Review of STEAMPunks Parent’s Night Out in Louisville, KY

Our writer was given admission to STEAMPunks Parent’s Night Out for purpose of review.

 photo iHUB_zpslfe2muis.jpgIf you were to visit the iHub Tech Space in Downtown Louisville on the 3rd Friday of the month, you would encounter a space filled with young children problem-solving, exploring, investigating, creating and having fun!

STEAMPunks offers several programs for children and our family recently participated in the Parent’s Night Out in February. Registration was easily completed online and a reminder email was sent to me the Thursday before the night out. The email contained the evening’s itinerary, an explanation of the activities and drop-off and pick-up procedures.

I appreciated the details so I could tell my kids what to expect. iHub Tech Space is located in Downtown Louisville at 204 S. Floyd Street. The building is near Market Street and is easy to find. The front door to the space is near a parking lot and street parking and is kept locked at all times.

 photo Stop Motion Animation_zpsvdm8xmbr.jpgWe were greeted at the door, signed in and the night’s schedule was explained to my two kids. They couldn’t wait to get started. There were Maker Stations set up around the room. While the children were waiting for everyone to arrive, they were free to choose where they wanted to play. After a few minutes of free play, the children were divided into groups and assigned stations. The stations included Minecraft Gaming Challenges, Dash & Dot & Sphero Robots and Stop Motion Animation. Children rotated between each station and were later given more time at their choice of stations.

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Parent’s Night Out also includes dinner, drinks and a movie. Pizza is delivered and eaten after an hour of playing. After dinner, children could keep exploring the Maker Stations or choose to create at the Cardboard Inventor Station. Using a cardboard box, tape, paper plates, scissors and markers, children created cars to sit in during the movie. These boxes were really neat to see at the end of the night and one of my children’s favorite activities. The night settled with a movie for everyone to watch together.

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Parent’s Night Out is limited to 20 kids. There are two adults that stay during the night and help. The night is open to children ages 4-13 (PreK-8th grade). I was concerned my 5 year old wouldn’t have much to do, but she had a great time with the different Maker Stations. The apps on the iPads were very kid and user-friendly. My 3rd grader had never tried Stop Motion Animation and learned quickly during the night. (He has since created several other short movies at home on our iPad!)

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The cost for Parent’s Night Out is very reasonable. The entire evening is four hours, 6:30-10:30pm and only costs $35 for the first child and $10 for additional siblings. For childcare, dinner and an array of fun, educational activities, this is a heck of a deal! My husband and I also liked that iHub is located downtown. We were close to many restaurants that we had never tried before. In the warmer months, it will be nice to sign up the kids again and walk along Waterfront Park and the Big Four Bridge.

STEAMPunks also offers Saturday camps, Spring Break camps, Summer camps, birthday parties and after school programs at some local schools. Check STEAMPunks Parent’s Night Out schedule and follow them on Facebook for upcoming dates and details about other offerings. You and your kids will love the new experiences and learning to be had at STEAMPunks! 
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By Guest Contributor: Nicolle
DCPD
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