Kids' College (Summer Camps)

Build It Better/Let's Learn Some Science

During this week kids explore numerous types of introductory sciences including but not limited to anatomy, ecology, physics, and engineering. Children build miniature scale greenhouses to look at the effects of greenhouse gases. Campers get to experience how smell affects the taste of food. (Food allergies will be taken into consideration: no nuts or nut-based products will be used. It will be mainly fruits and vegetables.) Weather pending, children may collect macro invertebrates from a small stream on campus. For a day or two, kids work in the engineering field on several small projects known as build-it-better. It is a fun-filled, thought-provoking week to get boys and girls alike interested in the sciences.

• Dates: Monday, June 26 - Friday, June 30
• Time: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
• For: Girls and Boys entering grades 1-3 in Fall 2017
• Program Fee: $175
• Registration Deadline: June 19

From Dinosaurs to Spaceships

How did dinosaur bones help find the age of Earth? How did ancient Egyptians build the pyramids? Why does a medieval catapult work? What science is behind a rocket launch? We look at key moments in history where science has advanced technology and our understanding of the planet. This program, designed specifically for young children, explores many science facts through fun, hands-on activities.

• Dates: Monday, July 10- Friday, July 14
• Time: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
• For: Girls and Boys entering grades 1-3 in Fall 2017
• Program Fee: $175
• Registration Deadline: July 3

Science and Engineering for Kids

This camp set out to show young ones the science that surrounds their daily life, leading girls and boys through lessons that they are reminded of everyday. During the camp kids begin to understand what it means to be an engineer, an astronaut, a biologist and more. Over the course of the camp, well thought-out projects, examples, games and lessons cover the science behind the phases of water, water quality, gravity, geology, solar energy, bridges, how soap works, plant life, bugs, cooking and much more!

• Dates: Monday, July 17- Thursday , July 20
• Time: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
• For: Girls and Boys entering grades 1-3 in Fall 2017
• Program Fee: $140
• Registration Deadline: July 10

STEM Kids' College @ SFU in partnership with the Hollidaysburg Area Public Library is offering a 1, 2, 3, or 4 day camp.  This camp is will be held at the Hollidaysburg Area Public Library, 1 Furnace Road, Scenic Pine Dr, Hollidaysburg, PA 16648. 

Your choice between a 1,2,3 or 4 day camp! You can pick and choose what days you wish to attend or join the fun for all 4 days!  

Day 1, July 10th - Plants, Sun, Dinosaurs and Chickens

Investigate the plant world and examine their adaptations for different environments. Explore the important role of our Sun in photosynthesis. Comparative anatomy, are dinosaurs and chickens really related?

Day 2, July 11th - Insects and Reptiles

Investigate live animals and identify their adaptations and roles in different ecosystems.

Day 3, July 12th - Mammals

Examine animal tracks and skulls for clues to their adaptive advantages and roles in the environment.

Day 4, July 13th - Fish

Explore the aquatic world of Pennsylvania fish. Identify the macro invertebrates that they depend upon. Study their external anatomy and its function, and make a fish print of some common fish of Pennsylvania.

Register Here

• Grades 1 — 4 entering Fall 2017  
• July 10 — July 13 (Monday—Thursday)  
• 9:30 am — 4:30 pm  
• $40 per camper per day; second camper is only $35 per day; any additional day is $35 per day  
• If you attend all 4 days — $15 off!  

Stem Art

Do you feel creative and have an open mind? Then this camp is for you! Let science inspire and guide you, from the depths of the universe and the spiral arms of the Milky Way to simple engineering machines that create abstract art. Join us, bring your creativity, and get ready for some amazing fun! All artistic abilities welcome.

•  Dates: Monday, June 19 - Wednesday, June 21
• Time: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
• For: Girls and Boys entering grades 1-6 in Fall 2017
• Program Fee: $150
• Registration Deadline: June 12

CSI: Loretto

CSI and other television shows have made forensics a very popular word in the American vocabulary. In this camp, kids conduct experiments based on some forensics procedures to solve simulated crimes.

•  Dates: Monday, June 19 - Wednesday, June 21
• Time: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
• For: Girls and Boys entering grades 4-6 in Fall 2017
• Program Fee: $105
• Registration Deadline: June 12

STEM K’NEX Camp & Robotics

During the hands-on STEM K’NEX camp students in grades 4-6 will build K’NEX catapults, K’NEX bridges, K’NEX wind powered cars, the tallest K’NEX tower that can hold the most amount of weight and finally a Rube Goldberg K’NEX contraption. This camp gives the students hands experience and helps students to find out why things happen to get them interested in STEM and hopefully get them to explore STEM fields in their future. 

• Dates: Monday, June 26 - Friday, June 30
• Time: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
• For: Girls and Boys entering grades 4-6 in Fall 2017
• Program Fee: $175
• Registration Deadline: June 19

Energy Camp: Supercharged

Children attending this camp will learn all about energy and electricity. Participants will explore the many ways in which energy impacts their daily lives, from the food they eat to the electricity used to light their homes and the fuels used to move from place to place. Hands-on activities and experiments will include projects like using solar energy to make s’mores, building solar and wind powered cars, designing electric circuits and touring local energy plants (weather dependent). The program will conclude with students designing their own city, powered by the energy sources of their choice, to demonstrate all they have learned about the amazing world of energy.

• Dates: Monday, July 10 - Thursday, July 13
• Time: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
• For: Girls and Boys entering grades 4-6 in Fall 2017
• Program Fee: $140
• Registration Deadline: July 3

All About Flight and Space

This program covers the history of flight from early hot air balloons to the latest in space exploration. Students will have the opportunity to create several types of flying machines including hot air balloons, delta dart planes and rockets that use various propellants. Are you up to the challenge?

• Dates: Monday, July 17 - Tuesday, July 18
• Time: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
• For: Girls and Boys entering grades 4-6 in Fall 2017
• Program Fee: $80
• Registration Deadline: July 10

All About Medical Detectives

Television shows, like CSI, have made crime scene investigation a popular career choice for young people. This program covers the basic ideas of DNA, allowing kids to extract their own DNA and create their own DNA model. Students will also learn a lot about cells and basic human anatomy.

• Dates: Wednesday, July 19 - Thursday, July 20
• Time: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
• For: Girls and Boys entering grades 4-6 in Fall 2017
• Program Fee: $80
• Registration Deadline: July 12

3D Printing World

In this camp students will gain experience in modeling 3D objects using Tinkercad, Autodesk 123D, Sculptris, and Meshmixer computer software. By the end of the camp, students will bring their creations to life using 3D printers. During our camp students will discover that the only limit to what can be printed is the limit of imagination.

• Dates: Monday, June 19 - Thursday, June 22
• Time: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
• For: Girls and Boys entering grades 7-9 in Fall 2017
• Program Fee: $160
• Registration Deadline: June 12

Space Camp

In this camp, students learn constellations, stars and the nature of light. The campers progress from discovering why we see rainbows, a blue sky, and green grass to figuring out the chemical composition of distant stars. Among the activities offered in this camp, students conduct experiments to investigate fundamental properties of light, conduct solar observations of the sun, compare the sun to other stars, and discuss solar activity and its effect on our everyday life on Earth. This camp is designed to introduce children to a wide range of concepts and laws in astronomy, physics, chemistry, biology, and Earth sciences. 

• Dates: Monday, July 10 - Thursday, July 13
• Time: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
• For: Girls and Boys entering grades 7-9 in Fall 2017
• Program Fee: $160
• Registration Deadline: July 3

Fantastic Sea Beasts and Where to Find Them

Believe it or not, you can learn all about Marine Biology in Central PA! In this hands-on camp, students will get to touch, feed, and learn to care for a variety of living marine organisms; learn in detail about our 1500 gallon public-aquarium-quality aquarium that is so big it is cleaned by a SCUBA diver; and discover a wide array of marine life using our collection of preserved specimens including some dissections.

• Dates: Monday, July 17 - Thursday, July 20
• Time: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
• For: Girls and Boys entering grades 7-9 in Fall 2017
• Program Fee: $160
• Registration Deadline: July 10