Flash sale on summer writing camps at Atlanta History Center
Atlanta History Center is having a sale this week on its summer writing camps for students who are currently in 6th through 8th grades.
As they describe the camps, “Campers will learn how to become history detectives as they uncover museum mysteries, craft their own spooky stories, experiment with different styles of writing, and dream up their own imaginative worlds, all while having fun and exploring the past through games, historical simulations, and more!”
There’s no code required for the discount, which is $50 for non-members or $40 for members. The discount should appear automatically at registration. (Note that their history camps — which are for younger kids — aren’t part of this sale.) This offer ends this Friday, April 19.
Need more financial help for your child to attend a camp at Atlanta History Center? Camp scholarships are available for students who attend a Title I public school and receive free or reduced lunch. These are available for history camps or writing camps.
AICL is a totally different summer camp
“If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer.”
— Henry David Thoreau
If this well-known quotation describes your gifted child, take a look at the Appalachian Institute for Creative Learning, a summer camp that revels in letting kids explore topics outside the expected.
AICL is one of the only summer programs I include on GiftedAtlanta.com that isn’t in the metro Atlanta area. It’s held at Mars Hill University, near Asheville, N.C. Why do I make this exception? First, my own kids attended this camp for two years, and my husband and I taught at the camp one of those years, so I’m personally familiar with it. And second, I know that AICL has given many quirky kids the priceless experience of feeling they’re with their true peers — including one kid whose mom read about AICL on this blog and who told me the camp was a godsend for her child.
Consider some of the classes they’re offering this summer: print making, the nervous system, Korean folk art, puppetry, short-story writing and French new wave films. Campers will create their own game shows, dismantle electronic devices, and program mini-robots to perform a play. In the afternoons and evenings, there are small-group clubs and large-group activities.
It isn’t just the classes AICL teaches that makes it work. It’s an underlying philosophy that celebrates personal and intellectual originality.
This summer, AICL will meet for two, one-week sessions. The camp is open to students rising to grades 3 through 12, with residential and day camp options. (Day camp at a location nearly four hours away is obvioulsy impractical, unless you make a sort of family vacation of it and rent a place around Asheville for the week — which we did the first year my kids attended.)
Tellus presents spring break programming and eclipse viewing
Tellus Museum in Cartersville will host Full STEAM Ahead from April 1 to 5, offering kid-friendly demonstrations and hands-on activities. Each weekday will be centered on one of the five elements of STEAM: Monday is science, Tuesday is technology, and so on.
Tellus also will welcome guests to safely view the partial solar eclipse through its solar telescope on April 8. The observatory will be open from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m., with the maximum eclipse (84 percent of the sun will be covered) expected just after 3 p.m.
These events are included in museum admission, which is $19 for adults and $15 for children (or free if you have a Tellus membership).
Georgia Tech April 13 workshops for grades 2-8
Registration is open for Georgia Tech’s K.I.D.S. Club and STEAM Workshop classes for Saturday, April 13, from 9 a.m. to noon on the Georgia Tech campus.
K.I.D.S. Club is open to students in grades 2 through 5. Workshops cover a variety of topics including rocketry, electrical engineering, tangrams and something they’re calling “grossology.” STEAM Workshops this time around are for students in grades 6 through 8, with such topics as stop-motion animation and biomedical engineering.
Cost to attend is $65 per student. Need-based scholarships, funded by the Georgia Department of Education, are available to students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunches at school. Visit the CEISMC BOOST Scholarship page to learn more about scholarship eligibility and submit an application.
The April session will be the final meeting of K.I.D.S. Club / STEAM Workshops for the 2023-2024 school year.
Student-led STEM Expo seeks exhibitors and attendees
Students with an interest in STEM are invited to take part in a STEM Expo, Saturday, April 13, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Global Impact Academy in Fairburn.
The expo is being organized by GIA senior Christina Jordan, who says the event is a chance for students to showcase their talent in STEM and for local STEM professionals to inspire students.
Exhibitors, who may be students or adults, should have an interactive project to share. Christina says exhibitors signed up so far range from 9th-grade students to Microsoft representatives. To apply for an exhibitor spot, complete the interest form before the April 1 deadline.
The event is free for attendees and exhibitors.
Learn more about Davidson Institute for profoundly gifted children
The Davidson Institute serves profoundly gifted children and teens and their families. “Profoundly gifted” is a term for those who score in the 99.9th percentile on IQ tests. These students typically learn at several grade levels ahead of their age peers, and may not have their educational needs met even through standard gifted education programs. (See the Davidson website for a more detailed definition and description.)
The Davidson Young Scholars program provides advice and resources to help families understand and meet the needs of their profoundly gifted children, both in school and in the home. The program is free to those who are accepted.
Davidson will host a live Q&A session about the application process for its Young Scholars program on Monday, April 8, at 1:00 p.m. Eastern (10 a.m. Pacific). Registration for the event is required. If you can’t attend at the scheduled time, a recording will be available; however, you must register ahead of time to get access to the video recording.
Other opportunities Davidson offers include summer programs, online classes, scholarship competitions and a residential school.
Atlanta Science Festival returns
The annual Atlanta Science Festival starts this Saturday, March 9, and continues through March 23 with a wide variety of events for kids, teens and adults, including many hands-on activities.
The festival will kick off with Georgia Tech Science and Engineering Day, a collection of exhibits on the Georgia Tech campus, this Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. It continues for two weeks, with dozens of events in a variety of scientific disciplines. As usual, the festival will culminate in the Exploration Expo, a free event with more than 100 informative and interactive booths, Saturday, March 23 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Piedmont Park.
The festival website allows you to search all events by date, topic, target age group, or area of town (by ZIP code).
Many events have limited space and require you to register ahead, so the sooner you make plans, the better.
University of West Georgia summer camps for rising kindergarteners and up
UWG has opened registration for a variety of youth summer camps this June and July, for students as young as rising kindergarteners, up to rising 12th graders.
For grades K-2, Wolves Exploration Camp will run daily from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. From UWG’s description, this camp will have children actively engaged in hands-on projects. Specific themes for each week haven’t been announced.
Students rising to grades 3 to 5 have two options:
- Discovery Camp, which has lots of typical camp activities (crafts, outdoor play, and a gym), plus a touch of academic content about archaeology. Runs from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- STEM camp, which is programmed in partnership with the Georgia Youth Science and Technology Center. Topics will include geology, esports, LEGO robotics, drones and more. This camp has sessions from 9 a.m. to noon and 1-4 p.m., so you can make it a half-day camp or all day, whichever you prefer.
Students rising to grades 6 through 12 can enroll in the UWG Immersion Center. These sessions are led by UWG faculty and staff, covering such topics as literature, art, film, esports, personal finance and more. Sessions are split into 9 a.m. to noon and 1-4 p.m., so you can choose to attend half-day or all day.
You can see all the summer program information and register for sessions by following the link provided at the top of this post.
Spring break and summer programs at Georgia Tech
Georgia Tech has opened registration for its spring break camp and a slate of summer programs that include day camps and residential programs.
Spring Break STEAM Adventure. This one-week camp for students in grades 6-8 will be held April 1-5. The program meets daily from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., with aftercare available until 5 p.m. at no extra cost. Each weekday will have a main theme, with topics including forensic science, computer science, and math. You can register for individual days or for the whole week. Register at the STEAM Workshops page — scroll down a bit until you see “Spring into STEAM.”
Summer P.E.A.K.S. A series of one-week and two-week day camps for students in grades 2-12. Camps meet daily from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Camp topics are STEAM-related and include engineering, coding, LEGO robotics, computational science, music production and energy. See the full list of camps on the summer registration page.
FBI InfraGard Cyber Security Camp. Cybersecurity experts from the FBI, Georgia Tech and private companies will introuduce cybersecurity skills and techniques to 9th-12th graders. Camp meets daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., June 10-14. The application deadline is March 21 at 5 p.m. To find details, go to the summer learning page and scroll down to find Georgia Tech Cyber Security Camp.
First Generation College Institute. A four-day residential program for 8th to 12th graders, June 20-23. This is an introduction to scholarships, financial aid, campus life, etc., with some STEM learning sessions during the weekend. The program is for prospective first-generation college students. Cost is $25, which includes housing and all meals. Registration deadline is April 12 at 5 p.m. To register, go to the summer learning page, scroll down to the Residential Sessions section and look for 2024 First Generation College Institute.
GT G.I.R.L.S. Institute. A five-day residential program, June 24-28, for girls in grades 9-11. Programming combines hands-on experiments and exploring the Tech campus. Application deadline is April 12 at 5 p.m. For more information, go to the summer learning page, scroll down to the Residential Sessions section and look for G.T. G.I.R.L.S.
GT Robotics Institute. A five-day residential camp, June 22-26, for students in grades 9-11. Students will build and program autonomous robots to drive on a racetrack that they design and build. Application deadline is April 12 at 5 p.m. For more information, go to the summer learning page, scroll down to the Residential Sessions section and look for GT CEISMC Robotics Institute.
Georgia Tech has need-based scholarships available for in-person programs. If a student qualifies for free or reduced price lunch at their school, they are likely eligible for a BOOST Scholarship.
Georgia Tech March 16 workshops for grades 2-12
Registration is open for Georgia Tech’s K.I.D.S. Club and STEAM Workshop classes for Saturday, March 16, from 9 a.m. to noon on the Georgia Tech campus.
K.I.D.S. Club is open to students in grades 2 through 5. STEAM Workshops are for students in grades 6 through 12. Workshops cover a variety of topics including civil engineering, biochemical engineering, animation, architecture and physics.
Cost to attend is $65 per student. Need-based scholarships, funded by the Georgia Department of Education, are available to students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunches at school. Visit the CEISMC BOOST Scholarship page to learn more about scholarship eligibility and submit an application.
Additional K.I.D.S. Club and STEAM Workshops are planned for April 13, 2024.
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