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Kids' College (Summer Camps)

Kids’ College at Saint Francis University is a summer camps program designed for school children in grades 1 through 10. These two-five day camps introduce children to several branches of science: astronomy, biology, chemistry, engineering, medicine, physics, and more. In each camp, children become scientists who are critically observe the surrounding environment, pose scientific questions, conduct experiments, collect and analyze data, and draw their own conclusions. Each camp includes daily (weather permitting) outside activities: field trips, short hikes, games, and physical exercises. 

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  • 2019 Kids' College at SFU

    (Choose a STEAM-themed youth camp for your age bracket and register below!)

  • Grades1-3 (Grade as of Fall 2019)

    STEM Art

    This camp focuses on exploring science topics with hands-on experimentation, coupled with an intro to different art mediums. Student art will be focus on animals and other science topics.

    • Dates: Monday, June 17 – Wednesday, June 19
    • Time: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
    • Instructor: Ms. Jennifer Wagner
    • Program Fee: $105
    • Registration Deadline: June 10

       

    Marine & Land Animals

    During this two day camp, children will explore the wild animal kingdom, from fish and dolphins that swim in the ocean to turtles, giraffes and bears that walk on land, and many more! 

    • Dates: Thursday, June 20 - Friday, June 21
    • Time: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
    • Instructor: Ms. Jennifer Wagner
    • Program Fee: $70
    • Registration Deadline: June 13
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    Fun Chemistry

    Students from grades 1-3 will get the opportunity to explore the sciences through various small scale instructor supervised experiments during this five day camp. These experiments include making silly putty, discovering the harmful effects of oil spills, exploring static electricity and many more exciting activities!

    • Dates: Monday, June 24 - Friday, June 28
    • Time: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
    • Instructor: Ms. Jennifer Wagner
    • Program Fee: $175
    • Registration Deadline: June 17

    From the Ice Age to the Space Age

    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 8 - Friday, July 12
    • Time: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
    • Instructor: Ms. Jennifer Wagner
    • Program Fee: $175
    • Registration Deadline: July 1


    123 STEAM

    In this camp, students will work with age-appropriate materials to learn various STEAM principles and skills. Students will discuss robotics, simple chemistry, aerodynamics of airplanes and cars, 3D modeling of geometric shapes, various art mediums and other additional topics. STEAM is an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math.

    • Dates: Monday, July 15 - Friday, July 19
    • Time: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
    • Instructor: Ms. Jennifer Wagner
    • Program Fee: $175
    • Registration Deadline: July 8
    Grades 4-6 (Grade as of Fall 2019)

    CSI: Loretto (Camp is FULL)

    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 17 - Thursday, June 20
    • Time: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
    • Instructor: Dr. Amanda Martino
    • Program Fee: $140
    • Registration Deadline: June 10

     

    Weather Camp

    Students in this camp will complete hands-on experiments and STEAM activities to explore the atmospheric wonders that surround Earth every day. Participants will learn about various types of weather and build their own weather instruments. Daily weather reports will be prepared using data collected from the Science Center’s weather station and students will make their own forecasts.

    • Dates: Monday, June 24 - Thursday, June 27
    • Time: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
    • Instructor: Mr. Michael Sell
    • Program Fee: $140
    • Registration Deadline: June 17

     

    Young Biologist Camp

    Students participating in this camp will learn about living vs. non living things.  From there we will take a closer look at cells under a microscope.  We will learn how to use a microscope and how to prepare wet-mount slides.  You won't believe what is swimming around in just one drop of pond water!  After learning about cells we will go outside to see how living things interact in the ecosystem around us.

    • Dates: Monday, July 8 - Thursday, July 11
    • Time: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
    • Instructor: Ms. Jennifer Terza
    • Program Fee: $140
    • Registration Deadline: July 1

     

    Earth Camp

    This camp is designed for all students who are curious about the "water-world" around them: this camp provides children with an in-depth look and appreciation for the water they drink, swim in, flush and canoe down. In the camp students learn about the quality of water, the common and innovative processes water goes through and the natural and geographical behavior of water. Students will learn about local water systems and treatment. These young scientists will learn about the properties of water, how much (or little) fresh water is available, the effects of pollution, and have the opportunity to design a water filtration device.   

    • Dates: Monday, July 15 - Thursday, July 18
    • Time: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
    • Instructor: Ms. Jennifer Terza
    • Program Fee: $140
    • Registration Deadline: July 8

     

    Grades 7-10 (Grade as of Fall of 2019)

    Stargazers Camp

    In this camp, students learn constellations, stars and deep space objects. The campers learn how stars are born, live and die. Participants will learn how to navigate using the stars, assemble a Galileoscope, and use binoculars and telescopes for night sky observations. Ancient Greek and Native American mythology related to the constellations will be discussed. This camp is designed for participants to appreciate the wonders of the night sky. 

    • Dates: Monday, June 17 - Thursday, June 20
    • Time: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
    • Instructor: Dr. Lanika Ruzhitskaya
    • Program Fee: $160
    • Registration Deadline: June 10

     

    Outside the Box: 3D Printing More than Just Figurines

    From industry, to hobbies, to the field of medicine, we will explore the history, the present, and the future of this technology and how it is changing the world as we know it. Students will learn how to create a potato racer, tools used on the International Space Station, and design and print solutions to real-world problems using various computer-aided design software and a 3D printer.

    • Dates: Monday, June 24 - Thursday, June 27
    • Time: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
    • Instructor: Mr. Justin Ogline
    • Program Fee: $160
    • Registration Deadline: June 17

       

      STEM Challenge

      In this camp, students learn problem solving strategies and how to work in groups.  The groups will be presented with a problem, given some background information then using what they know they create a solution. There will be lots of challenges and many ways to solve them. This camp is entirely hand-on and trial and error; you can expect your camper to be exposed to many different ways of problem solving.

      • Dates: Monday, July 15 - Thursday, July 18
      • Time: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
      • Instructor: Ms. Barbi Vena
      • Program Fee: $160
      • Registration Deadline: July 8

    • Interested in knowing when the 2020 camp schedule is released? Submit your information and we will contact you when it is posted (anticipated in February or early March).

      Name:   Email:  

    • How to Register

       

      2019 SFU Kids' College Camps (printable brochure) 

      Space is limited. Registrations are accepted until five business days prior to the start of the chosen camp.

      Complete the online registration form to register your child for one of the Summer Science Youth Camps listed above. Print the confirmation email and mail it with your payment. If you have coupons for any of the camps, please deduct their value from the payment and include the coupons in the envelope (restrictions: no more than one coupon per camp can be used). Please make the checks payable to Saint Francis University. We do not accept credit cards at this time.

      Mail your registration form and payment to: 

      SFU Science Outreach Center
      Summer Science Youth Camps
      117 Evergreen Drive
      Loretto, PA  15940 

      Questions?

      Contact us at ScienceOutreach@francis.edu or by calling 814.472.3878.