Summer Camp is all about being creative and trying new things, and Summer at Friends Creative Technology Camps offer many opportunities for campers to do just that. In a world increasingly filled with screens, some parents are nervous when they see the word “Technology” in a camp name. However, Summer at Friends’ unique approach means that technology is way more than staring at a screen all day!
Each of the Creative Technology Camps features a wide mix of indoor and outdoor activities that take full advantage of Friends School of Baltimore’s beautiful 35 acre campus. The campus boasts 2 swimming pools, an artificial turf playing field, air conditioned gymnasium, multiple computer labs, and a 400+ seat auditorium. Activities and lessons are structured in a way that encourages campers to be active, and in ways that tie together physical, manipulative projects with technology. The end result? A full day of excitement, fun, and creativity! And don’t forget daily swimming!
For younger campers (ages 7-10) Tech Tapas offers a self-paced introduction to creative technology. Here campers work on projects ranging from animation to game creation, and photography to videography. “Tech Tapas provides a great opportunity for younger campers to gain confidence and experience with a wide variety of programs,” notes Steve Cusick, the Director at Summer at Friends. “Campers seem to really enjoy the self-paced program and get lots of support and encouragement from the Counselors.”
For campers with a little more experience (Ages 9-13) there is Builders & makers and Pix & Flix. Both of these camps offer a mix of “in-the-box” technology and “hands on” projects. In Builders & Makers campers work through design and makerspace projects, covering things like designing and testing model bridges to using computer-aided design to model floor plans and houses. Pix & Flix explores photography, videography, and some stop-motion animation as campers learn all about the fundamentals of digital image capture and editing.
Rounding out Summer at Friends’ Creative Technology offerings is Robots & Rockets. There are two groups of this popular program, one for 8 – 10 year olds and one for 10-13 year olds. Both groups give campers the opportunity to explore the robotic design process as they design and build their very own robotic creation. Campers learn fundamentals of gearing, symmetry, and even programming as they retool their robots to complete a wide variety of tasks. The afternoons are focused on model rocketry, where campers build their very own model rocket – four different rockets over the course of the session!
Groups of the Creative Technology Camps are intentionally small allowing for personalized activities and lots of attention from the camp staff. “The only downside to the small groups” says Cusick, “is that they tend to fill up quickly!”
Summer at Friends is a coed day camp for children ages 4 to 13. In addition to Creative Technology Camps, traditional day camps, fine arts camp, drama camps, and sports camp give children the opportunity to choose the camp that is perfect for them! All programs are offered in convenient four-week sessions and include daily lunch and snack plus daily swimming on Friends School of Baltimore’s campus! For more information and to register, visit www.fscamp.org
