Camp helps kids focus on STEM-based activities
in The Woodlands have found a way to keep their kids active and motivated about learning.
Children poured into the Lone Star College-Montgomery campus this week for a weeklong summer camp focused on STEM — science, technology, engineering and mathematics — education. Classes like “bubbly oozy science,” Lego engineering and robotics keep kids engaged with fun, hands-on activities.
For Mahiette Tarrago, a full-time mom and creative director at Tycoon Advertising Group in The Woodlands, the Discovery College camp is a new experience for her and her eight-year-old son, Ahvner Vasquez. After several recommendations from friends, she decided to sign her son up for a weeklong robotics class.
“What the kids love about it is that they’re going to college. It gives them
that feeling,” Tarrago said. “We really appreciate this kind of program.”
Tarrago said that her son enjoys building with Legos, so the robotics class will give him a new challenge. She registered her son in all four sessions of the weekly summer camp, selecting robotics one and two, Lego engineering, and clay and sculpture. Kids can select one weeklong class per session.
The classes are taught by paid staff who are hired each summer. Valeria Davila is a junior at nearby Sam Houston State University who enjoys spending her summer teaching at Discovery College. Though the 21-year-old is an accounting major at SHSU, this will be her third year as a robotics teacher at the Discovery College summer camp.
“I had always wanted to be a mechanical engineer and have always had a knack for mechanics and gears. I hope to give these kids from a young age an opportunity to spark their creativity and imagination,” Davila said.
Davila will teach her group of kids, including Vasquez, how to build and program a robot. The camp uses the Lego Mindstorms robot kit, which includes some Lego pieces, cables and a programmable “brick.” Kids in the class will use NXT 2.0 programming software to command their robots. By the end of week, robots will be programmed to run an obstacle course and, possibly, battle against other robots.
“This is my second year here. I like assembling and programming robots,” said 8-year-old Rachel Howse Wygand who attends Conroe ISD’s Backalew Elementary. Howse-Wygand was free-building a robot with her friend, nine-year-old Ruby Hill who attends Zwink Elementary in Klein ISD.
“I really like to build stuff, and I always imagine that I’m building things,” Hill said. “I hope it’s really fun.”
More than 90 kids registered for the first weeklong session of Discovery College, nearing the camp’s maximum capacity of 100 kids. During each of the four sessions, parents can select one course for their child. “We almost sell out all the time,” said Michael Robinson, the Discovery College camp manager.
Robinson has managed the camp for four years while maintaining his position as a teacher at Willis High School.
“The program is incredibly important. It introduces the kids to college. … The intent is to get kids familiar so that they’ll come back,” Robinson said.
But beyond exposing kids to higher education, Discovery College is about having fun and letting kids be kids.
“My philosophy is learning is a byproduct of fun. The camp is an opportunity to do something fun instead of having kids on their gizmos playing Candy Crush,” Robinson said.
Classes run from 1 to 5 p.m., and students must be picked up after class by 5:30 p.m. Each weeklong course costs about $97. Registration and payment must be done at the continuing education office in room 205 of Building E.
LSC-Montgomery isn’t the only college hosting summer camps. Other LSC campuses that will be hosting educational programming include the Tomball, Cypress-Fairbanks, Kingwood and University Park campuses of Lone Star College. Programming varies across campuses, but the costs are similar. Some of the varied programming includes a sports camp, fashion design, game design, app building, Tae Kwon Do and veterinary education.