WORKSHOPS
Rockaway Park is committed to creating a supportive and inspirational environment for sharing skills. Our workshop program is a core part of this evolving mission, dedicated to being low-cost and accessible to all, with a wealth of talented practitioners keen to share their experience.
Previous Workshop Programmes
We have hosted sessions on a wide range of topics, from practical skills that empower self-sufficiency to creative arts that nourish the soul. The variety is a testament to the diverse talents within our community.
You can see the results of our Women’s Zine Workshop HAG - run by Dr Laura Way here
Practical Skills
It's a Woman's Weld, Stained Glass, Solar Energy, Silversmithing, foraging.
Creative Arts
Automata Making, Poetry Writing, Creative Writing, Cyanotype Photography, Zine workshop, learning to draw.
Wellbeing
Forest Therapy, Yoga, Natural Dyeing.
For Children
Robot Modelling, Junkyard Jungle, Rockaway Kids. Kids Graffiti, Straw Dolls.
Online Learning
We have also offered a selection of online courses, such as 'Creative Writing' and 'Beginners Yoga', allowing people to learn new skills from our experienced guides from anywhere in the world.
Run a Workshop at Rockaway
We continue to invite creative practitioners to collaborate with us by hiring our unique spaces to deliver their own workshops. We provide promotional support through our newsletter and website, helping you reach our large and engaged audience, and we are always open to new ideas that align with our ethos.
BREAK TOYS MAKE NOISE - Introduction to Circuit Bending
After a sell out first workshop, here’s another!
SATURDAY 16th May 2026 - 11am - ROCKAWAY PARK - CLASSROOM - £35
Ever wondered what’s inside a plastic noisy kids’ toy that makes it speak, beep, buzz, or sing? Circuit bending is the playful art of exploring and transforming these innocent machines into unpredictable, glitchy, and wonderfully mutated instruments. Whether you’re already into electronics or just inquisitive, experimenting with other like-minded sonic explorers is lots of fun.
In this hands-on playshop, we’ll dive into the strange inner life of these toys, reveal and explore their circuitry and learn how individual components behave. After a brief introduction, we’ll probe, experiment and make small changes - like swapping, bridging, or touching parts - to twist a toy’s voice into something wonderfully wrong, glitchy, and strange, sampling as we go. Towards the end, we will name our creations, plug them into a mixer for a mind-bending jam and create a sound journey together. There will be glitches, surprises, chaos, and the joy of making toys sing in unexpected ways.
No technical nor musical experience is required although curiosity is mandatory! Soldering is optional and fully guided, with plenty of help available as you work solo or in groups. You are welcome to bring your own battery-powered toy** to transform and take home, or use one of ours. Let’s see just how much we can make these machines misbehave!
When - Saturday 16th May 2026
* 11:00–13:00 - Introduction, exploration, probe for glitches. Plan your project.
* Break for lunch (Rockaway Park Café serve delicious lunches ~£10)
* 14:00–18:00 - Hands-on bending, soldering, jamming
What’s Included
* Introduction to common circuit parts
* Basic intro to practice soldering
* Supervised solder station for guided or assisted soldering
* Make and use a glitch probe
* Toys to work on and spare electronic components
* Tools, soldering irons, lead-free solder, wire, batteries, speakers
* Biodegradable earplugs (combined noise can be overwhelming!)
* Sample pack from the day’s recordings emailed to you
* The ‘Break Toys Make Noise’ Circuit-Bending handout
Welcome to bring along:
A battery-powered toy to transform and jam with*
Your own complete/incomplete circuit-bent noise projects*
* Soldering iron (more the merrier!)
* Your own tools
* Your own expertise to assist others
** - you can pick up relatively cheap toys at charity shops or car boots etc! When selecting a toy to bring, it must already make noise and it MUST be powered by either AA or AAA batteries, NOT Lithium or rechargeable types and certainly NOT mains powered. *Look for toys with a slightly larger plastic casing as there is more space inside making it easier to work on.
