Theme:

STEAM Explorers

Location:

Chevy Chase United Methodist Church

7001 Connecticut Ave

Chevy Chase, MD 20815

Camper Age:

7-12

Dates/ Time:

8/3/26-8/7/26

8:00am-5:00pm

Description:

STEAM Explorers: A Week of Big Ideas & Bold Making!

Every day, campers become inventors, designers, and creative problem-solvers as they explore Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math through hands-on fun. Each lab follows the same exciting rhythm: dream it, design it, build it, test it, improve it, and share it!

Daily Structure:

Topic of the day discussion

Mini Skill Building Lessons

Plan- Design Thinking

Maker Build time

Test, reflect, improve

Share/ Gallery walk

Day 1:

Science + Art Lab

Curiosity Unleashed!

Campers will explore science and art through hands-on activities like mixing colors and materials, testing cause-and-effect reactions, and building simple interactive creations. They’ll design and prototype their own activity using everyday materials, test it out, and share with the group.

Maker-inspired activities may include:

• Cause-and-effect builds (press, pull, spin, or drop something to make something else happen)

• Simple marble runs or ramps to explore motion and gravity

• Reaction stations (mixing safe materials to observe changes like color, bubbles, or movement)

• Balance or challenge builds using blocks, cardboard, or recyclables

• Art pieces that move or change when interacted with (spin, flip, slide, or light up)

Camper creations will invite others to interact, experiment, and explore, combining science concepts with creative design.

Day 2:

Tech + Art Lab

Create, Code, Connect!

Campers will explore how technology and art work together through hands-on making and creative challenges. They’ll experiment with simple circuits, digital tools, and interactive media, then design and build an original tech-enhanced creation. Campers will test, refine, and share their projects, discovering how technology can bring art to life! Maker-inspired activities may include:

• Experiment with simple circuits and LEDs to make art light up

• Build interactive posters or panels that respond to touch or movement

• Try beginner-friendly coding or digital animation tools to bring ideas to life

• Design, prototype, and test an original tech-enhanced creation

• Share and explore each other’s projects to spark new ideas

Day 3:

Engineering + Art Lab

Creative Contraptions

Campers will explore engineering and art through hands-on making, designing their own creative inventions and moving creations. They’ll plan, build, test, and improve with lots of freedom to experiment and solve challenges in their own way.

Maker-inspired activities may include:

• Building moving structures or contraptions using everyday materials

• Creating interactive sculptures or kinetic art that spin, slide, or wobble

• Experimenting with ramps, pulleys, levers, or other simple machines

• Designing towers, bridges, or marble runs to test balance and motion

• Combining art and engineering in totally original ways that invite exploration

Campers will share, play with, and reflect on each other’s creations, discovering how engineering can be imaginative, playful, and personal.

Day 4:

Art + Art Lab

All the Arts, All the Fun!

Campers will explore creativity across multiple art forms, combining visual art, music, movement, and theater to invent their own unique expressions. They’ll experiment, improvise, and collaborate, discovering how different arts can interact and inspire each other.

Maker-inspired activities may include:

• Visual art projects like painting, sculpture, or mixed-media creations

• Movement and dance experiments to explore patterns, shapes, and rhythm

• Music and sound-making with instruments or found objects to add layers to art

• Theater and storytelling to bring ideas and characters to life

• Multi-disciplinary creations that combine two or more arts in original ways

Campers will test, perform, and share their work, seeing how creativity can move, sound, and transform in exciting, unexpected ways.

Day 5:

Math + Art Lab

Measure, Make, Move!

Campers will explore how math and visual art intersect, using numbers, shapes, and patterns to create original, hands-on projects. They’ll experiment freely, design, test, and refine their ideas with a maker mindset.

Maker-inspired activities may include:

• Geometry and symmetry explorations through drawing, painting, or sculpture

• Pattern-making and tessellations using colors, shapes, or mixed media

• Scale and proportion challenges to create visually balanced pieces

• 3D constructions or structures incorporating measurement and angles

• Designing and refining original visual art projects inspired by math concepts

Campers will share and reflect on their creations, celebrating a week of problem-solving and creativity at the Maker Showcase!

There will be an abundance of choice opportunities and various access points to tech in many of the projects. Each day, students will have periodic breaks, active play and snack/lunch time built into the day. Please not that onFriday- we will have a Maker Fair for families to attend and hear from the young MakerMinds from 4:00-5:00pm.