What They Learn

Here is a random and incomplete list of skills and concepts they might acquire, which at times may sound like skills covered in their math or physics class, or used in the workplace by an engineer, a doctor, filmmaker, or another professional:

• Architecture project: thinking in 3 dimensions, working with orthogonal and isometric views of an object, perspective, coordinates, angles, measurement, scale and ratios, functional design decisions.
• Animation: planning a story and time line, writing, drawing, character development, translating a 3-dimensional set into 2-dimensional screen, working with rates, perspective, scale, modeling, making a presentation that is viewer-friendly, multimedia design
• Video game design: programming with an icon-based object-oriented programming language, using coordinates, variables, formulas, and ratios, working with rates of change, logic and sets, designing a user interface
• LEGO-based Robotics: using sound construction principles to create strong structures, gears, levers, and mechanisms, transmission of power between electrical and mechanical forms, programming an autonomous mechanism to perform a given series of movements using one of the LEGO languages.
• In all projects, they learn the power of collaboration, experimentation, the patience needed to learn and complete something worthwhile, and the satisfaction of completing a project independently.

icamp is uniquely suited for learning applied technologies, thanks to the carefully selected equipment and software, large volume of lessons, tutorials, and building plans that we have created for campers, and the expertise of our instructors in giving campers just the right level of information to enable them to build and experiment.  We assess the kids' learning throughout icamp by monitoring their projects on the Project Tracking Chart. Unlike a contrived test of rote knowledge and recall, this is an authentic assessment: a completed, functional project demonstrates that the camper has learned the tools, understood the theory and instruction, and solved the inevitable problems. As the campers come back to icamp for repeated sessions, they are able to build on prior skills, experiment, and synthesize.

To find out more, linger on a bit when picking up your child (coming in early will interfere with our clean-up period) and talk to one of our instructors about your child's learning. It is always a good idea to ask your child at home about his or her projects and new learnings.

Pssst.... Don't tell the kids. They will be learning some math.