Treat your child to an immersive week of fun, collaboration, and real-world learning!
Summer Maker Camp 2023
For Ages 9 - 13
For Ages 9 - 16!
LINCOLN SQUARE
We're adding new themes to our rotation to support varied interests and skill levels!
Sign up two kids together and get 10% off the 2nd camper!
Only 16 spots available per camp
The Recreation That Builds Your Child’s Creative Muscle
Our campers take home more than just a project; they also develop skills that open them up to greater opportunities in life!
Woodworking
Your child will learn basic woodworking skills to help them build their ideas and grow confident with using power tools.
Problem-Solving
We'll sharpen your child's ability to solve sophisticated problems in meaningful ways by engaging in college-level critical thinking.
21st-Century Skills
Skills like Communication, Collaboration, Critical Thinking, and Creative Thinking will give your child an edge in a turbulent job market.
Why Parents Look Forward to Our Camps
❝ Our son recently attended a school vacation mini camp. At the end of the week, he surprised me with a standing desk for my office. He was so proud of his accomplishment. And I was floored. Thank you BitSpace for encouraging my son to be creative, develop a plan, get dirty and build something cool. ❞
—Marissa, parent
❝ After day one Julie told my husband and I she couldn't wait to get back to the camp the next day. That never happens in our house! She built a skateboard. It started with the design concept, built a mold and then used power tools and muscle to finish the board. She has continued to practice how to use a skateboard and has been recording her progress! Thank you BitSpace for building confidence in a girl in what might be regarded as a boys interest. Super cool and fun. ❞
—Eileen, proud Mum of Julie age 9
Camp Themes
We're cycling through these themes throughout the summer. To give your child the best possible experience, please choose a camp that aligns with their skills.
CRASH COURSE 500
Week 1 & Week 7
The classic physics challenge meets woodworking and laser cutting to make egg-saving vessels that will withstand a high-velocity crash test dummy collision, a long-jump competition, and a wildcard challenge made up by the campers!
*This is a great week for newcomers and as a refresher for campers we haven’t seen in a while.
🛠️Required Skills:
motor skills, planning ahead, time management, attention to detail, dedication, basic computer skills
BRIGHT IDEAS: BRIGHTER & BOLDER
Week 2 & Week 8
Based on the brilliant success of last summer's Lights and Sound, we're getting brighter and bolder with a full week dedicated to LIGHTS! We'll cover the fundamentals of electricity and prototyping by creating unique tabletop or hanging lamps built from scratch around the timeless design constraint of the humble light bulb.
*This camp is best for all experience levels.
🛠️Required Skills:
motor skills, critical thinking, basic computer skills, attention to detail
WARPING WOOD
Week 3
Warping wood is amazing when it's made on purpose. In this camp, we focus on the structural qualities of wood bending by molding hardwood veneer into complex shapes for sports and furnishings. This is a very challenging camp but it offers an opportunity to be the most rewarding experience of the summer!
*This camp is best for returning campers (from any year) or young makers with prior experience completing a complex, multi-faceted project!
🛠️Required Skills:
motor skills, planning ahead, teamwork, dedication, attention to detail
OBJECTS IN MOTION: IT MOVES!
Week 5
If your child has ever been curious about how pinball flippers work or what mechanism unlatches a door handle, this is the camp for them! We explore the mechanics of movement in everyday objects and get inspired to make our own kinematic creations.
*This camp is perfect for returning campers or mature newcomers who love a challenge.
🛠️Required Skills:
critical thinking, motor skills, planning ahead, planning ahead, time management, dedication
BADDER ROBOTS
Week 6
After last year's stunning success of Bad Robots, we're at it again for this re-imagining of robotics 101. Students will have an opportunity to invent a machine that automates...something! What that something is will be totally up to them within a simple set of design constraints to ensure these robot companions become friends and not foes. Scope managements, listening and critical thinking skills will be put to the test in this intensely challenging and cross-disciplinary week, but the outcomes never cease to amaze.
**This camp is best suited to experienced Bitspace campers or students who have previously enjoyed engineering or robotics projects.
🛠️Required Skills:
basic coding experience, computational thinking, independence, planning ahead, time management, perseverance
BRAND NEW
Week 9
Be the brand you want to see in the world! Why is the handmade hamster hat market not booming? Where is the rubber stamp collection that turns any surface into a Monopoly board? This week is your child’s chance to really create their own unique product experience from prototypes to branding. Explore the strangest, most (un)necessary invention and slap a name on it during our Brand New week!
*This camp is a great intro to Bitspace or campers who prefer design and software to rough carpentry and hardware (although the urban doghouse market IS highly underserved).
🛠️Required Skills:
basic computer literacy, dedication, motor skills, attention to detail
INTERACT
Week 10
Close out Summer 2023 with an amazing group project. Inter-Act is returning to form for one week only! With every tool, material, and technique at the ready, campers have the opportunity to create one collaborative, monumental interactive experience. Will that become an interactive VR tour of the center of earth? An undersea race to find sunken treasure from the belly of a submarine? A giant organ synthesizer played with lasers and hammers perhaps? We can proudly say "we have no idea!" because it'll be up to the kids to conceptualize, pitch, and develop whatever idea wins the day. Ultimately, we will stop at (almost) nothing to help bring it into reality!
**This intensive camp is best suited to experienced campers who live to solve problems and enjoy working with others. Please be aware this project ultimately resides at Bit Space for the following school year as an interactive installation.
🛠️Required Skills:
critical thinking, computational thinking, teamwork, dedication, planning
Typical Day Walkthrough
What do campers do every day?
We kick off the day with a bit of mental stretching to get the body and mind ready and follow it up with an extensive safety and awareness training.
We then set the day's focus and assign campers to partner up or take on tasks individually across a series of stations to advance the development of a project.
Lunch Break: Weather permitting we head outside for some fresh air and fun eat our lunch.
After lunch we jump right back into making progress on the weeks project
The last working hour of Monday-Thursday is for free-build: a time when kids can make something unrelated to the weeks project and give their brains a break!
Lastly, campers clean up their workspaces before heading home.
What You'll Get
FIVE (7-hour) days of camp facilitated by professional architects, designers and makers
Complimentary Before and After Care for when you need some extra time to get to or from work. We watch educational (but fun) videos or brainstorm for free-build
All the materials needed for the entire week
Access to state-of-the-art tools and technology (e.g. 3D printers, programmable electronics, virtual reality integration, and so much more.*)
Traditional woodworking training
Life skills development ( time management, persistence and determination to name a few)
Direct support from expert guides
Camper's project to take home with them
All-In Price for 5 DAYS of Camp:
$800
⚠️ But before you sign up...
Please know that we're observing these guidelines for everyone's health and safety:
- Each camper will be required to present proof of vaccination (digital, photo, or physical).
- CDC's highest recommendations on the proper use of masks shall strictly be observed. Facemasks also protect campers from airborne particles and dust that exist in the workshop. Please send your camper with an extra mask or two.
- If your child shows any symptom of COVID (even mild symptoms), please cancel with us and stay home. We will refund your payment in full.
THOUSANDS of ideas have come to life over the years
These are just a few of the many amazing projects kids created with our guidance.
Ready to Sign Up?
Choose a week that works for you (you can register for more than one). Each camp runs from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm.
CRASH COURSE 500
June 12 - June 16
FULL
4TH OF JULY HOLIDAY
Jul 3 - Jul 7
(CLOSED)
