Is STEM Camp Right for Your Child?

As parents make their summer plans, many are seeking programs that not only offer fun-filled activities, but also help children recover from potential learning loss due to disruptions caused by COVID-19.

For children who love problem solving, experimenting or building things out of cardboard and other upcycled materials from around the house, a STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) summer camp like Camp Invention^® is an obvious solution.

What may be less obvious is that a STEM camp can also be a strong option for children who are not typically interested in STEM subjects in a traditional school setting. This is because these programs embrace these topics through hands-on games and activities. Often, children are having so much fun that they don’t even realize that they’re learning.

To see if camp might be a good fit for your family, we invite your child to try a few activities that will give them an idea of the fun they can expect at Camp Invention.

Try Out These Free STEM Activities

1. Wildlife Engineering Design Challenge

This activity will challenge your child to design a park using upcycled materials where people can have fun and wild animals can live safely. Much like how engineers must consider many different perspectives to identify the best solutions, your child can use the power of empathy to create solutions that can benefit everyone.

At Camp Invention, participants use this very same mindset to design and prototype inventions that improves the lives of others. If your child enjoys helping others, they will fit right in!

2. Deer Drop Parachute

Using a plastic bag, tape and string, your child can create a parachute and attach it to a small toy or stuffed animal. This activity is a great hands-on way for them to explore the physics behind how a parachute works. Because air resistance pushes the parachute upward, but the force of gravity is stronger, your child’s toy is able to gently float down to the ground. Using the prototyping process, they can make modifications to improve their creations.

Throughout the week at Camp Invention, children learn the power of prototyping by discovering ways to improve their inventions over time. If your little one has fun tinkering and using household items to build things, then they will feel right at home.

3. Boom, Crash, Fun!

Shake things up with this activity that invites children to explore gravity by building structures and demolishing them in creative ways. By constructing “demolition bands” out of a rubber band and washer, and a “wrecking ball” out of a yardstick, string and a plastic ball, participants are able to explore the forces of motion in a hands-on way.

One of the best things about Camp Invention is that it makes STEM concepts fun and accessible through activities that encourage kids to tinker and experiment. Once again, they are having so much fun that they don’t realize that they’re learning!

Nervous No More

Sometimes, children who are new to Camp Invention might be a little nervous about trying it out. This is very common among our campers, with nerves especially high on the first day. However, more often than not, their anxiety quickly goes away and they often enjoy the experience so much that by Day 5 they are begging for another week!
 

“We did a lot of building and I thought that was cool. I also really liked taking the LINK robot apart because I got to see all of the parts inside. It makes me feel more confident in building, and feel like I could fix my bike or build something bigger.” 
– Reed C., Camp Invention Participant
 

“This was different from our online school because we got to talk to other kids and I didn’t have to just figure things out on my own. It was nice to be led by someone who helped me understand it. There were so many activities and they were really fun. Camp Invention is so cool, it’s my most favorite thing to do in the summer.”
– Lydia F., Camp Invention Participant

Save Your Spot at Camp Invention Today

At Camp Invention, children are given the freedom to solve real-world challenges through hands-on exploration — so they have fun each day, whether or not they had been interested in STEM subjects before signing up for camp.

Equally fun in both at-home and in-person settings, and with the ability to switch your format choice up to six weeks before your program start date with our Peace of Mind Promise, Camp Invention is the perfect summer program for any child who loves to create.

Register by April 30 and use the promo code STEMFUN30 to save $30!