As a mom of 3 girls, I've always been a huge supporter of letting my kids explore a variety of activities and sports that they showed interest in. With the help of our local parks and recreation programs, I was able to register them for these activities at a relatively small price point. We've done soccer, basketball, tennis, guitar lessons, ballet, hip hop dance, swim, ice skating, karate, and a host of other things. There was only a small commitment (usually 4-6 weeks) and if they didn't like it we didn't have to sign up for another session. Some interests gained steam and I signed them up with a local team or organization. It just works out great for us.
When my oldest daughter decided that she was interested in engineering, I knew I had a real task on my hands. The issue wasn't her interest, that made me really happy. I just knew that inexpensive STEM camps were harder to find then Naomi Campbell's edges! Being the most resourceful person this side of the Mason Dixon line, I scoured the internet and online parenting groups in hopes of finding something within budget. I was able to find a program sponsored by the National Society of Black Engineers, called SEEK. It was a FREE 3-week program focused on engineering. As the years have gone by, I've been able to enroll my kids in several other programs. I wanted to share a few that I know of today. I am sure I am missing some, so I hope that you'll share what you know in the comments section. Low cost or Free is the goal, but I think all STEM opportunities are great opportunities and welcome information on those as well.
The 9 links below are additional STEM camp/program opportunities. Good Luck!!
http://stem4us.org (This link is for 2014 program, but contains camp contact information to inquire about 2015 programs)
http://cty.jhu.edu/imagine/resources/summer_programs/science.html
https://www.training.nih.gov/programs/sip
http://www.cs.umd.edu/compsciconnect/
https://www.training.nih.gov/programs/sip
http://www.cs.umd.edu/compsciconnect/
So cool! I wonder if there's anything like that out here....
ReplyDeleteDréa