Summer STEM Camps Ramp Up in Lexington

Empow Studios unveils new options for its 2018 Summer Campers

Educating students in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) is considered essential to boost possibilities and prepare them for a changing world. Getting students interested early on in these subjects by making these endeavors fun is the goal of Empow Studios.

The staff at Empow Studios, based in Lexington, is planning a packed series of summer camps that feature a new coding camp and a new curriculum at its Lexington location. The week-long summer tech camps will focus on subjects ranging from robotics, 3D printing and coding to stop-motion animation, video production and audio engineering.

“Our camps in Lexington have had waiting lists for every week, so this year we’re bringing new options so kids can dive deeper into a tech camp of their choice,” says Empow Outreach Director Dave Gutierrez. “We’re adding two weeks of Java Coding Camp (with a limited enrollment) for the young programmers who want to take their skills to the next level. We’re also adding a slew of new project curriculum for kids, so they can level up and earn new badges for their accomplishments.”

Empow Studios Summer Camp – Lexington

LexingtonLocation: Empow Studios, 1776 Massachusetts Ave., Lexington, MA 02420
Dates: All summer weeks starting June 25-August 20

Details: Camp runs 9:00am-4:00pm. Early drop-off starts at 8:30am (no additional charge) and an extended day until 5:30pm is available for a $20/day additional charge.

Cost: Half Day $335/wk; Full day $595/wk

A History of Camp Success

Empow Studios has created educational opportunities in a variety of communities through its camps, classes, and workshops. “Empow Studios has been running summer tech camps since 2013 and we continue to increase numbers in our existing town,” says Gutierrez, who credits the success of the program with good instruction and a fun atmosphere. “Campers learn, they make friends and they get outside to play games. Our goal is to offer traditional camp elements, while emphasizing creativity through technology in a positive, collaborative atmosphere.”

Campers are guided by Empow instructors, who have degrees in computer science, engineering, education, design, film, and music, and are working to challenge students with a brand new curriculum launched in 2017.  “The new curriculum remains true to Empow’s constructivist and project-based philosophy, while also providing instructional prompts and supports to guide campers towards levels of mastery in their areas of interest,” says Empow’s Curriculum Editor Bernardo Feliciano, EdD. “Our tracks give kids a pathway to earn achievement badges while the quests and projects they encounter along the way create opportunities for discovery and invention.”

Three categories of camps are scheduled:

Tech & Design Camp: Features robotics, 2D & 3D video game design, animation, Scratch programming, coding, 3D modeling & printing, audio engineering, digital music, and video production. Empow teaches the basics, and campers use their imagination to make their projects come alive. Open to campers entering grades 2 through 8.

Minecraft Camp: Empow focuses on various educational aspects of Minecraft. Campers learn modding, electrical engineering (via redstone circuits), architecture, game design, and world creation. Campers even create very simple computers inside Minecraft. Open to campers entering grades 2 through 8.

JAVA Coding Camp: (Available at the Lexington and Newton Empow studio locations)

Java Coding Camp allows young programmers to take their skills to the next level. Using the Greenfoot environment, campers have a user-friendly tool to start coding in Java to create simple games. The Goal: create custom video games and conquer group-based challenges, all through the power of kids writing code!  

Open to campers entering grades 4 and up.

For more information about all of Empow Studios’ locations and programs, including classes, clubs and outreach efforts, visit: empow.me or find us on Facebook.

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