Children’s workshop (ages 11 and up). Parents or guardians are responsible for their children at all times. Participation is at your own risk. Please do not wear highly flammable clothing.
Together with a blacksmith, you will heat an iron bar in the forge. Using a hammer, you will shape the glowing iron on the anvil and forge it into a unique keyring to take home.
Every 20 minutes, two children can take part in the forging workshop. Time slots are booked by the hour, so you may need to wait a little before it’s your turn.
After starting his own business in the metalworking industry, Cees Pronk began researching blacksmithing education in the Netherlands in 1999/2000. He discovered that a proper vocational training programme no longer existed, which inspired him to develop one himself. The learning objectives he wrote, approved by the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (OCW), formed the foundation for the curriculum and teaching materials of Mondra Opleidingen. In addition to the Blacksmithing Training Programme, the organisation also offers a wide range of workshops and masterclasses for children, adults, artists and primary school pupils. All activities take place at Smederij Cornelis Pronk, the place to learn traditional blacksmithing techniques.
As of 1 January 2024, Smederij Cornelis Pronk has been taken over by Lotte Pronk, Cees Pronk’s daughter, ensuring that the business remains in the family.
During this continuous workshop, you will make your own seed paper from recycled paper pulp, embedding flower seeds into it. Next, you will shape the paper into a flower, a bee, or a butterfly.
Take your creation home, plant it in a pot or in your garden, and watch real flowers bloom over time!
Technika10 Leiden has existed for over 25 years and aims to promote technical skills and knowledge of technology among children. They organize workshops that inspire wonder and are educational. Real tools and materials are used, such as wood, metal, plastic, and motors powered by batteries or solar cells.
For children aged 7 and up. Adults who want to learn coping saw techniques to pass this knowledge on to children are also welcome.
Discover how fun coping saw work is and create your own wooden waving animal. During this workshop, you will learn the basics of coping sawing, sanding, and assembling. Step by step, a moving animal takes shape that happily waves when you set it in motion. A hands-on piece where technique, creativity, and wonder come together.
You will take home a surprising creature.
Technika10 Leiden has existed for over 25 years and aims to promote technical skills and knowledge of technology among children. They organize workshops that inspire wonder and are educational. Real tools and materials are used, such as wood, metal, and motors powered by batteries or solar cells.
Did you know that a seashell was once the home of a sea creature, such as a snail or a mussel? The animal built its shell layer by layer, all by itself, over many years. Some of the shells you find on the beach can be decades old and may have traveled through the sea for all that time before reaching you.
Just like a shell has a long history, so do you! Your family, your ancestors, have also traveled a long journey before you came into the world.
During this workshop, you will work with a large, beautiful shell that will become your own! You will paint it in your own style, using colors and decorations that reflect your family and your history.
First, we will tell you more about why it is so important to know where you come from and how you can connect with your ancestors. With that thought in mind, you will decorate your shell in whatever way feels right to you.
Paint, brushes, and all decorative materials will be provided. All you need to bring is your creativity.
At the end of the workshop, you will receive a small box to take your shell home safely. Place it somewhere special in your home, on a shelf or a small altar. Every time you look at it, you can take a moment to reflect on your ancestors and where you come from.
Carla, Martha Sabajo, and Marilyn van Rijn, born in Suriname, are proud cultural bearers of the Lokono community. As members of Stichting Wasjikwa, they dedicate their time to preserving and passing on indigenous cultural heritage. Their motivation comes from a deep connection to their roots. They believe that traditional craft techniques can never be separated from the stories, values, and spirituality woven into them. For Carla, Martha, and Marilyn, passing on Indigenous skills goes far beyond teaching techniques; it is about sharing an entire way of life.
During their workshops, they create a warm sense of community where participants not only learn practical skills but also hear personal stories about the importance of community.
Did you know that weaving is an ancient art form? Indigenous peoples, who live in close connection with nature, have learned to create beautiful and durable objects from natural fibers. Think of bags, baskets, and cooking utensils, all woven by hand!
A wonderful example is the cassava press, or matapi, of the Lokono people of Suriname. It is woven from warimbo, a strong reed, and is shaped like a snake with distinctive patterns. Indigenous weavers often decorate their work with geometric designs inspired by animals from their surroundings, such as the anaconda, jaguar, or swallow.
During this workshop, you will learn the basics of this craft! Step by step, you will discover how to weave paper strips together, and by the end you will have made your own bookmark, perfect for your favorite book or your planner.
Weaving is entirely handmade, and that is something special. Working with your hands brings a sense of calm, and when you have made something yourself, you can take extra pride in it!
Carla, Martha Sabajo, and Marilyn van Rijn, all born in Suriname, are proud cultural bearers of the Lokono community. As members of the Wasjikwa Foundation, they dedicate their time to preserving and passing on indigenous cultural heritage. Their motivation comes from a deep connection to their roots. They believe that traditional craft techniques can never be separated from the stories, values, and spirituality woven into them. For Carla, Martha, and Marilyn, passing on Indigenous skills goes far beyond teaching techniques; it is about sharing an entire way of life.
During their workshops, they create a warm sense of community where participants not only learn practical skills but also hear personal stories about the importance of community.
Discover how to create something special from an everyday material. In this workshop, you will design and print a series of unique cards using hand-carved potato stamps. It is a simple, creative technique that shows you don’t need much to achieve a beautiful result. You will learn how to carve shapes into potatoes, how to use them as stamps, and how to create your own designs using colour, pattern, and composition. We work with potatoes, acrylic paint, and paper, with a strong focus on creative reuse and sustainable materials.
This workshop is suitable for all ages and levels. At the end, you will go home with a set of hand-printed cards and inspiration to continue working creatively and sustainably with simple materials at home.
Lisa Dröes is an illustrator and typographer. She studied Illustration at HKU and then specialised in typography at the University of Reading in the United Kingdom. Alongside her work as an illustrator and graphic designer, she focuses on hand-printing small editions of cards. From her studio in the NDSM-loods in Amsterdam, she works on projects where typography, print techniques, and visual research come together. Using a 140-year-old printing press, she brings contemporary designs to life in an artisanal way. Her practice is characterised by a constant curiosity about materials. She experiments with what can be printed and how everyday or recycled materials can be used in the making process.
In this workshop, you will work together with your (grand)parent on recycled wood and build a small bench to take home with you. Guided by an experienced woodworker, you will learn in a playful and accessible way how to use basic tools such as a saw, hammer, drill, and screwdriver. No experience is needed: the focus is on enjoyment, making, and discovery.
The workshop is about collaboration, creativity, and experiencing how beautiful and valuable reclaimed materials can be. You will learn the basics of woodworking and how leftover wood gets a second life. At the end of the workshop, you will go home with new skills, inspiration, and a handmade piece of furniture.
Per duo, 1 ticket is required.
At Buurman Amsterdam, everything revolves around circular making. “In our workshop we give leftover and waste wood a second life and show people how fun and accessible woodworking can be. We combine a circular hardware store with educational workshops and courses, where participants learn to design, build, and repair using reclaimed materials. By locally rescuing materials from the waste stream and working with them, we make reuse tangible and practical. We strongly believe in learning by doing: working with your hands, discovering new skills, and creating something you are proud of together. Step by step, we are building a world where reuse becomes the norm.”
The workshops at Buurman Amsterdam are led by enthusiastic makers and wood lovers with a passion for circular building and knowledge sharing. With great energy, they guide participants step by step through the making process and create a welcoming, safe, and inspiring atmosphere in the workshop. Whether it’s your first time holding a drill or you’ve done DIY before: everyone is welcome. The instructors believe in learning by doing and help participants gain confidence while working. Alongside technical skills, they also share their enthusiasm for reuse, creativity, and sustainable material use. Each workshop is not only about making something, but also about learning to see materials and possibilities differently.
In this hands-on parent-child workshop, you will create two soap bars together using a melt-and-pour technique, fully customised to your own taste with a choice of colours, fragrances, and natural botanicals such as lavender blossoms and rose petals.
You will work with high-quality shea and glycerine soap bases, along with professional soap-making materials and tools that are safe and easy to use.
You will learn the basic principles of soap formulation, including melting, mixing, scenting, colouring, and shaping soaps. The focus is on experimentation, sensory experience, and creative expression.
At the end of the workshop, each duo will go home with two handmade soaps, beautifully packaged, along with the knowledge to continue making soap at home.
Duo workshop; you purchase 1 ticket per duo.
Farah of Sparkling Mosaic is a skincare educator, workshop developer, and entrepreneur with a deep passion for handmade, natural self-care. Her mission is to help people create their own skincare at low cost, using natural ingredients and without unnecessary chemicals; with only 5 to 6 ingredients instead of the 30+ often found in industrial products. What began as an internship in Paris and home experiments grew into a full practice in which she makes skincare simple, sustainable, and accessible to everyone.
Duo workshop for 1 adult with 1 child (1 ticket is valid for 1 duo)
In this duo workshop for parent and child, you will get acquainted with the Japanese Shibori technique. You will learn to experiment with different natural dyes and create shapes and patterns by folding, clamping, and tying fabric.
During this dye workshop, you will work with natural dyes to create a unique party garland. You will experiment with plant-based colors such as indigo, madder, onion skins, turmeric, reseda, and logwood. You will learn how the natural dyeing process works, how to create patterns using the Shibori technique, and how to mix colors by dyeing fabric layer by layer.
Together, you will make 20 flags, enough for a beautiful, personal garland that you can take home and that will last a lifetime.
Marte Haverkamp is a visual artist who gives a contemporary twist to the traditional craft of natural dyeing. She works with dyes from plants, flowers, and kitchen waste to color textiles in a sustainable way. Each color is an interplay between material, time, and attention. It is a process that requires patience, experimentation, and connection with nature. In her workshops, Marte shows how this age-old technique remains accessible and relevant in today’s world.
In this interactive children’s workshop, you transform bio-waste such as coffee grounds and casein into biodegradable “ground treasures.” You will get hands-on experience making and shaping your own flower seed bombs, using cookie cutters and a hydraulic press.
The creations are then dried in a drying oven and can be taken home at the end of the day to plant in your garden. If you don’t have a garden, you can plant them somewhere outside or give them away as a small gift.
Through a creative, hands-on process, you will learn about circularity, material use, and the impact of waste. The workshop combines sustainability with making and experimenting, and encourages environmental awareness, creativity, and problem-solving skills.
Please note: your work needs to dry in the drying oven and can be collected at the end of the day. It is helpful to bring your own container to transport your “ground treasure.”
From Waste to Wonder offers various interactive workshops in which children learn in a playful and practical way to see waste and sustainability differently. Guided through a structured process, they actively work on making recipes, shaping toys, and revaluing bio-waste as a valuable raw material. In doing so, they discover the life cycle of materials and learn to understand the impact of waste. Instead of passive learning, the focus is on doing, making, and experimenting. This stimulates creativity, problem-solving skills, and a sustainable mindset. Children become makers and innovators, proud of their creations and more connected to their environment.
Jamie van Duuren is a product designer with a passion for sustainability and social impact. She specializes in biodesign and alternative materials and explores environmentally friendly solutions through hands-on experiments. Her goal is to inspire the next generation through creativity and environmental awareness.
Festival address:
NDSM Loods
NDSM-Plein 85
1033 WC Amsterdam
Postal address:
Stichting Ambacht in Beeld
Kalf 158
1509AH Zaandam
The Netherlands
