Maker Workshops

Turn your drawings into games you can play and objects you can hold.

Hi, I'm Truman. I'm a rising senior at Brooklyn Tech, and I've been teaching myself game design, digital art, and coding for years. I make games you can play and objects you can hold, and I built betrumaker.com as a free resource site for kids who want to make their own things. In my maker workshops I take a small group through my whole process: we start with a sketch, make it digital in Procreate, drop it into a real game, and finish the week with your character printed on something you can take home. It's real, hands-on making, built for kids going into 4th to 6th grade.

The Format

2 hours a day, Monday to Friday

Typical time: 10am to 12pm

Small groups

Lots of individual attention

Kids going into 4th to 6th grade

Bring an iPad with Procreate and a laptop

$75 per week

All supplies included

The Week

Create
Day 1
CREATE

Develop an idea

  • Presentation overview of the maker process
  • Play test Tru's games together
  • Brainstorm session — sketch your own character
Digitize
Day 2
DIGITIZE

Bring it to life

  • Learn the basics of Procreate — tools and brushes
  • Layers and animation intro
  • Digitise your character from Day 1
Code
Day 3
CODE

Build the game

  • Basic elements of Scratch
  • Swap your character into one of Tru's games
  • Play around with the code — not a Scratch lesson, but a glimpse of what's possible
  • Kids can keep exploring at home
Play
Day 4
PLAY

Test and decide

  • Play test each other's games
  • Practice coding and make improvements
  • Decide what product to make on Day 5
Make
Day 5
MAKE

Take it home

  • Make a custom product featuring their own character
  • Shirt, tote, sticker — something real to keep
  • Show-and-tell to wrap up the week
"Truman is talented, kind, and a natural with kids. He left my students more excited about building and creating than when they walked in, and that is really the whole point."
Heather Prince, Library Media Specialist at Knollwood School
Heather Prince with Truman

Register for the June 29 Workshop

📅 June 29 – July 3, 2026  ·  Monday to Friday
🕙 10am – 12pm daily
💵 $75 for the full week  ·  All supplies included
🎒 Bring an iPad with Procreate and a laptop
Parent / Guardian
Your child
A little more

💳 Payment of $75 will be requested after registration to confirm your spot.

Waiver & Release

By registering, I acknowledge and agree to the following:

  • I give permission for my child to participate in the BeTru Maker Workshop (June 29 – July 3, 2026).
  • I understand this is a hands-on creative workshop involving digital tools (iPad, laptop) and physical materials.
  • I understand this is not a formal class or curriculum — it is designed to inspire curiosity and give kids a real taste of the creative process, not to teach coding or design from scratch.
  • I release BeTru Maker and its instructors from liability for minor accidents or injuries that may occur during normal workshop activities.
  • I give permission for photos or videos of my child taken during the workshop to be used on betrumaker.com and social media.
  • I understand that payment of $75 is required to hold my child's spot and is non-refundable within 7 days of the start date.