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Rockfest, dogs & day camps at Tellus
Three things are coming up soon at Tellus Science Museum in Cartersville: the Rockfest rock and gem showcase, a lunch and learn about search and rescue dogs, and science-themed day camps.
Rockfest 35 will be Saturday and Sunday, June 13 and 14. There will be geology-themed activities, including the chance to bring in a favorite rock and have it identified. Vendors will have rocks, minerals, and jewelry available to purchase, and I can tell you, based on my experience, if you have a kid with you who’s fascinated by rocks and minerals, the vendors will be very willing to talk to them, even if you don’t buy anything. There’s no extra fee to attend Rockfest, just the price of museum admission.
On June 24, the museum will hold a lunch and learn called Search & Sniff, which will feature dogs from a professional canine search and rescue organization. The program will discuss the science of scents and the biology of dogs’ powerful sense of smell. Tellus requests that children be at least 8 years old to attend. The lecture is included in the price of museum admission.
Finally, Tellus is hosting several weeks of day camp. The museum’s website doesn’t have a single page where you can see all of them, but they’re all listed on the Tellus Events page. You can click on any of them to see details.
Summer seminar at Atlanta History Center
The Atlanta History Center will host a four-day summer research seminar for high-school students, examining the timely topic of how museums shape historic narratives through their choices of what they collect, preserve, and display. Seminar students will explore the AHC’s collections and hear from experts in the field.
The program is open to rising high-school juniors and seniors. Applicants should have high-level skills in reading and discussion, and should be comfortable with collaboration and presentation.
The seminar will be held June 8-11, 2026 at AHC’s Buckhead campus. Applications are being considered on a rolling basis until all seats are filled. The application requires a recommendation from a social studies or ELA teacher.
(If you visit the web page about this program and see language about applicants being notified of their status by May 1 — and you recognize that it’s already after May 1 now — don’t be deterred. I have confirmed that as of today, open spaces remain.)
Day camps at UWG Carrollton & Newnan
University of West Georgia has opened registration for its 2025 youth summer camps, being held this June and July. Camps are available for rising kindergartners through rising 12th graders.
For rising grades K-2, UWG will have Wolves Exploration Camp, described as active, with lots of chances to run around and get messy, and some academic concepts sneaked in. Topics for this summer are insects, international culture, space, visual arts, basic technology, and dinosaurs.
For students rising to grades 3-12, UWG will offer Immersion Summer camps. Topics vary by age and will include environmental science, esports, filmmaking, MakerLab, LED animation, photography, and art.
All camps are one week long. Most are held on the Carrollton campus; a few are at the Newnan campus. Registration is a la carte, for as many or as few weeks as you want.
Learn about Georgia Tech summer programs
Georgia Tech will host two informational sessions about its 2026 Summer PEAKS programs — one in person and the other online. Both sessions will introduce the program, talk about specific plans for this summer, and answer questions.
Summer PEAKS is Georgia Tech’s summer program for students rising to grades 2 through 12. This year’s sessions will be held from June 1 to July 31. The program is broken into weeks; students can pick as many or as few weeks as they want. Topics for this year’s program haven’t yet been posted.
The in-person information session will be on February 28, from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m., on the Georgia Tech campus, in the Clough Undergraduate Learning Commons, auditorium 152. The virtual session will be March 3 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. via Zoom.
If you plan to attend either session, you’re asked to register ahead of time.
Registration for Summer PEAKS will open on February 28.
Apply now for scholarships for Georgia Tech summer program
Georgia Tech has opened its application for scholarships for its Summer PEAKS programs for elementary, middle-school, and high-school students.
All scholarships are based on financial need and are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis. To apply, you’ll need to provide documentation of your household income. Students who qualify for the free or reduced lunch program in their public school are likely to qualify for these scholarships. There are no full scholarships, but awards that cover 25%, 50%, or 75% of tuition are available.
Be aware that if you apply for a scholarship, you’ll still need to register separately for the actual program your child wants to participate in, and being selected for a scholarship doesn’t guarantee your child a seat in their preferred program. Registration is scheduled to open at the end of February.
Full information on scholarships is available on the Georgia Tech website. The application launches from the information page.
Summer camps at West Georgia
University of West Georgia has opened registration for its 2025 youth summer camps, being held this June and July. Camps are available for rising kindergartners through 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 is an immersive camp that emphasizes activity outside the classroom.
STEM camps are open to rising K-8. These camps are being operated by the Georgia Youth Science and Technology Center.
Students rising to grades 6 through 12 can enroll in UWG Immersion Camps. These sessions are led by UWG faculty and staff, covering such topics as film, archaeology, esports and more.
Georgia Tech summer programs
Georgia Tech has opened registration for its summer 2025 programs.
- The Summer P.E.A.K.S. Program is a series of one- and two-week sessions for rising 2nd- to 12th-grade students. Themes include drones, makerspace design and engineering, sports science, robotics, animation, architecture and coding. Elementary- and middle-school programs typically meet from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily on the Georgia Tech campus; some high-school-level sessions may run until 5 p.m.
- Scroll all the way to the bottom of the registration page to find information on the Robotics Institute, a one-week residential program for current high-school students who are passionate about robotics. This program requires an application for acceptance.
- NextGen Innovators is a new, middle-school Summer P.E.A.K.S. session that will be held June 23-27 in Technology Park in Peachtree Corners (Gwinnett County). Students will explore how STEAM solutions can address real-world challenges such as renewable energy and clean water. Find the details and register for this program by scrolling down the registration page to the middle-school section and looking in the Week 4 programs.
For most Georgia Tech programs, registration remains open until one week before the program’s start date. However, this may not be true for all programs, and there are limited available spaces for all programs.
It’s time to plan for summer
Some summer programs have already opened registration for 2025, and those that haven’t yet will do so soon. To help you prepare, today I clicked every single link on the Summer Programs page to make sure they all lead where they should.
I added one program to the page: arts intensives at Kennesaw State University, one-week sessions focusing on visual art and design, dance, theater, or music.
I removed the following listings because the programs seem to have been discontinued:
- TEC Camp at Georgia Tech
- Summer University at Kennesaw State University
- Smart Girls Summer Camp at Atlanta Girls School
- Emagination technology camp
- Clemson Universtity Space Camp
If you know of a great summer program that’s not already on the Summer Programs page, please share it with our gifted community. You can leave a comment on this post or send me information by using the form on the About / Contact page.
VOX ATL taking applications for summer multimedia production program
VOX ATL, a non-profit organization that calls itself “Atlanta’s home for uncensored teen publishing and self-expression” is taking applications for its Media Cafe summer program.
Media Cafe is a two-week program that introduces teens to multimedia production, journalism and public speaking. Working in VOX ATL’s downtown office, teens get hands-on experience with writing, video editing, podcasting and graphic design. They also take field trips and meet creative professionals who work in Atlanta.
The program is open to ages 13-19. It’s free, although participants are asked to provide a $100 deposit to hold their spot. The deposit is returned at the end of the session. (Deposit waivers may be available, based on financial need.)
The application deadline is May 22. To learn more, visit the Media Cafe page.
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.
Gifted Atlanta 