Unplugged STEM Camping Activities during Summer
Summer is the best season to do fun and exciting activities for your kids. It can help your child to earn fantastic memories and experiences even if they are not in school. So, you as their parents should make their summer valuable and memorable!
To make their summer unforgettable, you could arrange exciting learning activities without noticing that they are learning! How?
That is how unplugged STEM camping activities become the key!
What are the advantages of unplugged STEM summer camp activities?
Unplugged STEM activities focus on fun and incredible games, tasks, and challenges that would not include any gadgets or devices. The materials usually used for this activity are easy to find too. Other than that, you can enjoy its fantastic benefits like the following
Lesser screen-time. Summer camping activities help to prevent excessive use of gadgets at home. If parents prepared unplugged challenges, it would help their child balance their screen time and family-time. So, it could avert screen addiction whilst improving social skills with their friends and families.
Indoor and outdoor activities. You can choose from the indoor and outdoor setup for your summer camp. You can do the tasks in the park or even on your lawn. Through this, your child could spend more time outdoors exploring nature and surroundings. It can also bring them new experiences whilst doing activities outside homes.
STEM projects, games, challenges. Another vital aspect of unplugged summer camping activities is when it highlights STEM skills. It gives your child a chance to encounter several challenges that will allow them to think outside the box. It also helps them master practical skills like problem-solving, critical thinking, logic, and creativity to accomplish the summer project.
They are learning by doing. Instead of long readings and video tutorials, your child could learn independently. They would practise the sense of self as they discover new knowledge and experiences on the summer camp activities. Moreover, it allows your kid to improve their personality as they are responsible for manipulating and unravelling new things on the move. Most importantly, you are letting them learn from their experiments.
What kids camping activities can we do during the summer?
#1 Obstacle Course and Scavenger Hunt
If you wish to do the summer activity outdoors, the obstacle course is an exciting game! However, the real learning part is when you include your child during the preparation. You will help them understand how to plan, design, and execute the whole plan. You would also allow them to be creative and organise throughout the preparation.
Aside from that, you are giving them a tremendous opportunity to use the resources around them to build your obstacle course! How challenging yet exciting is that for little kids?
Besides the obstacle course, you could also use scavenger hunting activities. They are most likely the same as you need to allow your child to plan with you. However, in scavenger hunting games, they would more often use their observational and analysation skills.
The indoor version of these challenging games is the breakout room from where they also need to solve problems, mathematical computations, and finding and sorting clues to achieve their goal.
#2 Science experiments like solar updraft tower
Several science experiments are available for summer campings. Together with your child, you could build, design, and even do incredible experimentations to learn new STEM ideas. Through this, they would enjoy the whole activity.
One fantastic example of science experiments you could do is the solar updraft tower. Your child will be able to understand the concept of solar energy! Moreover, they would also practise patience, resiliency, and accurate following of instructions.
You only need the following materials:
1. three tin three cans2. Pins3. hand-made paper fan4. Wire5. duct tape
Here are the steps you should do:
1. You need to take off all the lids of the cans and stack them together with duct tape. 2. Afterwards, at the top of the stack, made an inverted U-shape of the wire and attached it using the tape. 3. Add the hand-made paper fan on the top of the wire. 4. Lastly, place your project directly on the sun. And just wait patiently.
Once the cans absorb the sun’s heat energy, the fan will eventually move on its own!
This STEM activity gives your child an experience of building, planning, and performing a specific task. It also teaches them to follow directions carefully to avoid mistakes. Moreover, it also helps enhance their patience during all the projects.
#3 Entrepreneurial and mathematical skills through building a small business
During summer vacation, your child could have small projects at home that could turn into a little summer business! What products can they sell? You can help them with baking goods like cookies, brownies, or cupcakes. They can also try ice candy or ice pops and sell it to your neighbours.
As your child creates the products, they would learn step-by-step instructions in following the recipe. They could also practise measurement skills as they use measuring cups and spoons. Moreover, your child would also have a chance to observe and investigate how to cook and prepare food independently.
After that, your child could sell these goods to people. It will then teach them how to earn money and use maths in their small business. Indeed, this summer activity is an incredible idea for kids to learn STEM skills!
#4 Coding activities like Humanoid Coding Grid Game
Besides the usual summer activities, you can also do a unique STEM game featuring kids coding skills. You can do coding for kids with physical activities. So, you can conduct a game called “Humanoid Coding Grid Game.”
You only need to set up a grid using tape or chalk. Then, you need to assign who is the code and who are the humanoids. The coder is the one to give the instructions and directions. Then, the humanoids need to follow the instructions.
In this activity, the coder’s main challenge is to give directions accurately to prevent clash and improper positions. If there are problems, the coder needs to “debug” it and fix the humanoids.
Through this simple code learning for kids activity, your child will discover how to write using the programming language. They would practice using other languages without giving them direct instructions but relatively simple directions only. Most importantly, it will teach them the basic concepts of coding for kids.
Are there available STEM camps for my child?
Yes! One of a STEM education franchise in Sydney, Australia is the Skill Samurai. It is an after-school care program and kids coding school that offers kids coding camps and activities to help your child learn about computer sciences.
At a very young age, your boys and girls would unravel various tasks, lessons, and even maths tutorings with Skill Samurai. Skill Samurai can provide them with an incredible STEM learning opportunity with or without the use of gadgets like laptops, computers, or mobile phones. They could also learn coding, programming, and robotics classes for kids.
If you want your child to develop their STEM skills during the summer further, sign them up now with Skill Samurai’s coding camp for kids.