Spark curiosity through hands-on learning at Education Unlimited's engineering summer camps for elementary students. In this camp, rising 4th-6th graders become engineers for the week as they tackle exciting design challenges and build creative solutions. Through collaborative, project-based activities, students explore the principles of motion, force, energy, and gravity while developing important critical thinking and problem-solving skills. This isn’t your average engineering camp for kids. It’s an immersive STEM summer program that encourages young learners to experiment, create, and discover how engineering shapes the world around them.
Program at a Glance:
- Grade Level: Rising 4-6 (Grade after summer)
- Available Options: Commuter or Residential
- Duration: 6 days
- Topics: Engineering Design, Structural Engineering, Physics
Curriculum:
A Curriculum Built Around Discovery & Design
Using real-world buildings and other edifices as inspiration, campers will start the week by defying gravity to build the tallest skyscrapers and strongest bridges. Then, they will move onto air resistance and density and study how different types of planes, boats, and cars operate, seeking out unique ways to build them all and optimize their designs. Students learn how engineers have to build with earth's forces in mind; from gravity, to air resistance, to friction, to buoyancy and even centripetal force, students will be learning how scientists both work against and with those forces in their designs.
As the week continues, our engineering challenges get even more elaborate! Campers will be faced with tasks that combine their knowledge of physics with ingenuity and an ability to work together within a budget! Students will learn how to use air resistance to create windmills and helicopters as well as fight against that force when they create rockets and planes. They will even learn how to keep a top spinning as they create their own toy that uses centripetal force. The camp finale will be a demonstration of campers’ final invention, an egg drop – whose team will succeed and get their precious cargo to safety, and who will crack under pressure?
Minors: In addition to the "Major" activities, students participate in “Minor” labs that allow them to explore another science discipline. These may include Engineering, Forensic Science, Astronomy, Cardiology, Environmental Science, Ocean/Marine Science, and other topics (offerings vary based on teacher expertise). On occasion, a "Minor" may even be upgraded to a second "Major"!
Enrichment Activities: In the afternoons and evenings give campers the opportunity for informal science learning, as well as leadership and problem-solving training through workshops, experiments, guest speakers, and recreational activities. Students will also attend a mid-program excursion to a local science venue.
Learning Outcomes:
- Discover core engineering concepts including force, motion, gravity, friction, and energy.
- Design and create inventions including spinning tops and egg drop contraptions.
- Put inventions to the test during a final egg-drop challenge competition.
- Develop collaboration and communication skills while working in teams.
- Learn from engineering professionals in an inspiring college environment.
- Explore other STEM disciplines through “minor” activities in marine science, astronomy, forensic science, cardiology, and more.
FAQs
Why choose Education Unlimited’s engineering summer camps?
Our engineering camps for elementary students are about much more than completing fun activities. While many engineering camps introduce STEM concepts through demonstrations or single-project activities, we take a more immersive approach, exposing students to the complete engineering design process so they understand the concepts behind every challenge. The curriculum is designed to encourage campers to brainstorm, prototype, test, and improve their work while receiving guidance from graduate-level instructors.
Is this engineering camp appropriate for beginners?
Yes! This engineering camp is designed specifically for elementary students entering grades 4-6. No previous engineering experience is required. Campers receive age-appropriate instruction that makes engineering concepts accessible while providing opportunities for more advanced learners to expand their creativity and problem-solving skills.
How does this camp help students with STEM learning?
Students in this engineering camp for kids explore STEM concepts such as engineering design, materials science, and physics, through hands-on challenges including flight experiments, tower construction, egg drop competitions, and more. Campers learn to think like engineers in a fun, project-based environment that encourages exploration, collaboration, critical thinking, and problem solving.
Engineering offers three schedule options:
- Day Camp - In person - 9am to 5pm
- Extended Day Camp - In person - 9am to 9pm - Lunch and Dinner Included Daily
- Overnight Camps - In person - Students live in the university dorms; All meals are included for the duration of the program.
| Program | Grades | Location | Start Date | End Date | Price Options | Register |
|---|
Sample Schedule Science Camps |
|
|---|---|
| 7:30 am | Overnight campers - wake up! |
| 8:00 am | Breakfast in the dining hall (overnight campers) |
| 9-9:15 am | Extended day camper check-in |
| 9:00 am | Camp meeting & warm up |
| 9:15 am | "Major" lab session Options may vary by camp session & include: engineering, marine science, astronomy, & robotics |
| 12:00 pm | Lunch in the dining hall (included for overnight & extended day campers; day campers can purchase an optional lunch package or bring a lunch) |
| 1:15 pm | Recreation |
| 2:00 pm | Science "minors" plus workshops Afternoon workshops give girls an opportunity for informal science learning, as well as leadership and problem-solving training. Past minors have included forensic science and chemistry. |
| 5:00 pm | Day camper check-out |
| 5:30 pm | Dinner in the dining hall (overnight & extended campers) |
| 6:30 pm | Team leadership & project planning class |
| 7:45 pm | Evening recreation & activities |
| 8-9:00 pm | Extended day camper check-out |
| 9:30 pm | Floor check (overnight campers get ready for bed) |
| 10:00 pm | Room check & lights out |
Education Unlimited believes in small-group, immersive learning with subject matter experts and experienced teachers. We strive to provide industry-leading instruction to all of our students and hold all staff to the highest possible standards. Staff assignments vary by program and location. Some of our recent staff members for this program include:
Rhonda McCoy, PhD - Camp Director
Dr. Rhonda McCoy is a Manager of Quality Control for a leading global biopharmaceutical company. Through analysis of quality from creation to post-expiration date, Dr. McCoy oversees a team that ensures medications sold around the world are both safe and effective. Dr. McCoy holds a PhD in Chemistry from Howard University in Washington DC. A member of the Education Unlimited team since 2005, Dr. McCoy has been passionate about the empowerment of middle and high school age girls throughout her career, evident in her work as Director of our Science and Engineering Camps for Girls. She has volunteered her time as the scholarship program chair for Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and taught chemistry and physics in the Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools of Charlotte, North Carolina.
In addition to her doctorate degree, Dr. McCoy has a Bachelor of Science degree from North Carolina A&T State University. Prior to her five years as a research assistant at Howard while pursuing her doctorate, she spent time as an analytical chemist with the global cosmetics brand, L’Oreal. In her free time, Rhonda enjoys travel, shopping, and time with her family.
Victoria Obenchain, MS - Instructor
Victoria Obenchain is a dedicated science teacher to primary and middle school age students. For more than 10 years she has taught at The Salkan School in Moraga, CA where she has focused on hands-on experiential learning. In addition to her time in the classroom, she coaches an after-school robotics class and each year she is a tour group leader, taking students on international trips to countries such as Costa Rica and Japan. A valued member of the Education Unlimited team since 2008, Victoria has been one of the most popular teachers in our Science Camp Program and is an inspiring advocate for science education. She loves spending her summers with Education Unlimited because in addition to working with kids who have come to camp to learn, she gets to focus on one subject, such as marine science or astronomy, for an entire week.
Victoria has two degrees in Environmental Science. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science from Elon University in North Carolina and a Master of Arts in Environmental Education from Montclair State University in New Jersey.