Parents looking for fun and inspiring activities to do for the family or kids can turn to their local Apple store to register for free kids programs with Apple through “Today at Apple” spanning coding, photography, music and arts lead by Apple Creatives. These are also relevant to UrbanMommies readers in Alberta, Ontario and Manitoba too. Here are some examples of the programming offered at Apple stores across the Lower Mainland!

Coding

Coding with robots for kids: Designed to spark imagination and creativity through fun, hands-on project, kids will explore coding with Sphero robots by programming simple movements, loops, and more. Kids can bring their own iPad and Sphero Sprk+ robot, or we will provide them. Recommended for ages 6 to 12.For youth ages 12 and older, the How to Get Started with Coding introduces the powerful programming languages Swift by Apple that’s used to build many of today’s popular apps found in the App Store. Youth will explore coding concepts and gets hands-on with the same code professional developers use every day.

Photography

With iPhone, everyone’s a photographer and to enhance the photo game, there are several Today at Apple sessions families can register, including:
Photo Walks: Attendees will journey on an inspiring photo walk to visit nearby new places to discover how to create stunning shots, experiment with the latest accessories and learn best practices for photography and editing.Portrait Photography: A 30-minute session, hands-on techniques to capture beautiful portraits with iPhone are shared, including framing your subject with light and creating interesting compositions.

Creating Music with GarageBand

Kids will learn how they can create exciting tunes and beats using GarageBand on iPad. Rhythm basics are covered, as well as Live Loops to make their own rock, hip hop or EDM track. Recommended for ages 6 to 12.For the advanced musician, there are sessions like “Music Lab: Developing Your Sound” which shares how enthusiasts can develop their own sounds inspired by Wu-Tang Clan’s frontman RZA. This session provides brainstorm and sketching time to storyboard and sound profile, then get hands on with ROLI Blocks, GarageBand on iPad Pro and more.

Art

Sketching with Apple Pencil provides an introduction to explore how to sketch on iPad Pro by tracing over a photo, then use the Procreate app to add layers and colours. If sketching, drawing and painting is more the creative speed, the “How to” session on this topic provides tips to build out your own gallery of artwork using iPad Pro and Apple Pencil.For video enthusiasts, sessions like Video Stories with Clips teaches how to tell a story with video in a 30-minute session and includes shooting details, layering scenes with graphics and emojis, all through the Clips app on iPhone.The above are a handful of examples of the free Today at Apple sessions available which families can register online this Family Day weekend. If families prefer signing up on a future date, no problem; Today at Apple is offered year round. View the schedule and registration page here.