Loyalist College teams up with launch to offer STEAM summer kids’ camps

Belleville, Ontario, May 19, 2021 – Registration is open for several online science, technology, engineering, art and math (STEAM) summer camps for children, offered by Loyalist College through social enterprise LAUNCH. Designed for children entering grades one through eight, the one-week camps, which begin July 5, incorporate STEAM subjects into everything from animation and architecture to creative storytelling, understanding laws of motion and building rockets. Campers explore fun and interactive activities, guided by caring camp leaders, using materials from a customized gift box they receive in advance.

“Our partnership with LAUNCH is the beginning of something special for campers in our Bay of Quinte region, as well as Loyalist College students who we plan to engage as camp leaders in future years,” said Dr. Ann Marie Vaughan, Loyalist College President and CEO. “The focus on STEAM aligns perfectly with one of the six industry clusters around which we offer innovative programs and applied research to meet market needs. Through the camp’s fun, hands-on team-building activities, we hope to inspire and empower children to pursue STEAM in their future academic journeys.”

Summer Kids Camps include:

Slime!
Dates: July 5-9
Grades: 1-3 and 4-6
About: Campers explore all things slimy and squishy. They’ll make their own slime recipes and learn about slimy creatures on earth and why they need that slime to survive. Children will get gross on this adventure-filled week!

Animation Creations
Dates: July 12-16
Grades: 4-5 and 6-8
About: Everywhere we look we see moving pictures…we call them videos, movies and TV shows. In Animation Creations, campers will explore the concept of persistence of vision and how toys and moving pictures use this principle to create motion we see.

Best of STEAM
Dates: July 19-23
Grades: 1-3 and 4-6
About: Campers will discover all of the favourite STEAM activities and adventures. This is their chance to try a little bit of everything, meet LAUNCH coaches, and have lots of fun. 

Rube Goldberg Design Challenge
Dates: July 26-30
Grades: 4-5 and 6-8
About: In this week-long challenge, campers learn about simple machines, complex machines, laws of motion and design principles. They’ll work to create and test a masterful machine that accomplishes a seemingly easy task in the most complicated way possible.

Space Explorers
Dates: August 9-13
Grades: 4-5 and 6-8
About: From planets and rockets to stars, there are so many amazing things in space. Even though they can’t get on a rocket and fly into space, campers can build rockets to blast off at home, while learning about how NASA plans missions. Activities will include creating models, painting planets, and exploring constellations.

STEAM Stories
Dates: August 16-20
Grades: 1-3
About: Campers will explore STEAM through hands-on activities related to stories. They’ll unpack the role of STEAM within each story in a fun, creative way! Books and stories included.

Discover Meander
Dates: August 16-20
Grades: 6-8
About: Meander is the largest permanent living architecture sculpture in the world. This summer campers will discover the soaring, flowing installation of spheres, columns and canopies, suspended from the ceiling of a historic limestone factory along the Grand River. Through hands-on and team-building activities, they’ll explore connections between art and the natural world.

“Kids are naturally curious,” says Tobi Day-Hamilton, co-founder of LAUNCH. “STEAM camps foster that curiosity and inspire kids to explore the world around them in new and interesting ways. I’m excited to partner with Loyalist College and help more children and youth discover the wonders of science and technology.”

To register for week-long virtual summer STEAM camps, which cost $130, click here.

LAUNCH also offers STEAM League, an eight-week, after school program that includes practices, team-based learning and an end-of-season tournament. The program features fun, hands-on activities in various aspects of STEAM, supported by HIP Developments, Google.org and the Bosch Community Fund.

About Loyalist College
Ranked one of Canada’s top 50 research colleges and #1 in the country for industry research income as a percentage of total research income, Loyalist College empowers students, faculty, staff, and partners through experiential, industry cluster-based education, training and applied research programs. As Ontario’s Destination College, the College provides job-ready graduates for, and knowledge transfer to, industry and the community. Of 2018-19 graduates, 88.8 percent were employed within six months after graduation. Located on more than 200 acres in the beautiful Bay of Quinte region, the College is perfectly positioned between Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal. Loyalist College offers more than 70 full-time diploma, certificate and apprenticeship programs in biosciences, building sciences, business, community service, health and wellness, media studies, public safety, and skilled trades. Continuing education options are available through LoyalistFocus.com, including hundreds of online, distance and in-class courses, and through the College’s 100+ university transfer agreements. Loyalist College is a key driver of social and economic health in eastern Ontario. It contributes 3.7 percent of the Gross Regional Product, representing $382 million annually to the regional economy – based on a March 2020 report by Emsi. For more information on Loyalist College’s Belleville, Bancroft and Toronto campuses and Port Hope satellite location, visit YoureGoingPlaces.com.

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Contact: Kerry Lorimer, Director, Marketing, Communications and Recruitment
Loyalist College, klorimer@loyalistcollege.com, 613-969-1913, ext. 2536