Creative Works (Art, Sewing, Movie Making)

 

Enchanted Creatures of the World – Gr. K-3

Welcome boys and girls to our fantasy world of enchanting creatures like a Niffler, Elves, Fairies, Hobgoblin, Dragon, Narwal & Merpeople, Sea Serpents, Gnomes, Pixies, Will-o-wisp, and Unicorn! Projects include creating magical wands and good luck potions, sculpting clay creatures and creature houses; making goblin slime, painting, drawing, and dressing up as fantastic beasts. We will read stories, make masks, and use a variety of mixed media to create a magical world! LOTS of artsy fun, reading, and make-believe! Art Explorers guides young children in the transition from random scribbling to intentional drawing and helps them see how lines and shapes fit together to create recognizable forms.

Mini Masters – Gr. K-3

Discover our fun and playful art camp with whimsical animals, people and nature, still life, simple landscapes, and 3-D projects. Learn about Great Artists like Matisse, Kusama, Ringgold, Picasso, Kahlo, Warholl and more. Campers gain self-confidence as they learn to draw, paint, sculpt, and collage. Create wonderful pieces of artwork while using a mixture of artist quality materials including clay, watercolor, paint, soft pastels, oil pastels, Art Stix, illustration markers, AquaStics, and more! Art Explorers guides young children in the transition from random scribbling to intentional drawing and helps them see how lines and shapes fit together to create recognizable forms.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them – Gr. 2-6

Grab your suitcase, catch the train, and join the hunt to find the fantastic beasts who await your arrival! Explore our guide to Mythical Creatures and learn where to find them. In this special wizard camp away from the muggles of the world, you will design your own suitcase, construct a Bowtruckle, paint an Occamy egg and Merpeople, draw a Phoenix and Doxy, sew a loveable Niffler, make a Deathly Hallows necklace, sculpt the wild Erumpent, and invent your own incredible creature! Throughout the week, take notes, create a map and draw sketches in your special journal. When our travels come to an end, take home your suitcase of beasts and note-worthy journal.

Great Masters of the World! – Gr. 2-6        

Design, draw, build, paint, construct, engineer and sculpt as you explore the great artists, designers and architects of the world while creating your own distinctive flair! Travel throughout time as you experiment with thick paints like Van Gogh, go wild with clay a la Pablo Picasso, design 3D Nevelson sculptures, experience first-hand the challenge of doing Michelangelo’s ceiling paintings, discover the playful art of Matisse, and create the amazing works of Frida Kahlo and Georgia O’Keefe. Learn design engineering skills to build architect Julia Morgan’s Hearst castle and imaginative fairground rides, construct a prototype flying machine like Leonardo da Vinci, create 3D abstract architectural designs, and fashion rescue bots via Robin Murphy. This camp offers hands-on projects while combining art, architecture and engineering!

New! Famous Faces & Places- Gr. 1-5 

Grab your passport and explore your way through the world of ART that spans the globe! From the Eiffel Tower, to deserts, igloos, the Colosseum, windmills, and famous cities, travel throughout time and location, as well as, create artwork in the style of famous artists like Rivera, Höch, Kandinsky, Dali, Klimt, Monet, Warhol, and Delaunay! Using clay, watercolor, acrylics, charcoal, oil pastels, scratchboard, illustration markers, and soft pastels, we will draw, paint, sculpt, photomontage and construct 2D and 3D masterpieces. Inspired by work from France, Germany, North American, Mexico, Holland, India, Japan, and Italy, campers create exciting projects that bring together art and architecture from around the world!

New! Pokémon & Stop Motion – Grades 3-6

Welcome Trainers! Do you love the world of Pokémon and animation? Learn to draw, paint, and create your favorite Pokémon characters, sculpt them to life from clay, and make your own Pokémon stop motion video. Stop motion animation is a fun filming technique in which objects (such as clay figures) are photographed in a series of slightly different positions so that the objects seem to move. Using ZU3D software and webcams, campers create their own video full of action and suspense, learn storyboard techniques, character development, film angles, lighting, special effects, and methods to add titles and rolling credits!

Pokémon Characters you create in this camp include: Lugia, Alolan Vulpix, Poké Ball, Leafeon, Ditto, Squirtle, Charmander, Bulbasaur and Pikachu.  For extra fun, we encourage you to bring your own Pokémon cards and battle with other trainers at break or lunch times.

Take home ZU3D Stop Motion Animation Kit: software licenses, webcam, green screen, modeling clay, mini-set background, and handbook. A flash drive for camper’s video creations is also included.

All Things (Harry Potter) Magical – Gr. 3-8

The legend lives on…come join us for the time of your life as we celebrate Harry’s Birthday this week! Let your imagination run wild! From hippogriffs, dragons, house elves, basilisk, and owls, to sorting hats, dementors, potions, spells…and all things magical, come join us for the time of your life! Search for Horcruxes throughout the week, team up for our Harry Potter Trivia Game, and design a broom. Paint Hogwarts castle, sculpt Dobby or Kreacher house elf, draw mythical creatures, make a Marauder’s map, brew up Butter Beer, create your own wand and Death Eater’s mask, patronus, chocolate frogs, and lots, lots more! Bring your favorite HP book(s) to camp to freshen up on spells, characters, and discuss analogies to the muggle world today. So much magic to do!

Art Expedition II – Gr. 2-5

Grab your passport and head out on a bold art adventure! Using clay, watercolor, acrylics, charcoal, oil pastels, sand art, scratch art, foil and metal, wood and paper, we will draw, paint, sculpt, and construct 2D and 3D art projects. Inspired by the cultures of Tahiti, New Zealand, Hawaiian Islands, Philippines, India, Japan, and Korea, campers create fun and exciting projects that bring together art and history from around the world!

Some examples include: Maori masks, Koi windsock designs, Taiko drummers and Poi/Hula dancer paintings, Origami, sculpture, Batik creations, Gauguin landscape, and lots more.

Sew For Fun! – Gr. 2-4

Campers will learn to translate an idea to a design on paper, sew by hand and on a machine under carefully managed sewing machine time. They will learn basic pattern making skills, safety skills and how to create patterns for their designs.  Once patterns are made campers will construct their designs using hand-sewing techniques and simple sewing machine stitches (straight and zig-zag). At the end of the week they will create a custom project from start to finish.  Examples of projects include: plush toy, tote bag, house shoes, apron, play cape and mask, pillowcase, and more! Sewing machines, fabric, and all sewing tools are provided. Students will take home their own personal sewing kit. Maximum of 10 students per camp.

Art Potpourri – Gr. 1-5

Drawing, Painting, and Sculpture! No theme, just great fun creating wonderful pieces of artwork while using a mixture of artist quality materials including clay, watercolor, paint, soft pastels, oil pastels, Art Stix, illustration markers, AquaStics, and more!  Try your hand at Zentangle patterns, printmaking, sewing, and collage to create mixed media and 3D designs. As students work in these different media components, they will culminate in self-discovery and creation of original art projects with a distinctive flair!

 

Engineering, Robotics & Technology

Little Engineer – K-1

Little engineers will figure out “how” to create something that solves a real-life problem. Using familiar everyday materials: create a shady roof for a dog, save a duck from a polluted pond, build a raft that can support a toy, design a wrecking ball that can knock down blocks and a fan to move a ball. Engineer a trash collector and design a program for a robot to take trash to the right recycle bin. Learn circuitry to create a water alarm, doorbell, lights, or sirens. As kids build 3D models to solve everyday problems, they learn about structural, design, electrical and environmental engineering, and increase their problem-solving abilities and design thinking.

Little Toy Maker Workshop- K-2

Dive into our Little Toy Maker’s workshop as you create different projects like a kaleidoscope, pocket rocket, musical instrument, sailboat, and a ring toss game to take home. Create your own monocular and lava lamp, build structures with marshmallows, and discover why kaleidoscopes produce such beautiful colors! Learn about engineering and design thinking as you create a marble run, experiment with a cartesian diver, understand how electricity works using Snap Circuits, and use KEVA planks to build structures and contraptions.

Little Tynker – Gr. K-1 

This is the perfect maker camp for the 5-year-old girl or boy that loves to tinker, build, create new things, take things apart, and learn how things work. With fun make & take-home projects and creative construction materials such as Lego STEAM Park, Simple Machines & Tech Machines, KEVA, K’NEX, and Cublets, your little Tynker will create and tinker to their heart’s content. Add to our maker camp great stories, like Intersteller Cinderella, Rosie Revere, Engineer, and Iggy Peck, Architect that encourage “thinking outside the box.” Whether it is building towers, mazes, or a zoo, learning about levers, gears, axles, and gravity, or letting their imagination transform ideas into models, this camp is sure to spark curiosity and creative thinking.

Jr. Robot Maker – Gr.1-3

Entry-level robotics and programming. Entry-level robotics and programming. Using LEGO® WeDo2™, our young creators are introduced to robotics and coding by building Milo the Science Rover and other creations such as an Alpine Skier, a glowing snail, a space satellite, and a T-Rex dinosaur that roars! All with Lego bricks! Students will then program their creations using visual drag-and-drop software. Throughout the week, campers make robots that move and discover how to add sounds, use sensors and motors, and when ready, create more advanced building and programming projects such as a Spirograph, a cooling fan, a goal kicker, or even challenge other bots to a Sumo wrestle!

New! Jr. Robot Imagineering Gr. 1-3

Required: Jr. Robot Maker or experience with WeDo2. This camp takes WeDo2 to the next level. Campers learn coding, invent machines, construct 3D models, and apply real-world concepts in physics, engineering, and architecture. Using Lego WeDo2™, KEVA, and KNEX, campers will design a bot to assist persons with limited abilities, create a rover to explore space, and construct motorized sculptures and towers like a Ferris wheel and carousel to create their very own miniature amusement park! Imagineers progress through a set of challenges that prompt design thinking, communication, and teamwork. Build a robot to play your favorite sport or create a mythical creature that dances across the table! The possibilities are endless!

New! Space Engineer – Gr. 2-4

Five, four, three, two, one…Blast Off! Have you ever wondered how rockets get into outer space? Or maybe you’re curious about how rovers and robots are used on Mars and in space exploration? Then this is the camp for you! Throughout the week campers will be tracking the International Space Station while learning about the Solar System, design and launch stomp rockets as they learn about propulsion, friction, force, gravity, and aerodynamics, and build two beginner-level Estes model rockets that they get to take home! Using Lego WeDo2, they will create brick models of a Satellite, Mars Rover, Lunar Lander, Spaceship, and lots more! Campers will also make their own “space gloves” and investigate how space suits are made safe from the environments astronaut’s encounter. Make way for the final frontier… this is a camp your child will not want to miss!

Young Robot Builder – Gr. 1-3

Do you know how robots actually work?  In this camp, you will discover the mechanics of how robotic machines work and move. Using snap circuit technology, build your own remote controlled “Mars -like” RC Snap Rover which can perform up to 23 activities and explore the world with you! Learn the physics behind conductivity and circuitry and the principles that allow robots to function with Makey Makey. Design complete electrical circuits with unexpected items – like playdough, bananas, or liquids and explore the science behind this phenomenon! Using K’NEX Exploring Machines, create simple machines and discover how they are incorporated into more complex machines. Wrap up the week by designing your own Roll-A-Robot project! This camp is packed with engineering concepts, fun and excitement! Campers take home the Mars RC Rover and Roll-a-Robot project created in camp.

 

Game Design and Coding/Programming

 

Little Bot Programmer – Gr. K-2 

Yes, 5 year-olds can learn to code through fun and engaging play! We use KIBO, Dash & Dot Robots, Puzzlets, Scratch Jr., Snap Circuits, and KEVA Planks to introduce beginning programming and engineering to young children. By snapping together graphical programming blocks: kids create characters in interactive games and stories, add voices and sounds, make their characters move, jump, dance, and sing. They discover electrical circuits, create mazes, build 3D models, code robots with light, sound, sensors, and movement, and learn about structural, mechanical and electronics engineering. Kids increase logical thinking, visual processing, critical thinking, and problem-solving abilities. This camp appeals to both technically minded kids and those that connect to art and stories! Warning! Be prepared…your child will not want to leave camp at the end of each day!

New! Jr. Bot Programmer – Gr. 1-3

Building on Little Bot Programmer, this camp is the this next level up, make coding a snap! Using Blockly and Wonder coding apps with Dash/Dot robots, campers increase their skills in visual block-based coding to program robots to dance, talk, interact, and do multiple tasks in parallel. Code your bots to respond to voice, and use light, sound and sensors to navigate objects as you code adventures, stories, and characters. With Snap Circuits, discover more complex electrical circuits and use KEVA planks to build obstacle courses, create mazes, and 3D models for robots to cruise through and learn about structural, mechanical and electronics engineering.  Campers increase their critical thinking, visual processing, and problem-solving abilities by learning to code. This camp appeals to both technically minded kids and those that connect to art and stories.

Code, Design & Animate with SCRATCH- Gr. 2-5.

Love coding? Kids discover SCRATCH, a coding language designed for young kids that uses colorful programming blocks, quirky graphics, and fun sounds to drag and “snap” together blocks to make a character (sprite) walk, speak, play music, or interact with other sprites. With a rich library of built-in features createanimated stories, interactive movies, games, and use the art block to create images, illustrations, and sculptures. Campers learn fundamental coding concepts such as sequences, loops, conditionals, variables, and functions as they learn to think creatively and reason logically.
Scratch never ends, students can take it continually and develop more skill and sophisticated projects! 

Minecraft Dungeons & Stop Motion Animation Gr 3-5.  

Minecraft Dungeons is an action-adventure game inspired by classic dungeon crawlers, where you’ll constantly discover new tools and items that will help you defeat a ruthless swarm of new-and-nasty mobs. You’ll fight or flee through canyons, swamps and – of course – mines! Campers gather movie inspiration from Minecraft Dungeons to create their own Stop Motion Animation video using Minecraft Movie Creator kits. Stop motion animation is a fun filming technique in which objects (such as mini figures) are photographed in a series of slightly different positions so that the objects seem to move.Then using ZU3D software and webcams, campers will create their own Stop Motion Video with mini-figures Steve, Alex, Creeper, Charged Creeper and Enderman, full of action and suspense. Learn storyboard techniques, character development, film angles, lighting, special effects, and methods to add titles and rolling credits!

Take home ZU3D Stop Motion Animation Kit: software licenses, webcam, green screen, modeling clay, mini-set background, and handbook. A flash drive for camper’s video creations is also included.

Beginning Minecraft Adventures – Gr 1-3
(no experience needed)

Think Minecraft is just a video game? Think again. Create, explore, and put your problem-solving skills to the test in Survival or Creative Mode adventures. In Survival Mode there are many hidden dangers, and you have only minutes to find food and shelter before darkness falls and the monsters come looking for you. What do you do? What we teach you might just save your life! Learn how to find resources; make a shelter; craft tools, armor, and weapons, and protect yourself from monsters. In Creative Mode there are no monsters, and you will be able to fly around and have unlimited resources to build amazing creations and buildings. Campers create their own adventure map as design, production, and test playing guide them. What kind of adventure will you choose?
NO Minecraft account is needed for THIS CAMP as we have licenses ready for in class use. Just come and learn the basics, as well as techniques and strategies of this great game!

Minecraft Supreme – Gr. 3-6

Minecraft™ has taken the world by storm with its block-building, digital game design that allows players to build, explore, create, collaborate, and even survive. Students take on the real-world jobs of programmer, game designer, artist, and architect. With no set rules, you can build anything you can possibly imagine. Students learn Creative and Survival modes of playing. They use cool mods as they escape monsters, build amazing structures, create maps, mine the world under their feet, climb the tallest mountains, and utilize robotic “turtles” to manipulate the vast world around them. They will learn real coding techniques to program their turtles to accomplish tasks while working as a team with other campers to unleash their creativity!
NO Minecraft account is needed for THIS CAMP as we have licenses ready for in-class use. With our licenses, campers can work in groups and interact with each other in their game. 

 

Science

 

New! Jr. Zoologist – Gr. K-1

Welcome future zoologists!  Join us on an exciting tour of the animal kingdom. Did you know that new types of animals are found every year? From spiders, bees and stick bugs to koalas, sloths, alligators, and birds of prey, your little zoologist will discover a variety of animals, what they eat, where they live and what makes them unique through a variety of fun art and science hands-on projects and activities.  Campers will paint, draw, sculpt, mix and measure throughout the week as they learn cool facts about mammals, insects, reptiles and birds, and maybe even answer the age-old question… why did the chicken cross the road?

New! Can U Dig It – Grades 1-3

Get ready to dig into the past and uncover the secrets of the earth! As a budding paleontologist, archaeologist, or geologist, you will learn about volcanoes, the layers of the earth, and archaeological digs of human artifacts, dinosaur bones and fossils. Through hands-on projects crack open a geode, build a dinosaur model, pan for gems and minerals, learn about mummies and pyramids, sort and classify arrowheads, shells, and animal tracks,and paint like the ancient indigenous tribes. Lots to take home and lots to talk about as you learn the secrets that our earth holds.

New! Weather Wizards – Gr. 1-3

Have you ever wished it would snow on a hot summer day? Or wondered what the weather will be like tomorrow, where rain comes from or why our weather changes? Become a Weather Wizard for the week and learn how to whip up a twister, make “snow” that never melts, create a mini ecosystem in a terrarium and build a multi-functional weather station. Other projects will include a wind vane, anemometer, rain stick and a portable water cycle. End the week with a yummy science experiment as you create ice cream using the three states of matter. Before you know it Weather Wizard, YOU will on the local 5 o’clock news doing the weather report!

Sea Adventures – Grades 1-3

Arrrrrrrg! Welcome Me Hearties! Dive into our hands-on ocean adventure as we explore the many facets of marine biology! Sea Adventures will explore the crystal blue oceans studying the structure of our ocean zones, marine life like jelly fish and sharks, and environmental issues. In addition to our oceanography experiments and activities, no sea adventure would be complete without some pirate escapades in search of gold, gems, and of course, map making for buried treasure or learning the skill of orienteering with a compass as your guide.

Sample Projects: Ocean Zones in a Jar, Map Making, Knot Tying, Ocean Wave Bottle, Shark Tooth Necklace, Urchin Wind Chime, Shark Survey and Orienteering just to name a few. An exciting week with lots of make and take projects!

Secret Agent– Gr. 2-4

Everybody loves a good mystery. Mysteries can take us out of ourselves and lead us to explore the far reaches of our imagination. But mysteries don’t just happen in books or movies, “Who Dunnit” investigations happen in real life as well. Our young detectives will collect evidence and facts to find the culprit of a devious plot.Through hands-on projects, we will learn about forensic science and how detectives and forensic scientists use science and critical thinking to do their job. We will search for clues, collect and analyze evidence, draw reasonable conclusions and leave no stone unturned! In no time at all, you will be thinking like a detective.

Sample Projects include: spy decoder and missions, maze obstacle course, footprints, invisible ink, DNA, special agent badges and disguises, fingerprinting, and lots more!

Young Physician – Gr. 1-3

This camp is for aspiring “future physicians”. If your child enjoys checking out the cool gadgets and models in the Pediatrician’s office and wants to know how their body work, sign them up! They will discover their body has miles of blood vessels, hundreds of muscles, and thousands of hairs! They will extract DNA and learn about genetics, test for germs, build a spinal column and design a knee brace to restore range of motion. Our young physician will perform hands-on experiments while learning about the brain, blood, and bones, explore the nervous system through sight, sound, touch & taste, and measure heart rates and lung capacity. Your Young Physician will really have a pulse on the human body with this camp.

Young Scientist – Gr. 1-3

Does your child enjoy doing hands-on experiments and learning how things work? Then Young Scientist is for you!  Designed to meet the needs of children ages 6-8, this camp covers a broad range of fun and exciting science topics such as: Chemistry, Biology, Physics and Lab Process Skills. Sample Projects include a Grow–Beast Experiment, Wacky Window Paint, Super Bouncing Balls, Cosmic Rocket, Wurmz and Dirt, Diving Submarines and more! All activities meet or exceed the National Science Standards. Fun and excitement is fostered by great lessons and active involvement..