What will summer 2021 look like? At Connected Camps, summer camps will be a place where your kids will love hanging out with friends, playing and creating, laughing and chatting with others as they explore and hone tech skills. Whether physical distancing is still “a thing” in your community or not, you can count on our camps as a place to make memories and friendships.
Our summer camps are fun, hands-on, and social online experiences. We know that a lot of kids have struggled through Zoom fatigue over the past year. Our camps will be a welcome change. We’ve been leading online programs for years, and our counselors are pros at engaging kids online. Plus, they’re bright college students who are super relatable to youngsters.
Heather described how our counselors interacted with her child in a Minecraft Survival program: “The content was paced to allow for student creative development without compromising depth of what was covered. The instructor was patient, knowledgeable, and able to answer student questions.”
A good camp blends something that kids already love with new experiences, fostering growth and confidence. That’s what we do. We start with the games that kids are enamored with: Minecraft, Roblox, and esports; then we help them try new skills, learn new material, and expand their knowledge and creativity.
Some of the popular summer camps we offer cover topics in STEM, arts, coding and design, and more. Camps are offered for different age and skill levels, and girls-only or mixed groups. Here are descriptions of a sampling of camps; you’ll see how we blend fun with meaningful enrichment opportunities.
STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics)
Virology: like most adults, kids are inundated with Coronavirus news and images. In this camp, they’re intrigued to learn how viruses are transmitted and replicated. They love learning how antibodies work to defeat this and other viruses, and they work to build effective antibodies to wipe out viruses.
Engineering: Similar to electricity, Minecraft’s Redstone is an amazing tool that acts as an interactive power source. Kids will explore that power and build dynamic devices from automatic doors to fully-functioning rail systems; advanced campers design an amusement park which includes epic roller coasters, simple mini-games, and other Redstone-powered contraptions!
Rube Goldberg machines: Kids learn how to design and tweak contraptions that adhere to the laws of physics as they use Minecraft or Roblox to build a network of chain reactions that complete a simple task in an overly complicated way. The crazier and more complex, the better!
Astronomy: If your kids are fascinated by space, they’ll love discovering the mysteries of outer space in this camp. They get a first-class tour of the solar system to identify what makes our planets and stars so unique compared to the rest of the galaxy, and they’ll craft detailed Minecraft astronomy models.
Arts
Animation: Campers learn to create their own animated montage with compelling visuals that tell a captivating story. They’ll bring Minecraft models and environments to life.
YouTube Video: Is your child enthralled with videos? Let them become the creator! They’ll learn the craft of video making to create engaging and visually appealing “Let’s Play” videos, plus learn how to captivate audiences by personalizing their YouTube channel with custom graphics and enticing descriptions.
Coding and Design
Minecraft Modding Camp: Video game mods allow players to tweak games and customize the way the game is played. In this camp, kids learn the basics of modding through group discussions and personal experimentation. As they design, refine, and test run each mod, they add a new level of gameplay to Minecraft. Plus, during their own independent play, kids can use and improve the mods they create in camp!
Coding: We have lots of options for your kids to begin their journey into the world of computer programming. In Minecraft, they code custom Minecraft robots to solve different types of challenges. In Roblox, kids learn to use functions, loops, tables, and arrays to create interactive game objects.
Game design: In Minecraft camps, kids go through the same process that real-life game designers use. They build custom mini-games, troubleshoot, and use others’ feedback to improve the design. Or, campers can use Roblox camps to create a simple version of an adventure game where players travel around their world, harvesting items and selling items to upgrade their tools. On both platforms, we combine game design with programming so your child will receive a unique learning experience through a game they love.
Other popular options
Survival in Minecraft: Kids become active participants in a uniquely-themed story filled with twists and turns influenced by their decisions. As they collaborate with other players to advance the storyline, they complete quests and challenges to advance through character ranks. They’ll mine for resources and maintain a team settlement, grind through dungeons, and defeat mob bosses. Kids love the challenge and sense of accomplishment they get in this camp!
Fortnite: This popular game has taken the esports world by storm! We’ll teach your kids to improve raw game mechanics, as well as the craft of how to think critically and refine gameplay strategy while pressure.
Connected Camps offers live week-long coed and girls-only online camps for kids 8 to 13 years old. Each camp runs for 5 days, 90 minutes a day. Then, your child can continue to stay connected to the friends they met (and refine the skills they learned) in our year-round programs and free Kid Club Minecraft servers.
Summer will be here before you know it! Our camps fill up quickly each year, so don’t wait to hold your spot and avoid the last minute scramble. Our enthusiastic counselors will provide fun enrichment for your kids throughout the summer. Their minds will stay active as they play with friends—sounds like the perfect camp!