Follow the development of space exploration from early rockets to the latest programs of companies like Blue Origin and SpaceX. Test out different rocket designs to see which can soar the highest and go the fastest. Design and create the spaceship of your dreams!

Camp FANTASTIC FLYING TOYS: Learn about aviation by playing with stomp rockets, rubber band-powered propeller planes, and mechanical birds. Make different paper airplanes and figure out which ones fly the farthest and glide the longest. Use flying toys from around the world like kites, boomerangs, taketombos and more.

The challenges of navigation have confronted explorers from the beginning of time. From observing the stars, to reading compasses, to radio direction finders and GPS, campers will learn about the ways navigators are able to get from here to there without getting lost!

Believe it or not, scientists spend a lot of time outdoors. We’ll follow in their footsteps as we investigate the mysteries behind the world we live in and learn what makes it tick. Our creeks, ponds, wetlands, forests, meadows, and fully-stocked laboratory will be our classroom. You’ll get to meet some of the scientists behind the Brightwater Treatment plant and learn how Brightwater helps keep the Puget Sound clean. We’ll integrate games, art, and free exploration as well to round out the week and make sure that you’ll leave with a new understanding of what it means to “do science.”

How did people reach for the skies before they had airplanes? From the giant man-lifting kites of the ancient Chinese to Montgolfiers’ balloon, campers will explore all the ways people explored the skies centuries before the Wright brothers were ever born.

Explore the wonderful world of insects at Lake Washington Girls Middle School. Together, we will delve into the world of insects through 3 dimensional art projects, scavenger hunts through our neighborhood, educational games and hands on dissections of a grasshopper. Whether your girls are afraid of creepy crawlies or fascinated by arthropods, they will love this week of STEAM-focused fun. STEAM Camp is an exciting and hands-on learning opportunity for young people with a special emphasis on the STEAM curriculum areas (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics). As educators, we must provide educational opportunities that endeavor to integrate the arts, sciences, and technology for this to happen. LWGMS already embraces this educational model, and is currently in the process of developing curriculum for our students that is cutting edge, and that integrates the arts into the STEM model: STEAM. STEAM design classes incorporate problem-solving, creativity, collaboration, presentation, prototyping, and response to critique (resilience). Here at LWGMS, in summer camps and the school classroom, we are celebrating the STEM to STEAM initiative. Sign up today!

Camp Beginner 'Bots: Learn how we use robots every day! See how scientists are using robotics to explore our universe. Using Lego WeDo and Robotix parts, explore the basics of robotics, including gears, levers, and more.

From the first aviators to modern astronauts, people have been fascinated by the view from above. This week campers will examine the various ways in which the Earth is observed from on high. From spy planes to drones to satellites; the evolution of aerial reconnaissance will be explored.

Step into the KidsQuest laboratory and become a Forensic Scientist! We will discover why certain substances glow, bubble or even change color. We’ll also investigate food crimes and extract DNA.

Can robots think? How do they know what to do? Campers this week will begin to answer these questions as they explore the world of robotics! Campers will spend the week learning to build and program robots to perform simple tasks using Lego kits and BeeBots.

Camp What's That in the Sky?: (new in 2013) The skies above us are full of many wondrous and amazing objects! From galaxies to stars to moons to satellites, this week campers will learn about the things they can see when they turn their gaze upward. They will also explore the various methods we use to see further and further into the cosmos.

From the electronically controlled airships of the late 1800s to more modern drones like the DarkStar, the development of pilotless aircraft has advanced in leaps and bounds! This week campers will explore all of the various technologies that make these remarkable machines possible.

You’ve been hired as one of the new employees of the Brightwater Nature Detectives Agency. Your mission is to work each day with your fellow detectives to solve the nature mystery posed to you by your instructor through experiments, games, exploration, and art. By the end of the week – if you’ve done the job well – you and your team will be officially certified Sr. Nature Detectives, ready to tackle all of the mysteries of the world around us. Along the way you’ll no doubt have an amazing time and make new friends, whether they’re human, frog, snake, or beaver.

Camp Weather Wonders: (new in 2013) Where do rain and snow come from? What makes the wind blow? How is lightning formed? These are some of the questions that campers will answer as they spend the week discovering new things about weather and our environment.

Tighten your Kuiper belt as you make an intergalactic passport from Sol all the way out to the Oort cloud! At each stop you learn about how we explore our Universe. Hands-on activities and crafts include making a miniature green-house to understand why Venus is so hot and building robotic rovers to see how we learn about Mars.