Experiential STEM Summer Camp for Grades K-8

Learning Undefeated’s Young Science Explorers Program engages learners with hands-on investigations that explore a wide range of science, technology, engineering, and math topics. Each day, campers are introduced to a different STEM topic that they explore through demonstrations, experiments and games. Developed by professional science educators, and refined over a decade, more than 5,000 campers have completed the Young Science Explorers Program since its launch in 2009.

The Young Science Explorers Program includes age-appropriate content, beautifully designed materials, instruction, all necessary activity supplies, plus BONUS activities such as hands-on demo ideas and STEM games.

Summer Camp Activities

Includes 10 hours of age-appropriate content, beautifully designed materials, all necessary activity supplies, plus BONUS activities such as hands-on demo ideas and STEM games. Activities in this camp include:

  • Edible Rock Candy: Students explore the concept of super saturation as they work to make their own edible rock candy
  • Jack & the Beanstalk: Students use the engineering design process to build a tower that can support a figurine “Jack” and survive a high-speed windstorm
  • Super Slime: Students learn about polymers as they make and decorate their own slime in this popular activity
  • The True Story of the Three Little Pigs: Students use the engineering design process to build the best possible shelter for a figurine pig that can survive the wrath of the big bad wolf
  • MYO Ice Cream: Students learn to follow a protocol, take exact measurements and the impact of changing temperature on states of matter as they work towards a tasty frozen treat
  • Goldilocks and the Three Bears: Students use the engineering design process to design a structure that’s just right.Structures must meet certain height requirements and support the weight of a bear figurine.
  • Invisible Ink: Students are introduced to chemical reactions as they explore different methods for using and interpreting coded invisible messages
  • Magnets Push, Magnets Pull: Students learn about the properties of magnets and use the engineering design process to build a three-dimensional maze that can be solved with the use of magnet
  • Mini lava lamps: Students learn about density as they work to make a lava lamp out of water and vegetable oil
  • Marshmallow Spaghetti Bridge: Students use the engineering design process to build a bridge that can support a certain amount of weight

Includes 10 hours of age-appropriate content focused on a different STEM topic each day, plus beautifully designed materials, all necessary activity supplies, plus BONUS activities such as hands-on demo ideas and STEM games.

DAY ONE: WHAT IS STEM?

  • Students dispel misconceptions about the field as they draw what they think of when they think of when they hear the word “scientist.”
  • Ice Melting Blocks: Students learn about the scientific process as they explore thermal conductivity, making a hypothesis about which materials will melt ice the fastest
  • Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): Students learn about the importance of PPE when working in the lab, decorate lab coats, and practice “gowning up” for an experiment

DAY TWO: BIOLOGY

  • DNA Ladders: Students learn about the structure of DNA and make models out of candy
  • DNA Extraction: Students explore the scientific method as they extract DNA from fruit
  • Biomimicry: Students use the engineering design process to design a prosthesis based on designs found in nature

DAY THREE: CHEMISTRY

  • Chemical & Physical Changes: Students explore chemical and physical changes by mixing various substances that result in a variety of reactions
  • Bottle Rocket Truck: Students use the engineering design process to design a truck and propulsion system based on their knowledge of chemical and physical changes

DAY FOUR: PHYSICS

  • Rolling Rovers: Students design a model rover that is capable of traveling over the varied terrain found on Mars
  • Balloon Rockets: Students explore Newton’s 2nd and 3rd laws of motion by creating a self-propelled rocket
  • Egg Drop Challenge: Students use the engineering design process to create a container that can safely harbor a fragile egg during a drop

DAY FIVE: ENGINEERING

  • Paper Strength and Gumdrop Challenge: Students explore the use of shapes and identify which structures are the strongest to support engineering design
  • Circuits: Students use the engineering design process to create a simple robot that lights up, produces sound, and moves on its own

Includes 10 hours of age-appropriate content focused on a different STEM topic each day, plus beautifully designed materials, all necessary activity supplies, plus BONUS activities such as hands-on demo ideas and STEM games.

DAY ONE: WHAT IS STEM?

  • Ice Melting Blocks: Students learn about the scientific process as they explore thermal conductivity, making a hypothesis about which materials will melt ice the fastest
  • Black Box Challenge:Students use the scientific method to identify what’s inside an opaque container without looking inside
  • Crime Solvers: Students use forensics skills and techniques to decipher evidence left behind at a crime scene

DAY TWO: BIOLOGY

  • DNA Extraction: Students extract DNA from fruit and their own cheek cells
  • Not-so-Secret Code: Students work to translate coded materials similar to how transcription makes an RNA copy of a gene’s DNA sequence

DAY THREE: CHEMISTRY

  • Chemical & Physical Changes: Students explore chemical and physical changes by mixing various substances that result in a variety of reactions
  • Identify that Powder: Students work to identify unknown substances by the chemical properties of each substance
  • Bottle Rocket Truck: Students use the engineering design process to design a truck and propulsion system based on their knowledge of chemical and physical changes

DAY FOUR: PHYSICS

  • Rolling Rovers: Students design a model rover that is capable of traveling over the varied terrain found on Mars
  • Space Capsule Challenge: Students use the engineering design process to create a space capsule for an astronaut. Teams compete to determine whose capsule will endure the least amount of force on impact

DAY FIVE: ENGINEERING

  • Cookie Monster Manufacturing: Students work in teams as they race to produce identical “cookies”as they learn about manufacturing concepts and quality control
  • Water Tower Challenge: Students use the engineering design process to design a mechanism for transporting water from one location to another using a limited budget and supplies

About Learning Undefeated

Nonprofit organization Learning Undefeated is driving race and gender equity in STEM through experiential and deep-impact learning experiences for students from under resourced communities. Best known for its fleet of traveling STEM laboratories, Learning Undefeated’s flagship STEM education program has prepared more than 1.3 million K-12 students for STEM careers since 2003, through hands-on content exploration, game-based learning, summer camps, and talent development programs.

In 2022, Learning Undefeated’s shipping container based Drop Anywhere Lab won the Best of STEM Awards in the Social Impact: Promoting Diversity, Equity & Inclusion category. Learning Undefeated also operates several other celebrated STEM education programs including custom curriculum development and STEM disaster recovery education.