Minnetonka Community Education

”Mum… Dad… Bingo… BLUEY!” Your Bluey fan will love getting messy as they paint, cut and collage a portrait of Bluey, all on a real canvas board! Come to create a Bluey mixed-media masterpiece; stay for the tail-shaking dance! Come ready to get messy while you play right along with your child. Children must be accompanied by a caregiver.

Grades K-5 Get your zugzwang on and battle top chess minds from across the metro! Play six thrilling rounds against players your age and skill level—strategy, focus, and fun all in one tournament! Fee includes: Pizza, snacks, beverages, six rounds of play and all awards. Team Trophy: Schools must have at least four players from their school in order to compete. We take the best four scores from each school and combine them. The school with the highest combined score will receive the TEAM CHAMPION TROPHY. We will have a runner-up trophy for the second place team. Individual Tournament: Students will play six rounds against students of similar grade level. We reserve the option to combine or separate grade levels based on the number of participants. Swiss Play: Participants are matched against others of similar skill level and grade. If a player wins more games, they will play other players who have won more often as well. By the 6th round, we will have a clear champion. Medals & Trophies: Trophies are given out to 1st through 5th place in each grade level category. Medals are given out based on performance. Every student will get either a trophy or a medal by the end of the day. Official USCF rules will apply. Some games may be timed. An email with specific event details will be sent out the week of the tournament. For students in grades K-1, we recommend that parents stay with their students at the tournament. Click here to view the Youth Enrichment League's FAQ page. This link includes information about staying at the tournament, scoring, the schedule, child supervision and more! Please note: this tournament is NOT USCF rated.

Chess Club focuses on a welcoming atmosphere that builds camaraderie among all players. Our goal is to challenge dedicated chess players with robust end game and opening lessons, as well as tactics and strategies. Players will not only learn chess stratagems, but also learn chess etiquette and sportsmanship, as well as learning about current and historical chess happenings. Another one of our focuses is on over-the-board play to build camaraderie. YEL Chess Club players will not be using digital devices for lessons or for notation. Players will learn to take their notation in their own hand. Ultimately, we want Chess Club players to gain knowledge, learn etiquette, incorporate sportsmanship, and become the competitive players they wish to be. Class will be held at the Youth Enrichment League Office. 11553 Encore Cir Minnetonka, MN 55343

Code your own computer bot and join the coding arena! No experience needed—just bring your curiosity and creativity. Learn real coding skills while battling bots in fun, friendly competitions! The Code Championship Series is a series of four tournaments in four weeks (it's ok to miss one or two). These tournaments will be hosted online using Google Meet and the Code Championship website. If you have a modern browser like Chrome or Firefox, no additional download is required. Please come knowing how to navigate the internet (basic typing and mouse control). The link to the Google Meet event will be emailed two days before the tournament.

Learn the basics of cartooning and create your own characters! Each day you will learn techniques used in cartooning. Subjects like characteristics, features, exaggeration, action and personification will contribute to your artistic advancement!

Join a team of your peers to tackle one of five crazy challenges! You will have the chance to express your creativity, problem-solving skills and engage in teamwork before presenting your solutions at a regional tournament! Grades 3-8 Congratulations to our 2024/2025 Global Finals team! Teams of 5-7 members work together and unleash their imaginations to tackle one of five crazy challenges. Teams creatively present their solutions in a performance at a regional tournament. Destination Imagination (DI) is the world's largest creative problem-solving competition for youth, with thousands of participants across the U.S. and around the world. DI teams typically meet once each week from November through mid-March. Each team is managed by a parent volunteer and sets their own meeting schedule. Minnetonka DI teams consistently take top honors at every level! Participants learn to think on their feet, develop collaboration and leadership skills and have fun! MORE ABOUT DI: Destination Imagination is a project-based program that builds participants’ creativity, problem solving and teamwork in enjoyable and meaningful ways. The goals of Destination Imagination are for participants to: Foster creative and critical thinking. Learn and apply creative problem solving. Develop teamwork, collaboration and leadership skills. Nurture research and inquiry skills. Enhance and apply written and verbal communication and presentation skills. Encourage competence in, enthusiasm for and commitment to real-life problem solving. ABOUT OUR DI TEAMS: Minnetonka DI Teams... Consist of 5-7 members, often from the same school. Typically meet once each week from November to mid-March. Work together and unleash their imaginations to tackle one of five crazy challenges. Present their solutions in a short performance at regional, state and global tournaments. State tournament typically occurs around Spring Break, with Global Finals in May. Develop collaboration and leadership skills, think on their feet and have fun! ****Meeting dates and times will be set according to the Team Managers’ and participants’ schedules once teams are formed. TEAM MANAGERS: Each team needs an adult Team Manager to facilitate team meetings, tournament logistics and team safety. A good DI Team Manager must: Have a good sense of humor Appreciate creativity and innovation Enjoy working with children and young adults Be interested in helping young people learn creativity, teamwork and problem solving Have a positive and friendly attitude Training, resources and support for Team Managers will be provided. If you are interested in becoming a team manager, please indicate this when you are registering. Find out more about being a team manager here: Team Manager IMPORTANT DATES: Team Challenges Released: See link here DI Teams Created: Late October/Early November All Metro Team Manager Workshop (District 287): TBD West/ Southwest Metro Tournament: Dates for those events will be posted here. State (Affiliate) Tournament: TBD Global Finals: TBD (for those that advance)

Learn new illustration and coloring techniques inspired by popular video games and classic apps. Create artwork based on pixel block characters, plants, zombies and more Join our workshop to explore the stunning art of your favorite apps and video games—creativity meets technology in this fun, hands-on experience! If you love gaming or drawing, you'll have a blast adding your personal touch to these favorites! Please bring a nut-free snack and water bottle.