STEM EDUCATION SUMMER CAMPS

Summer is quickly approaching. Summer means that the sun will be blaring and your kids will be staring… into a television, computer screen, or mobile device for most or all of the days of their summer vacation. Many parents complain that their children do not get outside nearly enough during the summer months, especially as they grow out of their elementary years and into the awkward adolescent years of their lives when being seen on the playground is no longer “socially acceptable”. So how do you entertain them in a way that is both fun as well as educational? Try enrolling them in summer activities like summer camps and workshops. Enrolling your children will provide them an opportunity to learn a great deal, make many new friends, and establish a habit of filling their time with actual activities.

If your children are interested in science, technology, engineering, and math (click here to read more about STEM education), or if you are trying to get your children interested in this field, consider enrolling them in an age-appropriate summer camps devoted to teaching science, technology, engineering, and mathematics concepts. These camps are devoted to making learning extraordinarily fun because of the high demand in the STEM field and low interests across college campuses around the United States. If your children really enjoy these opportunities, try sending them to multiple summer camps.

Here are just a few STEM camps that are available for your children during the summer months:

• The Henry Ford Summer Camps in Dearborn, Michigan

  The STEM summer camps in Dearborn, Michigan allow students to blend their knowledge of history and their interest in STEM education into one grand week-long experience full of fun and creativity. Students will have the opportunity to build unique technology, learn through hands-on experiences, engage in outdoor exploration, and embark on artifact hunts.

  Students are encouraged to register by grade and should use the grade that they will be entering in the next school year. Parents will have the opportunity to pick from 6 different, but equally impressive, week long camps and are offered a discount if they are members of the museum.

   

• ExxonMobil Bernard Harris Summer Science Camp

  If cost is an issue for you, as it is for so many deserving children and their families, then this just may be the STEM summer camp for you. All children that are accepted via the application process can attend this camp completely free of charge. While attending this camp, students will be able to meet with and work alongside real scientists and specialists in the STEM field.

  This is a two-week summer camp dedicated to rewarding hardworking, underserved middle school students that may not otherwise be able to take advantage of summer camps. ExxonMobil Bernard Harris Summer Science Camps are offered at a variety of college campuses in the United States and is paid for in full by NASA and ExxonMobil.

   

• Digital Media Academy

  If your child normally enjoys physical activities such as running or skateboarding, this camp will offer the opportunity to blend those interests with high tech skills. The best part? This camp isn’t just for the kids. You are also encouraged to attend this camp and take part in various opportunities as adults interested in STEM, especially if you are an educator and want to spread these opportunities with your students. You can register for this camp in 8 different states in the United States of America, Washington D.C, and even Canada. There are 23 locations currently available for you to register.

   

• MathPath

  Mathpath is one of the longest summer camps available on this list measuring in at 4 weeks long. It is an intensive math-focused summer camp for advanced students ages 11 to 14 and is held at Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts. At MathPath, students can enrich the skills that they already have in group activities as well as in “breakout” classes that are tailored to their special interests.

  Applications must be sent in as early as the fall before the following summer because the camp fills up incredibly quickly. While the camp may seem expensive at first, there are opportunities for financial aid for students and families that qualify.

   

• Play-Well Summer Camp

  Play-Well Summer camp is a camp dedicated to serving students in grades Kindergarten through 8th grade. This summer camp is unique in that it uses hands-on projects with Legos to teach your child STEM concepts in engineering, physics, and architecture. This camp is dedicated to teaching children ages 5-14 how to develop critical thinking skills, confidence, and STEM vocabulary that they can use to further their interests and potential careers in the STEM field. Not only will children be learning, they will be allowed to embrace their creative ideas and build fun projects like Mars Rovers.

  Play-Well Summer camp is a STEM-driven camp that is offered in 27 different states in the United States and at multiple different locations within each state.

   

• Summer Institute For the Gifted

  This summer camp is a 3-week intensive camp that serves students from Kindergarten to 11th grade. If 3 weeks is too long, then you have the opportunity to enroll your student in a day camp if they are between the ages of 5 and 12. The best part? This camp offers many different topics for your child to learn from that vary from location to location and change every year meaning that your child can attend as many of these camps as they would like and may never run into the opportunity to repeat material.

  This camp is hosted in 7 states in the United States. Students will even be allowed the opportunity to take the SAT at the end of this 3-week camp if they choose to do so.

   

• ID Tech Camps

  ID Tech Camps are held in over 20 states and cater to your child’s interests in fun technology advanced topics such as video game design, videography, robotics, programming, and web design. Not only will your children enjoy exploring their interests in these areas, they will quickly learn how to focus in on their creativity, innovation, and critical thinking skills.

  This camp understands that your children are more than their interests in technology and STEM-related areas. That is why they also offer opportunities for your children to play sports of their choosing, engage in fun technology-based games, and utilize critical thinking skills through board games and talent show opportunities.

The camps listed above are just a handful of the summer camps available to you in the United States alone. There are many camps that are available internationally if your child is willing to travel and you have approved the adventure.

Not every summer camp listed above will cover every age group, but rest assured that your child will be able to find a STEM education related summer camp in the United States without much trouble no matter what age he or she is.