Summer Programs

We will offer two-week math enrichment camps featuring a program created by the Rice University School Mathematics Project. These camps are designed for students entering 1st through 6th grade and will be taught by STE faculty in collaboration with other teachers trained by Rice. 

When: June 10-21 (Mondays through Fridays) — 9 a.m.-12 p.m.
Who: Students entering 1st-6th grade in the fall of 2019
Cost: $550 per student for the two-week camp (10 half-day sessions)

These activity-filled camps will engage students in fun, hands-on mathematics investigations and games with connections to science, technology, engineering, and the visual arts. Students will leave camp energized and enthusiastic about mathematics and the other STEAM disciplines.

Register Rising 1st Graders

Register Rising 2nd-6th Graders

We are also developing weeklong academic enrichment camps for new and returning STE students only. Each camp will be taught by a member of the STE faculty.

Camps will be held weekdays from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at a cost of $150 per camp. Note that childcare will not be available before or after camp times. Registration and payment information will be sent to new and returning STE students. The deadline for registering for enrichment camps is May 1.

We are pleased to announce the camp schedule for this summer!

Week of July 22

Jump Start to First Grade (Session 1)
Grade: Entering 1st
Spend a fun week with your first grade classmates and become acquainted with one another while playing games! You will brush up on oral reading skills, handwriting, and arithmetic to be prepared for the first day of school. This fun-filled camp with give you a jump-start to first grade!

Week of July 29

Jump Start to First Grade (Session 2)
Grade: Entering 1st
Spend a fun week with your first grade classmates and become acquainted with one another while playing games! You will brush up on oral reading skills, handwriting, and arithmetic to be prepared for the first day of school. This fun-filled camp with give you a jump-start to first grade!

Intro to Aerodynamics: Flying Airplanes/Launching Rockets
*Possible afternoon session
Ages: 10-15
Students will learn basics of flight by using the Microsoft Flight Simulator (some flight schools use this software for pilot training). After learning the physics of flight, the students will take control of a Cessna Skyhawk (via simulator) and learn to fly using actual controls. Students will then be given a flight mission, which they must complete to earn their STE pilot’s license. Next, students will learn about the physics of a rocket launch. Each student will then construct his/her own rocket using a rocket kit and estimate how high it will go using simple math. Students will launch the rockets, measure the height and compare with their calculations. Students will see the effect of having different size engines and different size rockets on the maximum height achieved. (Note: There is an additional fee of $30 per student for materials.)

Tools and Motors Camp
Grade: Entering 4th (limited to 16 students, but minimum of 8 required)
Students will build a series of three to four different designs from plans LEGO has included with its Mindstorms sets.  Each one focuses on a simple machine design.  The students will build it and then learn how to operate it, control it and use it to accomplish a task using their computer.  As they are successful, I will ask them to “improve” on LEGO’s design to allow them to “create” their own.  If they are able, they will “design” a mission that uses their “machines” to help someone or something.

Keyboarding Skills
Grades: Entering 4th-6th
Keyboarding Skills provides an opportunity to learn to touch type on the computer keyboard using correct techniques, as well as develop speed and accuracy. We will be using multiple online tools to make the course fun and memorable.

Middle School Grammar
Grades: Entering 6th-8th 
This grammar camp benefits both new and returning STE students. The camp covers the eight parts of speech, sentence structure, capitalization, punctuation, proper word usage, and diagramming.

Quiz Bowl
Grades: Entering 6th-8th 
If you love gaining new knowledge and competing, then this is the class for you. Quiz Bowl is a competitive, academic, interscholastic competition that includes questions from areas such as history, literature, science, fine arts, current events, sports, and popular culture. The Quiz Bowl camp is for both returning players and those students interested in joining the STE Quiz Bowl team next year. We will focus on different topics each session to hone student knowledge and skills. Activities will include studying geography and history, staying abreast of current events including sports, entertainment, and political events, as well as competing against one another in trivia games and mock Quiz Bowl tournaments. The course will be student-driven and students will be expected to become experts in certain fields to share their knowledge with other students.

Week of August 5

Kinder Prep
Grade: Entering kindergarten
This camp reviews basic academics for kindergarten. Students will work on letter recognition, letter sounds, and writing skills. Shapes, colors, and numbers are a focus, as well as name writing and the beginner stages of reading. This is a great way for your child to build more confidence before starting kindergarten.

Cursive Handwriting
Grades: Entering 2nd-5th or 6th-8th students who are new or need extra practice and guidance
Practice makes perfect! Let’s work together on improving our penmanship!

Study Skills
Grades: Entering 4th-6th
This camp is designed to help students improve their study habits and reading comprehension through fun, interactive activities that will put skills into practice. The study skills component will focus on areas of keyboarding, organization, time management, goal setting, note taking, and test preparation.

Mechanical Contraptions
Grade: Entering 5th (limited to 16, but minimum of 8 required)
Students will use more complex electric motors to build and use complex wheeled vehicles, cranes, forklifts, etc.  We will start with the easiest one (fewer gears, fewer parts).  Students will work in teams of two and complete each construction, then use it to accomplish a set task.  When they have accomplished the directed task,  then they can make modifications they think would help it perform a task of their own making. After they have successfully completed two to three contraptions, they will decide on a mission to use each team’s construction to help complete a task of their own design.

Intro to Astronomy: Observing the Night Sky and Space Science
Ages: 10-15
Students will be taught the celestial coordinate system and using a 3D sky simulator will learn how to locate planets, stars, constellations, and other deep sky objects (such as galaxies and nebulae) in the night sky Once students have learned the basics of sky watching they will have the opportunity to participate in a viewing of objects in the Houston night sky using a telescope (clear sky permitting of course).  Students will learn why we have season changes, why the sun appears in different parts of the sky depending on the time of the year (and one’s location), and much more. Next, students will learn about Newton’s law of gravity and learn (and see) the motion of planets, stars, moons, and other space debris under this force law. Students will then use a solar system and gravity simulator to see what happens to planet and star motion when variables like mass, speed, and orbit launch trajectories are changed. Students will compete to see who can come up with (and implement in the simulator) the most imaginative cosmic scenario, such as the creation of solar systems, colliding galaxies, exploding stars, and more.

Kidventure is celebrating its 25th year of being Texas’ premier summer camp. Each week provides unique projects, games, and camp activities designed to engage campers in a fun and interactive way! 

When: 8 weeks beginning June 3 (There will be a break July 15-19 for the Vacation Bible School offered by Saint Thomas' Episcopal Church.)
Who: The Explorer Program (entering grades 1-6) and Discover Program (ages 3-5)

REGISTER FOR KIDVENTURE