered laser-cut maps featuring the 12 covered bridges from Cambridge's history.

In the first post in this series , we shared the first two phases of the framework used  in the Create Make Learn residency process (Inspire and Create Confidence).   Feeling inspired and confident with using Cuttle.xyz to create designs and the laser cutter to cut their designs, the 4th graders were ready for the final phase of our Create Make Learn framework: Make Something Meaningful. 

While the 4th grade students were learning to use Cuttle and the laser cutter, the third graders were working hard creating physical models of each bridge as part of this year's  annual Cambridge History project. 

Guest speakers from Cambridge shared stories and historical context about each bridge, enriching both projects with community knowledge that couldn't be found in textbooks. These conversations helped students understand that they weren't just making maps—they were preserving and sharing their community's heritage.

Third graders students wrote and recorded news broadcasts to share what they were learning with the community.   Visit the school website to listen to these news broadcast and to learn more about the 3rd grade Cambridge History Project 2025

Google Maps became an invaluable tool throughout this project. It  helped  students understand the geographic relationships between the 12  bridge locations and the broader landscape of their community.

 Only three of the original bridges still exist as covered bridges, eight have been replaced, and one has been moved to the Shelburne Museum. 

Before designing their laser-cut maps, students worked with a physical laser-cut outline of Cambridge's major roads alongside Google Maps. This tactile exploration helped students understand their community's geography in ways that digital maps alone couldn't provide.  

Student Choice and Voice through Design Decisions

This stage of the residency was filled with opportunities for student voice and choice as they begin to make collaborative  design decisions.  The blend of practical problem-solving  and creative expression provided evidence Vermont's transformative skills.  Each decision required experimentation and compromise and  gave the students an authentic project based learning experience. 

Design Decision 1: Individual Maps vs. Collaborative Tiles

The size of the laser cutter bed offered some constraints. Initially, we considered creating one large tiled map where each student pair would create a section. After discussion, students chose a different approach: each pair would create their own complete map of the entire area scaled to the size wood we could cut with the laser cutter. This decision allowed for personalization and also helped each student better understand the local geography.  

Design Decision 2: Representing Water

How do you make water look like water on a laser-cut map? Students considered multiple materials—resin, blue wax, glitter glue—before discovering that blue poster board covered with Celebrate It™ Opal Transparent Packaging Wrap created a sparkly ripple effect that beautifully represented the Lamoille River and drew attention to bridge locations.

Design Decision 3: Primary Roads 

We decided to highlight each road that the bridge was on a raised layer made from maple plywood.  This would include Rte 115,  Rte 108 S, Rte 108 N, Rte 109, and Pleasant Valley Road.  This  created both visual hierarchy and tactile distinction on our finished maps.

Design Decision 4:  Secondary Roads

Secondary roads would be scored rather than cut on draftboard layers, providing additional geographic context while creating visual contrast with the maple layer of primary roads. Scoring proved faster than engraving while still creating clear definition.

Watching our maps come to life as we worked with different materials was super exciting. We worked closely with Google Maps, LaserMapMaker.com, and Cuttle.xyz to design files to cut on our Glowforge laser cutter.  

Design Decision 5: Bridge Location Markers & Map Key

Students considered creating 3D bridge models but realized they would be too small at map scale. Instead, they developed a map key system with location markers—some teams chose stars, others used traditional teardrop map markers—creating consistency while allowing for creative expression.

 Design Decision 6: The Compass Rose

One of the design ideas that came to us near the end was to add a compass rose to the map.  We used the “Boolean Union / Weld” feature of Cuttle to  join together, a covered bridge icon, Compass points, and a circle. We engraved the compass points in the right location.  Mr. Jeremy used Google Earth to help us place it on the map in the correct orientation.

Design Decision 7: Personal Signatures and Route Markers

As finishing touches, students laser-cut miniature versions of their original mapmaker badges as signatures, claiming ownership of their work. They also added route number markers to help viewers better understand bridge locations within the road network.

Design Decision 8: Display and Community Impact

The final design decision emerged organically: where should these maps be displayed? Students toured their school, conferenced with staff members, and ultimately decided to place one map on each floor.  They used upcycled frames to finish up their display and added added laser-cut connected text title lettering. 

Showcase of Learning:

Both the 3rd grader Cambridge History Project and the 4th grade Laser Cut Map were on display at the School’s Showcase of Learning. Each of the Covered Bridge Models made by 3rd graders surrounded a large wooden map of the area.  Each bridge included a QR code that lead to a Student Newscast Video about the history of the bridge.  These videos can also be viewed on the school website and are attached to the Google Map of the Bridges.

The 4th grade MapMakers displayed their beautiful works with pride and answered lots of questions from both staff and their peers about their process. 

As the final student maps were unveiled to the third grade class, a hush fell over the students—just for a moment—before it was replaced by a rising chorus of excitement. “Wait—that’s mine! I see it! That’s my bridge!” exclaimed one student, pointing eagerly to a miniature model nestled beside a printed river bend. His classmate leaned in closer, tracing the lines of the map with her finger. “They made the whole town,” she whispered, wide-eyed.“Yeah,” said another, with excitement, “It’s like all our bridges fit together on one map!”

Later during the community showcase, our school board chair paused in front of the student’s display and spent several minutes taking it in. Watching children move from one model to the next and hearing students explain how they used 3D printing or laser cutting to bring their vision to life, he turned to our principal and said, “This is exactly what we mean when we talk about high-quality project-based learning. They're not just building bridges—they're connecting history, technology, and community. This should be a model for the whole district.

The Meaningful Making Difference

What made this project meaningful wasn't just the final products—though they were beautiful and professionally crafted. The meaning emerged from students' genuine investment in preserving and sharing their community's history, their collaborative problem-solving around real design challenges, and their pride in creating something that would educate and inspire others long after the project ended.

These weren't practice exercises or assignments to be completed and forgotten. These were contributions to their school community, preserved pieces of local history, and evidence of what young people can accomplish when given professional tools, authentic challenges, and the confidence to tackle complex creative problems.

The success of this project demonstrates the power of the Create Make Learn framework in action. When we start with inspiration rooted in authentic community connections, build confidence through manageable technical challenges, and culminate with meaningful making that serves others, students don't just learn skills—they develop the identity and mindset of makers, historians, and community contributors.

Our Cambridge mapmakers didn't just complete a project; they became stewards of their community's heritage, skilled users of professional design tools, and confident creators ready for their next meaningful making challenge.

The Cambridge Covered Bridge Map Project exemplifies how project based learning and  maker education can serve authentic learning goals while building both technical skills and community connections. .  When students create something meaningful, the learning becomes meaningful too.

The residency model blends  student enrichment and teacher professional development to support integrating hands-on minds-on STEAM  learning in your school.  Contact Lucie deLaBruere  ( ldelabruere at gmail)  for more information about adding a Create Make Learn residency to your school. 

Special thanks to the Vermont Arts Council, the Vermont Community Foundation and The Cambridge PTA for supporting this residency and to Ellen Koier and Faith Horton for inviting me to co-design this residency with them and for years of dedication to Cambridge Elementary School.

Lasercut Layered Map Covered Bridge Project at Cambridge Elementary School (Part 1)

This is the first in a series of blog posts documenting the Covered Bridge Laser Cut Map Project—a collaboration between Cambridge Elementary School students and Maker in Residence, Lucie deLaBruere.  (Part 2 can be found here)

Every Create Make Learn residency is built on a framework driven by the question: 

  "How might we inspire our students and create the confidence they need to make something meaningful?"

The Create Make Learn framework is  built on three interconnected phases:

INSPIRE → CREATE CONFIDENCE → MAKE SOMETHING MEANINGFUL

Each phase builds upon the last, creating a foundation where students feel empowered to tackle more complex creative challenges while developing real technical skills.

Phase 1: Inspire

The inspiration for this project emerged naturally from the school annual Cambridge History project.  As the  4th graders entered the STEAM makerspace, we connected them to their own learning journey—reminding them of their Cambridge history project from the previous year, then introducing them to the current 3rd grade project featuring the covered bridges of their community.

We shared an exciting possibility: "One of our goals this week is for you and your teachers to create confidence with using one of the amazing tools in our makerspace —our Glowforge  laser cutter—and then make something beautiful and meaningful for your school community."

Phase 2: Create Confidence

Once students are inspired, we focus on building confidence with new tools and processes. Our first skill-builder sprint guided learners through designing a personalized laser-cut badge using Cuttle.xyz—a vector design platform that works seamlessly on the Chromebooks available to our students.

Skill-Builder 1: Personal MapMaker Badges

Students learned essential vector design skills through creating something personal and immediately meaningful to them:

The Learning Process

We broke down the badge creation into manageable steps:

Shape Basics: Students browsed shapes, selected one, and resized it to 2.5 inches, learning about layers, fill, and stroke properties

Layer Management: They duplicated their shape, renamed layers, and practiced expanding and collapsing layer groups

Text Integration: Students added their names using connected text, positioning it thoughtfully on their design

Boolean Operations: They learned to create holes using boolean difference and to weld elements together using boolean union

File Export: Finally, they saved, titled, and exported their designs as SVG files

From Digital to Physical: Our Workflow

 We used  the following workflow to get student designs from Chromebooks to the laser cutter.

1.  Students export their SVG files and submit them through a Google Form

2.  Responses are collected in a spreadsheet with downloadable links

3.  Files are downloaded to the computer controlling the laser cutter

4.  Students upload their SVGs to the Glowforge app, select materials (cherry plywood for the top layer), and configure cut settings

5.  With a "fire buddy" present, students watch their designs come to life

Adding Complexity: Two-Layer Design

After successfully cutting their top layer from cherry plywood, students designed bottom layers using different colored wood (draftboard or maple). This second layer included personalized images to be scored rather than cut, giving students practice with the complete workflow they'd need for the larger map project.

The final step—gluing the layers together—gave students their first tangible success and immediate pride in their work.

The Power of Personal Connection

By starting with something personal, students were immediately engaged and motivated to master the technical skills they'd need. These weren't abstract exercises; these were their badges, with their names, created with their hands using professional-grade tools. The badges would later become part of the final laser cut map das a signature of their contribution to their community.

This personal investment created the perfect foundation for confidence-building. Students troubleshot design challenges, learned from mistakes, and celebrated successes together. By the end of our skill-builder session, they had not only mastered vector design basics and laser cutter operation—they were eager to tackle something bigger.

What's Next: Making Something Meaningful

With inspiration sparked and confidence built, we were ready for the final phase of our framework: making something meaningful. Armed with their new skills, students were prepared to create layered laser-cut maps featuring the locations of the 12 covered bridges from their Cambridge History project.

In our next blog post, we'll share how this confidence translated into  the creation of something truly meaningful for their school community -  several laser cut maps of the covered bridges in their community.  Here's a sneak preview.

The Create Make Learn framework demonstrates that when we start with inspiration, build confidence through manageable challenges, and connect learning to meaningful outcomes, students don't just acquire skills—they develop the mindset of makers who can tackle any creative challenge.

Coming Next: How 4th graders transformed from badge-makers to cartographers, creating detailed laser-cut maps that brought their community's history to life.