What’s Happening
What’s Happening
🐰 Springtime Creativity: Easter Storytime & Crafts + iCode Junior! 📖✂️
Event: Easter Storytime When: Saturday, March 21, 2026, 2:30 PM – 3:15 PM (Registration opens March 7) Where: Mercer County Library – Robbinsville Branch (Activity Room) Event link: MCLS - Robbinsville Branch Events Who it’s for: Children ages 2 and up (accompanied by an adult) Why we love it 💛 Spring is in the air, and there is no better way to celebrate than with a great book and a hands-on project! We absolutely love that the Robbinsville branch of the Mercer County Library System is hosting a dedicated Easter Storytime and craft session for our youngest learners. Presented by The Father's Love, this wonderful community event gives toddlers and young children a chance to practice active listening during a fun holiday story, followed by a hands-on craft that is perfect for developing fine motor skills and spatial awareness! How this event aligns with iCode Princeton 🌈⚙️ The way a child learns the sequence of a story and figures out how to put a craft together is the exact same foundational logic they will use to write their first line of computer code! Sequencing & Logic: When a child learns that a story has a specific order (beginning, middle, and…
🖥️ The “A” in STEAM: Digital Illustration Masterclass! 🎨🖱️
Event: Digital Illustration Course When: Saturdays, April 11 – June 6, 2026, 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM Where: West Windsor Arts Center (952 Alexander Road, Princeton Junction, NJ) Event link: West Windsor Arts Center Classes Who it’s for: Tweens and Teens (Ages 10–14) Why we love it 💛 You cannot have great technology without great design! The West Windsor Arts Center is launching an incredible 8-week Digital Illustration course this spring. This program takes older kids who love to draw and teaches them how to translate their traditional art skills onto digital canvases using professional software and iPads. Students will dive deep into character design, 3D character layout, perspective drawing, and visual storytelling. We absolutely love when local arts centers embrace digital media, validating that graphic design and digital art are incredible, high-paying career paths in the tech industry! How this event aligns with iCode Princeton 🌈⚙️ Everything from the layout of a modern website to the 3D models in a video game relies completely on artistic vision and software mastery! Digital Art & Media: If your teen loves blending art with tech, they will absolutely thrive in our Content Creator & Digital Media tracks. We take those digital drawing…
🌸 Create & Collaborate: Spring Break Arts Camp + iCode Prep! 🎭🎨
Event: Spring Break Arts Camp When: March 30 – April 3, 2026, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM (Full-week and single-day options available!) Where: West Windsor Arts Center (952 Alexander Road, Princeton Junction, NJ) Event link: West Windsor Arts Center Camps Who it’s for: Kids (Ages 6–12) Why we love it 💛 Looking for the perfect way to keep your kids active and engaged during Spring Break? The West Windsor Arts Center is running an incredible, full-day Arts Camp! We absolutely love this camp because it blends both Visual Arts and Performing Arts. Kids spend half their day playing collaborative theater games and improv, and the other half drawing, painting, and building 3D sculptures (like paper mache and custom musical instruments). It is a brilliant, screen-free way for kids to embrace their inner creator, make new friends, and build creative confidence before heading back to school! How this event aligns with iCode Princeton 🌈⚙️ The collaborative skills and creative design your child practices at arts camp are the exact same traits we look for in our top coding students! Project-Based Design: Did your child love creating a physical paper mache sculpture or drawing realistic portraits? We teach students how to bring…
🎨 The “A” in STEAM: Draw, Paint, Sculpt! + iCode Design! 🖌️✨
Event: Draw, Paint, Sculpt! (10-Week Course) When: Thursdays, April 9 – June 11, 2026, 5:15 PM – 6:30 PM Where: West Windsor Arts Center (952 Alexander Road, Princeton Junction, NJ) Event link: West Windsor Arts Center Classes Who it’s for: Young Creators (Ages 5–7) Why we love it 💛 You cannot have incredible technology without incredible design! This 10-week spring course at the West Windsor Arts Center is the perfect tactile playground for young kids who love to build and get their hands dirty. Students will explore color theory and the principles of design using watercolors, acrylics, and air-dry clay. We absolutely love when local art centers offer dedicated, multi-medium courses for early learners, as practicing traditional art and sculpture is one of the absolute best ways for kids to develop fine motor skills and spatial reasoning! How this event aligns with iCode Princeton 🌈⚙️ The way a child figures out how to mold clay into a 3D shape is the exact same foundational logic they will use to build their first digital world! From Clay to CAD: Did your child love sculpting and building? We teach students how to bring those physical shapes into the digital world! In our…
💡 The Science of Illumination: Creative Kiddos + iCode Design! 🎨✨
Event: Creative Kiddos | Light the Way When: Saturday, April 11, 2026, 10:30 AM – 11:45 AM Where: Grounds For Sculpture (80 Sculptors Way, Hamilton, NJ) Event link: Grounds For Sculpture Events Who it’s for: Young Kids and their Families! Why we love it 💛 Grounds For Sculpture in Hamilton is an absolute local treasure, and their hands-on kids' workshops are top-tier! During this special morning session called "Light the Way," kids will get to explore how light interacts with art, experimenting with shadows, reflections, and illuminated crafts. We absolutely love this because the physics of light is an incredibly fun and visual way to introduce young kids to the core concepts of optics, physics, and spatial reasoning! How this event aligns with iCode Princeton 🌈⚙️ You cannot build an incredible digital world without understanding how light works! Digital Art & Media: Did your child love experimenting with light and shadow? In our Content Creator & Digital Media tracks, we teach kids how to take that artistic eye and apply it to professional design software, manipulating digital lighting to create stunning graphics and edited photos. Game Development: In the video game industry, "Lighting Artist" is a massive, highly sought-after career!…
🎯 Patterns & Play: Children’s Book Bingo + iCode Logic! 📚🕹️
Event: Bingo (Featuring Children's Book Characters!) When: Tuesday, April 7, 2026, 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM Where: Trenton Free Public Library – Children's Room (120 Academy Street, Trenton, NJ) Event link: Trenton Library - Bingo Event Who it’s for: Kids (Ages 6–12) Why we love it 💛 Who doesn't love the thrill of yelling "BINGO!"? We absolutely love that the Trenton Free Public Library is hosting a free, highly social Bingo night for kids. Featuring their favorite children's book characters instead of standard numbers, this twist on a classic game is a fantastic way to combine early literacy recognition with the excitement of a group game. It gives kids a dedicated evening away from the screens to focus, socialize, and practice their matching skills with peers! How this event aligns with iCode Princeton 🌈⚙️ You might not realize it, but playing a game like Bingo is actually an amazing exercise in pattern recognition and rule-based logic—the exact foundation of coding! Pattern Recognition: In Bingo, kids have to listen to a prompt, scan a grid, and locate a matching data point (a character). That is exactly what a computer does when it runs a search algorithm! In our STEAM Junior Program,…
📚 Early Innovators: Toddler Storytime & Play + iCode Junior! 🧸✨
Event: Toddler Storytime & Play When: Monday, April 6, 2026, 10:00 AM – 10:30 AM (Recurring Monday mornings!) Where: Trenton Free Public Library – Children's Room (120 Academy Street, Trenton, NJ) Event link: Trenton Library - Storytime & Play Who it’s for: Toddlers and Preschoolers (Ages 0–5) Why we love it 💛 It is never too early to start building a child's imagination! We absolutely love that the Trenton Free Public Library hosts this dedicated, weekly storytime session for the littlest members of our community. Ms. Love leads the morning with engaging songs and stories, followed by a dedicated playtime where toddlers can socialize and explore. We love community events like this because early literacy is the ultimate foundation for all future learning—helping young kids develop language skills, active listening, and the confidence to ask questions about the world around them! How this event aligns with iCode Princeton 🌈⚙️ The way a toddler learns the sequence of a story (beginning, middle, and end) is the exact same foundational logic they will use to write their first line of computer code! Sequencing & Logic: When a child learns that a story has a specific order, they are learning the foundation of…
🌍 Tech for Good: The 2026 STEAM Tank Challenge! 💡🏆
Event: 2026 NJSBA STEAM Tank Challenge When: Pitch Rounds happening throughout Spring 2026! Where: Statewide (New Jersey Public Schools) Event link: STEAM Tank Challenge Who it’s for: K-12 Students in NJ Public Schools Why we love it 💛 Created by the New Jersey School Boards Association, the STEAM Tank Challenge is essentially "Shark Tank" for brilliant kids! Student teams from public schools across the state are challenged to invent or modify a product that solves a real-world problem—specifically focusing on sustainability, climate change, and societal impact. We absolutely love this state-wide initiative because it empowers kids to stop being consumers of technology and start being world-changing creators. How this event aligns with iCode Princeton 🌈⚙️ The incredible inventions winning the STEAM Tank Challenge require both a brilliant idea and the technical skills to build a prototype! Project-Based Mastery: At iCode, we don't just teach kids how to type code; we teach them how to build actual products. In our STEAM After-School Belt Program, students are tasked with building their own capstone projects to solve real-world problems—the exact type of projects that win pitch competitions! Presentation & Pitch Skills: It doesn't matter how great your tech is if you can't explain…
💥 Clash of the Bots: Garden State Combat Robotics + iCode Engineering! 🤖🛠️
Event: GSCRL Combat Robotics Competition When: Saturday, April 4, 2026 Where: Warren County Technical School (Washington, NJ) Event link: Garden State Combat Robotics League Who it’s for: Tech Enthusiasts, Builders, and Families (Spectators welcome!) Why we love it 💛 If your family loves watching "BattleBots" on TV, you absolutely cannot miss this! The Garden State Combat Robotics League (GSCRL) is hosting a live, in-person fighting robot competition just up the road. Builders from all over the region bring their custom-engineered, armor-plated robots to battle it out in a heavy-duty arena. It is loud, it is destructive, and it is the absolute most fun way to show kids that mechanical engineering can be an incredible spectator sport! How this event aligns with iCode Princeton 🌈⚙️ The fighting robots in the arena didn't build themselves—they require intense mechanical engineering, weight distribution, and precise electrical wiring! Real Hardware, Real Engineering: If your child is fascinated by how the combat bots are built to take a hit, they will absolutely thrive in our VEX Robotics and Advanced Hardware tracks. We teach kids how to wire custom sensors, calibrate heavy-duty motors, and construct sturdy chassis from scratch. Iterative Design: In robot combat, parts break. Builders…
💻 12 Hours of Innovation: Ridgehacks 2026 + iCode Logic! 🚀⚡
Event: Ridgehacks 2026 (High School Hackathon) When: Saturday, April 25, 2026, 8:00 AM – 10:00 PM Where: Ridge High School (268 South Finley Avenue, Basking Ridge, NJ) Event link: Ridgehacks 2026 Who it’s for: Middle School, High School, and College Students Why we love it 💛 Hackathons are the ultimate test of coding under pressure! Hosted by the Ridge Computer Science Club, Ridgehacks is a massive, free, 12-hour hacking event. Students form teams to brainstorm, design, and program innovative software and hardware solutions from scratch. We absolutely love youth-led hackathons because they are packed with mentorship workshops, intense collaboration, and an incredible energy that shows teens exactly what working in the real-world tech industry feels like! How this event aligns with iCode Princeton 🌈⚙️ At iCode, we actively train our students for the "Hackathon Mindset" every single week! The Startup Mindset: Hackathons operate just like tech startups. You have to identify a problem, brainstorm a software solution, and build a working prototype before the clock runs out. We teach this exact agile development process in our labs, ensuring our teens are ready to compete and win! Advanced Programming Languages: To build a working app or software in 12 hours, you…
