Our Summer Camp Programs are conducted on a weekly basis. Students should feel free to take as many weeks of a given program as desired, as the instruction is tailored to each individual’s experience and skill level. Based on enrollment, students in each program are also placed in different sections based on their grade level.
All of our Summer programs have culminating events on the last day of each week. Parents, caregivers, and families are invited to see their children’s projects on Fridays.
Chess Academy
Chess helps develop critical thinking skills; improve academic performance; and build sportsmanship, self-confidence, and discipline.
Each chess camp session includes a fun mix of formal instruction, practical exercises, and playing opportunities. There will be separate sections for beginning, intermediate, and more-advanced players. Intermediate and advanced players will take their games to the next level by learning strategies, practicing tactics, and preparing for and participating in chess tournaments.
Code Academy
Our Code Academy track is designed to expose students to both the study and use of computer science. Students can learn about programming, video game design and 3D Video Gamemaker, app development, digital arts and 3D design/3D Printing.
We provide laptops for the students in these programs. We also encourage students to bring their own laptops so that we can load software that they can continue to use at home.
Programming with Scratch, Python, Java
Students learn the basics of programming at their own pace as they are introduced to the different programming languages.
MIT’s Scratch, which is designed specifically for ease of use by children, employs click-and-drag colored command blocks to program simple animations and games.
Python is a general purpose programming software that employs actual lines of code. Students use their new programming skills to develop an animation or game, create a graphic, or write a function that can solve a problem or answer a question.
Java is a widely used programming language that students will use to develop games and apps.
Each week there are separate sections for new and returning students with different exercises and projects.
Entering Grades 1 and up in the Fall.
Video Game Design
Students are introduced to video game design where they will combine their creativity, storytelling skills with coding and strategy in order to create their world and characters create original games that are fun to play, not too easy to win, not too hard to lose and pleasing to the eyes. Returning students can continue to build upon their existing games or embark on new projects.
Entering Grades 1 and up in the Fall.
3D Video Game Maker
Students are introduced to the basics of game development while learning to use Kodu gamemaking software. This software uses a visual programming language designed to be accessible to children and made specifically for creating games. Kodu’s various capabilities enable students to develop and program a wide range of inventive and visually interesting games that are played in a 3-D world. Students draw on these capabilities to design and create their own single-player and multi-player games.
Returning students can continue to build upon their existing games or embark on new projects.
Entering Grades 1 and up in the Fall.
App Development
Students progress from users to actual builders of their own fully functional apps. In our course, we use MIT App Inventor and other user-friendly software to introduce students to app development. MIT App Inventor employs a simple click-and-drag programming language that lets students develop and export various software projects as applications on different Android platforms. Because it uses a similar programming architecture, our App Development course is an excellent sequel or complement to our Scratch course.
Each week there are separate sections for new and returning students with different exercises and projects.
Entering Grades 2 and up in Fall 2019.
Minecraft Mania! and Advanced Minecraft
Minecraft is a widely popular 3D video game that lets users explore, construct, create, and interact inside an open and changeable virtual world. Each week’s instruction introduces a new world or civilization, with different missions, quests, or challenges. These tasks encourage students to learn, to think strategically, and to work together to accomplish their goals.
Students do not need a Minecraft account as we use a proprietary curriculum where kids access Minecraft using our accounts and explore and learn in our networked server.
The Advanced Minecraft option allows students to take the Minecraft game to the next level:
- Students will learn how to edit or build new maps
- Students will explore engineering with Redstone. Redstone is an analogy for electricity and electric circuits in Minecraft. Students will learn how adjacent pieces can be put together to form wires, how generators like buttons or levers can create current along wires resulting in actions such as opening a door or exploding a block. Logical gates will be introduced so students can combine and reverse multiple currents to create a logical circuit, for example, closing a door only when two buttons are pushed. Students will use those circuits to create more complex computer-like machines solving problems and using their imagination through play.
Each week there are separate sections for new and returning students with different exercises and projects.
Minecraft Mania!: entering Grades 1 and up in the Fall.
Advanced Minecraft: entering Grades 3 and up in the Fall.
3D Design/3D Printing
Students experience the fun of creating 3D designs using SketchUp or Tinkercad modeling software. SketchUp lets students push and pull surfaces to turn them into 3D forms. They then can stretch, copy, rotate, and paint these forms to create their own customized structures. These structures can range from buildings to various forms of transportation. With Tinkercad, students use basic shapes as building blocks to piece together and form all sort of designs.
Students also are exposed to 3D printing technology through use of our 3D printer.
Each week there are separate sections for new and returning students with different exercises and projects.
Entering Grades 2 and up in the Fall.
Digital Arts
Students will explore different digital arts techniques while using their creativity in a fun way:
- Using amazing brushes and symmetry, students will sketch and draw beautiful artworks
- Students will create short animations
- Students will learn to alter images to create surreal effects
- Design and create your own stop motion video
Each week there are separate sections for new and returning students with different exercises and projects.
Entering Grades 2 and up in the Fall.
CIRCUS STEM
Learn to juggle a wide variety of props (balls, scarves, rings and more), to perform
clowning and magic tricks. This is a hands-on class where the students will also learn the basic physics concepts involved in circus though fun experiments and engaging projects.
Each week will focus on one or two specific skills.
Roblox Game Design Studio
Students will take their video design to the next level by designing their own video game in Roblox. Students will use basic game design principles and their creativity to craft their unique games: from obstacle course to adventure game or racing game, the options are limitless!
Maker Lab
Our Maker Lab is for kids who love to tinker, design, build, and create.
Robotics
Students are introduced to the basics of robotics while working hands-on with various Lego® robotic systems, including Wedo, Mindstorms, Mindstorms NXT, and EV3; and VEX Robotics Systems. Students design and construct different robots and then program them to move, react, and solve various challenges.
Each week there are separate Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced sections for new and returning students.
Entering Grades 1 and up in the Fall.
Waterbotics
WaterBotics, is an innovative underwater robotics program developed by Stevens Institute of Technology, that challenges students to design, build, program, test, and redesign underwater robots made of LEGO® components, motors, propellers, and other materials.
Students engage in the engineering design process to build and refine a remote-controlled underwater robot or remotely operated vehicle (ROV). Students engage in a series of missions, each of which builds on the previous one and increases in complexity. Each mission presents a simulated scenario that is based on an actual, real-life application of underwater robotics.
Entering Grades 3 and up in the Fall.
STEAM/Engineering
The programs in our STEAM (STEM+Art/Design)/Engineering camp let students explore different engineering paths and STEAM concepts, practice the Engineering Design Process through engaging hands-on activities and have fun while working in teams, experience in an engaging way how art and design can be integral parts of STEM-related fields.
Civil Engineering: Designing & Building Bridges
Team of students will learn about different types of bridges and Civil Engineering through a realistic, hands-on problem solving experience. Using the Engineering Design Process and STEM skills, students will design a bridge on a software, then build it and test it. The bridge will have to meet load, safety and budget constraints.
Entering Grades 1 and up in the Fall.
Civil Engineering: Structures & Earthquake Engineering
Students will learn about seismology through hands-on experiments and projects: explore the world of earthquakes, how they are created, and how scientists record and study them.
Our teams of civil engineers will use the engineering design process to design and build their own seismograph and structures that can resist earthquakes within a set budget. The structures will be tested on a shaky platform.
Entering Grades 2 and up in the Fall.
Mechanical Engineering: Roller Coaster Engineering
Our teams of mechanical engineers will apply basics of physics principles (Newton’s laws, force, energy, gravity, speed, friction) as they use the engineering design process to design and build their own roller coaster.
Entering Grades 1 and up in the Fall.
Aerospace Engineering: Rocketry
3, 2, 1…Blast Off! Students will shoot for the moon this Summer applying basic physics concepts (angles, trajectory, aerodynamics, thrust, Newton’s Laws) and the engineering design process in hands-on projects such as designing, building and launching their own rockets.
Entering Grades 1 and up in the Fall.
Electrical Engineering
Students learn the basics of electronics while conducting hands-on experiments with different educational kits: Snap circuits, Makey Makey, littleBits. Student can build exciting and challenging projects as AM radios, alarms, musical instruments, remote-controlled cars and more. More experienced students will use Arduino to connect computers, sensors, and output devices to create interactive objects that can sense and control objects in the real world (sample interactive projects include a motion detector, automatic night light, thermostat, or talking clock).
Entering Grades 1 and up in the Fall.
Environmental Engineering
Students will learn about environmental engineering and renewable energy through fun and engaging hands-on projects such as using the engineering design process to design and build innovative machines powered by the sun, the wind or water and engineer an oil spill cleanup solution.
Entering Grades 1 and up in the Fall.
Railway Engineering
This class introduces students to the railroad transportation mode through the lens of STEM. Students will be exposed to the railway transportation technology through experimental learning and hands-on activities.
Start-up Lab
Students will learn what it means to have their own “start-up” company. From the brainstorming their ideas, to creating their own products or websites, designing their own logo and working on their business plan to try to make a profit. All the start-ups will showcase their new products/services on Friday.
Entering Grades 1 and up in the Fall.
CSI STEM
You are the detective! Use your problem solving skills and explore forensic science to solve a mystery. Students will have fun engaging in the following activities:
- Hands-on science experiments to analyze fingerprints, DNA and clues using chromatography, fiber analysis, chemistry and toxicology to identify unknown substances and liquids.
- Engineer and test their own lie detector.
- Investigate in teams and solve a mystery in a Minecraft Clue World.
Entering Grades 1 and up in the Fall.
Ancient Civilizations STEM
Explore Ancient Civilizations history, myths and legends from Medieval times to Ancient Greeks or Romans, Inca, Egyptians or Chinese. Learn historical and cultural facts while understanding the engineering and build your own inventions out of everyday materials.
Entering Grades 1 and up in the Fall.
Kitchen Chemistry
Understand the chemistry behind food and cooking through hands-on projects and fun experiments. We will create delicious treats and amazing chemical reactions while learning about atoms, molecules and designing structure models.
Entering Grades 1 and up in the Fall
SPA Science
Make SPA products and understand the science behind them: fizzy bath bombs, sugary scrubs, aromatic bath salts, soaps and more.
(Girls-Only STEM Camp); entering Grades 1 and up in the Fall.
Doctor’s Academy
Explore the science behind cells, organs, muscles and bones through fun, hands-on activities. From understanding how an apple turns into energy and experimenting with model cells, organs, muscles, brain and skeleton. Students will make their own stethoscopes or a prosthetic arm.
Entering Grades 1 and up in the Fall.
Architecture & Design
You are the architect and designer! You will create the blueprint of your dream house, skyscraper or city, then design it in 3D online, before building and decorating it. You will use engineering skills to add some electricity in your creation.
Entering Grades 1 and up in the Fall.
Drones Lab
Fun engineering class where students will be introduced to drones in order to:
- Understand how the different parts work together in order to build one,
- Learn how to code the drones for safe flight missions
- Be exposed to the basic physics of flight
Entering Grades 3 and up in the Fall.
Flight and Aerodynamics
Students learn about basic physics concepts of flight and aerodynamics while building flying models with everyday materials.
Examples include planes, parachute, or kite. Students will also experience a flight simulator.
Tinker Lab
You are the engineer! Design and build a different project every week. Explore different areas of engineering through hands-on projects: electrical engineering, civil engineering, or mechanical engineering.
Pop Culture STEM
Harry Potter STEM
Calling all muggles to the Wonderful World of Wizardry. Design and build your blinking own magic wand, catapult to launch snitches, mix up potions and use an invisible cloak.
Star Wars STEM
This interactive class gets kids engaged in Science Technology Engineering and Math through a fun and exciting Star Wars theme. Students will be introduced to Jedi engineering to build charcters and pieces of the Star Wars galaxy, and engage in science experiments to create Star Wars landscapes.
Pokemon STEM
