Developing video games, discovering the power of code, getting hands on in the garden or exploring career options—summer camps can deliver powerful STEM experiences that make a lasting impression. Planning for summer 2021 will require adaptability as camp organizers work to adjust their offerings during the Covid-19 outbreak.
This summary of STEM-focused summer camps in the KC region provides a quick glance at opportunities for students this summer. Please check with individual camp providers for the latest updates on changes due to the Covid-19 outbreak. This list was compiled from submissions to KC STEM Alliance. Looking for camps by date? Use the events calendar to see what’s available for a specific time frame.
UMKC’s School of Computing & Engineering will offer a cybersecurity camp for summer 2022. Get the details.
MCC offers typically offers half and full-day classes on topics from STEM to the arts at several of its campuses. Due to Covid-19, registration for this camps is suspended. Visit this page to find information about online opportunities as they become available.
Experiences are customized for youth entering grades six through high school, with options in art, design, science, engineering, computers, languages and more.
The aSTEAM Village Summer STEaM Experience for Kids is being offered in-person in 2022 with a virtual option. During this eight week, four-track summer STEaM camp, participating students will build their own computers. Designed for students in grades 6-12, this camp enables learners to explore the world of robotics, video game design, cell phone circuit board engineering, race car engineering, alternative energy and many more science, technology, energy, arts and math challenges.
Summer at Barstow includes more than 75 STEM-themed camps at the Barstow School, 11511 State Line Road, Kansas City. Browse the offerings.
Join Burns & McDonnell to experience Engineering U — a FREE summer academy. Students will engage with experienced engineers, architects, and construction professionals. Two program options are available for high school students. Applications are due June 1, 2022; space is limited.
The National Inventors Hall of Fame brings its Camp Invention to multiple locations around the metropolitan region this summer. Children in grades K-6 are presented with hands-on challenges that encourage creative problem solving, teamwork, entrepreneurship and innovation. Camp Invention is led by experienced local educators and new curriculum is introduced each year, inspired by the Inductees of the National Inventors Hall of Fame. If state and district guidelines do not allow for an in-person Camp Invention program, Camp Invention Connect™ will serve as an alternative. This at-home program was developed by the National Inventors Hall of Fame® to balance virtual collaboration with independent, hands-on exploration. Learn more and search for local camps here: http://campinvention.org/
Code Ninjas curriculum-based camps for ages 7 to 14 include Minecraft, Robotics, Drones, Roblox, Website design, Application and Game Building, along with team building STEM activities and games at locations in Lenexa, Leawood and Olathe in Kansas and Lee’s Summit in Missouri.
Coding, game development, robotics and design summer programs for kids and teens take place at University of Missouri-Kansas City. Tuition includes the hottest software and hardware with the latest tools from Adobe, Epic Games, Autodesk, VEX, Roblox and more. Your child can experience personalized learning with 10 students max per instructor while they look to achieve L10 status on The iD Tech Pathway™ and stand out to colleges and future employers. Also available are Online Private Lessons where students can learn 1-on-1 through project-based course bundles or custom lessons.
New in 2022, IDEA Space offers summer STEAM courses for students entering grades 3-12, including digital video production, esports, virtual reality and more! Become a coder, inventor or even a woodworker during innovative week-long courses planned with opportunities to create, collaborate and discover. See the options.
(This program is on hiatus for 2022 because of limited staff availability.) KU Natural History Museum typically offers one-day summer science camps for ages 8 to 11. The camps are developed and taught by museum education professionals with backgrounds in science and informal science education and cover a range of subjects, from fossils to wetlands.
Mad Science Camps help children experience what science is all about. Through themes ranging from robotics and coding to chemical reactions and “grossology,” campers explore how science affects the world around them. Learn more about 2022 offerings.
Play-Well TEKnologies offers LEGO-inspired STEM summer camps in Kansas City as well as in other locations across Kansas & Missouri.
Join the annual Nursing Experience summer camp hosted by the Research College of Nursing. This three-day, non-residential camp is designed for high students who are interested in pursuing a health care career. Students will gain valuable skills to use in their academic and professional careers as they explore a day in the life of a professional nurse.
Short Circuit Robotics offers a series of STEM camps this summer. See the full list.
Camp Wildwood is a five-day overnight camp filled with traditional camp, outdoor, and STEAM activities for kids entering grades 3-8. Campers will spend the week choosing daily fun activities–like swimming, fishing, canoeing, rock climbing, and creating in the Makerspace—making new friends, and gaining independence and teamwork skills.
A robust list of options ranging from aerospace to nuclear engineering: http://futurestudents.mst.edu/summercamps/
Something for everyone, from LEGO Camps to experiencing life at the College of Engineering: https://engineering.missouri.edu/about/k12-camps/
From sports medicine to coding, it’s summer at Saint Louis University: https://www.slu.edu/summer/k-12-camps-and-academies
Joseph Baldwin Academy for Eminent Young Scholars: http://jba.truman.edu/
(Hutchinson, Kansas) http://cosmo.org/education/camps
Search the STEM Connect-KC Calendar to find which camps are available on specific dates. If your organization offers a camp, add it to our list with this form.