Two upcoming camps in Guelph are aiming to keep kids busy this summer by incorporating science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).
The Active Scholars camps take it one step further by also incorporating sports to the camps, which are intended for kids age seven to 13.
“There’s a need for sports camps with a tie in eduction, because of the importance of both,” said Vanessa Lodge, Guelph director for Active Scholars.
Lodge cited studies showing the importance of being physically active and how that can positively impact a child’s ability to learn.
“After doing their sports component, kids are able to sit down down and be engaged and well behaved,” said Lodge.
Through a partnership with the Children’s Foundation of Guelph and Wellington’s Free to Play Program, a number of spots are being reserved to allow girls who come from a family in financial need to be fully sponsored.
“We see there’s a big need for girls within this. They are unfortunately lower numbers represented in both sport and STEM,” said Lodge.
For general information about the Free to Play sponsorship, click here.
Active Scholars will operate four week-long camps in July. Camps are $295 per week, with the exception of the first week’s camp which is $235 due to being shortened because of Canada Day.
“It runs all four weeks of July. Each week has a different sport. Right now we’re doing basketball and soccer,” said Lodge.
Week 1, which starts July 3, will feature a robotics and basketball camp. July 9 to 13 will be a robotics and soccer camp.
On Week 3, kids will learn game making and basketball and on the final week will feature game making and soccer.
Lodge said the Active Scholar camps are teacher-owned and operated.
“So they are trained within the Ontario Teachers College and they have experience within education and with class management,” she said.
All Active Scholar camps in Guelph will be run from Saint Rene-Goupil on Scottsdale Drive. For more information, click here.
A second summer camp that incorporates STEM learning are the Stem and Life Skills camps run by Life Gears Academy, which will operate week-long camps for nine weeks in Guelph between July 3 and Aug. 31.
STEM camps tend to bring in kids who are more attentive and are looking to work on things like presentation skills, said Life Gears Academy president and founder Sarah Stubbs.
Stubbs has a Bachelor of Education from Queen’s University and is qualified to teach Intermediate Math and Visual Arts.
“(STEM) is a really great way of teaching things like teamwork, leadership and communication, as well as financial management,” said Stubbs.
Life Gears Academy will run a number of different camps from The Boardroom on 99 Wyndham Street during the summer, including Video Game Developers, Robotics, Board Gamers and Dungeons & Dragons.
“In computer science, people think you are just on your own in a dark environment, but the computer scientist that is running it teaches them about the importance of teamwork and leadership and other qualities you need to contribute in any STEM field,” said Stubbs.
Camps at Life Gears Academy range in price from $205 to $290. For more info on the camps being offered, click here.
The organizers of both Life Gears Academy and Active Scholars said their camps still have available spaces.
