What will your kids be doing this summer?
If computers, technology and robotics will be part of it, a brand new series of summer tech camps right here in Campbell River will have them engaging, building, creating and yes, having lots of fun!
Focused on STEM – Science, technology, engineering and math – Under the GUI offers programs for school-age children and teens that inspire innovation, critical thinking and creativity. Brand new in Campbell River, Under the GUI – Graphical User Interface, for the uninitiated – has enjoyed huge success in the Lower Mainland, due in large part to its fun, hands-on approach to coding for kids, robotics and game development, explains Krista Smith, regional director for Vancouver Island.
“This is a program that was conceived specifically for children, and we are truly learning through play.”
Founder and neuroscientist Jamie Chang launched the kids tech programs in BC as a way to take tech-savvy kids a little deeper, working with coding, animation and robotics.
“He loves it and he understands kids, and I think that energy really shows in the program. The software PixelPAD that Jamie Chang created is so creative and fun for the kids and it gives them a look at the possibilities,” says Smith, herself a mother of three.
What’s the attraction?
“The parents are all about the coding,” Smith laughs, noting tech is one of the fastest-growing sectors in Canada. “But for the kids, it’s the creativity and the hands-on aspect of the camp. When they put the code into the computer and the robot moves, it’s so inspiring!”
A series of week-long summer tech, coding, robotics and animation camps are scheduled throughout the summer, with the aim of adding after-school, weekend and home-school programs come fall. Open to campers from 5 to 14 years old, programs welcome all experience and knowledge levels, and with topics like Engineering Olympics, Coding and Animation, and Robotics, Circuits and 3D Printing, you know that lots of fun – and learning! – will be had.
Also key is the 10:1 ratio of kids to male and female instructors, typically college and university students who bring a youthful energy their young campers love, adds Smith, who has worked with children for many years in art outreach.
Week-long summer camps will be held at the Campbell River Baptist Church beginning July 9 until Aug. 24.
Learn more at underthegui.com/camp-registration.