Category Archives: Summer

Harvard Museums of Science and Culture: Summer Science Weeks

The Harvard Museums of Science and Culture will offer week-long virtual Summer Science Week programs with live Zoom programs followed by at-home activities for children entering Grades 1-6. With each Zoom session about 40-50 minutes, the programs will take a total of one to two hours per day, depending on your child’s level of interest. Programs are limited to 10 students each. Cost is $65 ($58 for HMSC members). Registration for each program closes one week beforehand. For more information, email reservations@hmsc.harvard.edu.

Grades 1-2 at 9:30AM and Grades 3-4 at 10:30AM:

  • Spineless Wonders: June 22-26 or August 3–7
  • Space!: June 29–July 3 or August 10–14
  • Earth Explorers: July 13–17 or July 20–24

Grades 4-6 at 9:30AM:

  • The Ins and Outs of Skeletons:  July 27–31 or August 17–21

iCode: Summer Camps, both Online and Onsite

iCode (73 Central Street in Wellesley) is offering summer camps for ages 6-18 — both online and onsite — in the areas of AI & Machine Learning, Multiplayer Game Development, 3D Printing & Product Design, Robotics, Game Development & Design, App Creation, Digital Artwork Creation, YouTube Production, Minecraft, Roblox, and coding for high school students. Click the links above for schedules, details, and how to register. Rigorous safety protocols will be followed for onsite camps.

The Innovation Institute: Let’s Go Outdoors!

The Innovation Institute is offering “Let’s Go Outdoors!” summer programs that combine online get-togethers with outdoor explorations. Its Summer Living in the Lab course, July 6-31, has separate sections for ages 5-8, 9-11, and 12-15. Three virtual gatherings a week — for learning and sharing findings — will be hosted from Ti2’s Virtual Field Station in England by evolutionary biologist and naturalist, Dr. Arkhat Abzhanov. In between sessions, students will conduct structured explorations to discover, identify, compare, and learn about their natural surroundings. Explorations will highlight evolution, natural history, zoology, comparative anatomy, and geology. Children who are old enough will explore independently, and younger ones will need a caregiver/partner to join them. Enrollment closes June 13 — and tuition is discounted for enrollment by May 31.

MSEN Discounts for Aspire: Virtual Robotics Summer Camps

Camp: ASPIRE offers online robotics summer camps run by UB Tech from June 15 through August 28, five days a week, four hours a day, for ages 8+. The Metrowest STEM Education Network offers these discount codes for the camps:

Beginner Camps (use code METROSTEMBEG):

Intermediate Camps (use code METROSTEMINT):

Kids 4 Coding: Virtual Summer Camps, Ages 7-16

Kids 4 Coding, based in Atlanta and now in its 5th year in Massachusetts, is offering one-week virtual summer programs running June 1-August 21 with a maximum of five students per instructor (see instructor bios). Use code SAVE50 for a $50 discount. For more information, email info@kids4coding.com or call 800-484-2664.

  • Adventure Academy MMO:  Students in ages 7-9 combine gaming with learning in an open-world, instructor-led fantasy multi-player environment.
  • Kids 4 Coding Virtual Camp: Students in ages 7-16 code mobile apps, Roblox Studio games, and Minecraft mods, learn to code in a Python-based music environment, and learn to use Adobe Illustrator and PhotoShop for graphics and design.
  • Party of Five: Groups of five friends may join together to turn any Kids 4 Coding camp into a private coding camp for themselves.

Girls Who Code: Virtual Summer Immersion Program, Free Code-At-Home Activities, and Peer Discussion Series

In response to COVID-19, Girls Who Code has changed its Summer Immersion Program to be a free two-week virtual program. It’s for girls and non-binary students currently in Grades 9-11 to learn computer science and get exposure to technology jobs. No previous experience is required — just an interest in technology and willingness to learn. For more information, register for a live webinar on May 20, 6PM-6:30PM, or view the pre-recorded webinar here. Space is limited for the Summer Immersion Program, and applications are considered on a rolling basis, so act quickly. The application takes about 20-30 minutes and does not require grades or recommendations. Students may also apply for a $300 need-based stipend.

Girls Who Code also offers free Code-At-Home activities each week, some online and some offline, at varying levels of difficulty. New activities are released each Wednesday at 1PM, and each activity features a woman who pioneered innovative technology. The activities are also on GWC’s Instagram.

Girls Who Code also invites you to register for a free, four-part virtual event series for GWC alumni and community to discuss uncertainties around college, internships, and careers during the pandemic.

BlocksCAD Online Courses and Summer Camps, Grades 3-5 & 6-8

Boston-based BlocksCAD is a STEM education technology company offering a web-based 3D design platform that combines 3D modeling and block-based coding to help students in Grades 3-8 have fun learning math, computational thinking, and coding. See this summary. The BlocksCAD platform is free to use, and parents can help kids get started with projects here. The BlocksCAD team offers courses through Newton Community Education (formerly in person and these days online) as well as their own online courses. Each BlocksCAD online course runs once a week for four weeks, 5PM-6PM — on Mondays or Tuesdays for Grades 3-5, and on Wednesdays or Thursdays for Grades 6-8. As conditions permit, BlocksCAD plans to offer in-person, one-week summer day camps for Grades 3-5 (1:30-4:30PM, June 29-July 2) and Grades 6-8 (9:30AM-12:30PM, June 22-26).

Empow Studios: Register for In-Person Summer Camps with Online Fallback

Empow Studios is registering students for its in-person summer camps, contingent on the suitability of in-person activities during the summer. If that’s not possible, parents will have the option of transferring to virtual, online programs on the same schedule, at a reduced cost. Refunds are also available up until two weeks before each session. Registration for virtual summer camps is also available, in any case.