The Benefits of STEM-based Summer Programs

Ghostwritten for SummerEdge at McLean School by Emily Swinehart

STEM is a methodology that integrates science, technology, engineering, and math into each lesson while encouraging teamwork, collaboration, problem-solving, and creativity. It allows students to make connections between different subject areas. Summer is an excellent time for students to explore STEM. Here’s why:

Relaxed and Fun Learning Environment

Time and again, our educators report that one of the most advantageous aspects of summer learning is that students are naturally more relaxed. And when students are relaxed, they are more available for learning. They feel safer and are more willing to take chances than they might otherwise. Mistakes transform from moments of doubt to opportunities for learning. The anxiety of a full class schedule, homework, and grades is mitigated in the summer. In this way, students are free to enjoy the experience of learning rather than worrying about their GPA. Ensuring campers are having fun while learning is the winning component for any academic summer program. For example, STEM campers at SummerEdge form teams and design their own boats and test out at a nearby pool.

Exposure to New Technology

Don’t be fooled, even with its implicit emphasis on tech, STEM does not have to mean hours of screen time. Students use a diverse array of technologies to implement their experiments extending far beyond passive observation.

So while it may appear that students are simply using iPads to play with robots, it is actually so much more than that. They are learning coding fundamentals with programs like Scratch while having fun. When teaching their robot to move through obstacles, students are utilizing critical thinking, sequencing, and visualizing. And let’s not forget the math involved in translating the distance, speed, and number of seconds they want their robot to move. When learning feels more like gaming, it’s a lot more fun!

AR/VR, Tynker, Gimkit, Merge Cube, Edpuzzle–the list goes on and on. The inventory of acronyms, trendy names, and terms for computer programs can be dizzying, but don’t worry. At SummerEdge STEM Camp we harness the constantly evolving landscape of burgeoning technology. Our teachers utilize various platforms and the latest software to deliver their lessons, exposing campers to current and developing forms of applied science. This is predominantly done through programs using current devices that are still within the reach of the average at-home or on-campus user.

Building Confidence and Safe Risk Taking

Our educators report that children who participate in STEM display a marked increase in their self-confidence. When campers experience success with STEM experiments, they feel encouraged to attempt more of them. Their fear of failure diminishes and the fun of trying something new takes over. That sense of accomplishment is empowering for children and can inspire them to take that curiosity and sense of adventure beyond the walls of the classroom. According to one of our teachers, the most successful projects in STEM are the ones that provide the “aha” or “wow!” moments.

No mistake is laughable if you try your best. No idea about an experiment is outlandish. Every question matters. Experimentation, trying things to see if they’ll work, and failing are all acceptable and even encouraged. Because we learn from our mistakes. We grow our self confidence when the chances we take lead to the excitement of discovery. Through STEM, we hope that every child can realize that science doesn’t have to be scary; technology can be accessible; math can be inspiring; and engineering exhilarating. STEM welcomes all children to try without trepidation while finding joy in the process.

Personal Growth and Potential Career Paths

STEM is rarely, if ever, a solitary activity. It is about collaboration, teamwork, and problem solving through action. The experience of working as a team is invaluable to children. It teaches them patience, listening skills, and partnership. These critical skills will help them become better students now, and also better colleagues in adulthood. Exposure to STEM programs in childhood produces problem-solving adults.

STEM is an excellent stepping stone for students to find an area of study they are passionate about. STEM summer camps can instill the interest and confidence to pursue a career in STEM fields; jobs which are likely to remain in high demand in the future.

Campers leave with a new perspective on the different areas of STEM. Using their hands to experience rather than memorize or write can be transformative for children, dispelling their preconceived notions that they, “don’t like science or math.”

Why An Academic Summer Program?

Ghostwritten for SummerEdge at McLean School by Emily Swinehart

When selecting a summer camp, your first inclination might be to steer away from academics for fear of putting your child in an environment filled with too many anxiety-laden rigors and not enough fun. But not all academic summer programs are about sitting at a desk all day and putting pen to paper anymore. Fortunately, camps today are moving away from the one-size-fits-all model, combining learning with movement, art, hands-on experiences, outdoor activities and more. Gone are the days of having to choose between what’s fun and what’s educational. With that in mind, let us delve deeper into the many benefits of an academic summer program.

Preventing the “Summer Slide”

The “summer slide” is a term you may or may not be familiar with but most likely have already experienced. It refers to how, over the summer, children may forget what they have worked so hard to learn during the school year. Just like the muscles in our body, the brain has to be continually exercised in order to stay in optimal condition. Three months is a long time to be out of school so it is only natural for some backsliding to occur. Academic summer programs help children’s brains stay active, keeping everything they learned the previous school year fresh in their minds over the summer. Sometimes new topics may even be addressed as a way to prepare students even more for the upcoming school year. Children return to school in the fall retaining more of what they’ve learned, more confident in their skills, and ready to pick up right where they left off.

Depending on your child’s experience at their own school (and particularly during the pandemic) they may or may not have had access to teachers or supports that most benefit them. Summer is also an excellent opportunity to seek out those experts in education who can fill in any gaps and provide reinforcement. Even if your child has been receiving appropriate support, maintaining that support over the summer is vital so that they are ready for the school year to come.

Developing Connections in a Safe Environment

Summer academic programs provide opportunities for group activities in which campers can participate with their friends while also allowing them to make new ones. They can do so in an environment where it feels safe to take risks. For example, a shy camper placed in a small group of peers might feel more comfortable sharing their thoughts than they would if they had to raise their hand alone in a large classroom in front of everyone. There are also counselors and adults at camp to guide and support campers.

Another benefit is that academic camps can mimic a school day: they are predictable and familiar, making anxious campers feel more comfortable and relaxed. Specifically, a benefit of

SummerEdge at McLean School is the small sizes of our groups which makes it feel like a safer space for our campers. Amanda Flores, one of our previous student-counselors who is now a SummerEdge teacher, says, “SummerEdge provides campers with a unique opportunity to meet friendly faces that they might see in the upcoming school year. Along with creating new connections, our academic programs help our students ease into and become familiar with a fun and engaging learning setting. One of my favorite experiences is witnessing the kids build up their confidence and develop new friendships with their peers!”

Discovering New Ways to Learn With New People

At McLean School we believe that the “right” way to learn is different for every child. Depending on where your child goes to school, they may or may not have access to classes with differentiated learning/teaching techniques. But camp is an excellent time to test the waters and help determine how your child learns best. At SummerEdge we offer a wider variety of multi-sensory programs that may interest your child, focusing on building 21st century skills. Our STEM Camp, for example, is not only content-specific but it also lends itself to collaborative work with peers. Weekly themes that change all summer introduce new concepts to campers that they can take their time exploring.

Building academic confidence can be a bit of a bumpy road for students. These challenges can also be subject-specific. Attending a summer program where campers are able to focus on one academic subject at a time can help to reduce anxiety and forge self-efficacy. Our Intensive Programs are designed to do just that in an enriching and active learning environment. We allow our campers to face their challenges with a growth mindset; this is embedded in McLean School’s philosophy of which SummerEdge is an extension. We believe that although some academic paths may be more challenging for our campers than others, working towards success with a positive outlook in a supportive environment will lead to success.

When selecting an academic summer program for your child it is important to choose a camp that has high standards for their team quality and education. At SummerEdge, we care deeply about our staff and their success is of the utmost importance to us. With a majority of McLean teachers, students, and alumni, our highly trained team excels at connecting with and instructing our campers.

Getting Ahead

Summertime allows children to focus more of their attention on their passions–current and newly found. If there is a particular subject that they enjoy and want to excel in or simply explore more deeply, a summer enrichment program can be a great option. Students may also use this time to earn academic credit for a class that would help them towards graduation. For teens, the summer is a great time to earn those SSL hours via programs like our Community Service Camp. Rather than chipping away at service learning hours over several months or years, they can earn a minimum of 15 hours in one week at camp. Summer programs like our Study Skills Camp can also teach students valuable life skills such as time management and executive functioning.

The End Result

After completing an academic summer program, students return to school in the fall better prepared and more eager to tackle the beginning of a new year. Among the top benefits families have reported from their children attending SummerEdge was an overall boost in their child’s self-confidence. When teachers believe in and encourage them, children are better able to learn. Sometimes all it takes is a smaller environment with creative and dynamic teachers who specialize teaching children the way they learn best. At an academic camp, children can achieve all of the education and social benefits we’ve discussed while also experiencing everything that a traditional summer camp is all about: having fun, making new friends, and creating happy memories that will last a lifetime.

The Social and Emotional Benefits of Summer Camp

Ghostwritten for SummerEdge at McLean School by Emily Swinehart

Ensuring students feel good about themselves, the world around them, and developing healthy relationships with others is vitally important for all children. Let’s dig into how summer day camps can provide children with support for developing and maintaining their social-emotional well being.

Connecting with Peers

Summer can be a lonely time for children who aren’t on long vacations, at sleepaway camps, or out of town visiting friends and loved ones. The social groups they form during the school year tend to scatter in the summer as children go off on their own adventures. COVID-19 has further challenged maintaining and creating new friendships. All of these hurdles disrupt a child’s sense of community and belonging, which can lead to regressions in their social-emotional growth.

One of the benefits summer camp provides is a social bridge between the academic school years. SummerEdge offers a wonderful opportunity for children to build new friendships. Camp can offer smaller group sizes while welcoming a diverse array of campers from a wider geographic area. When students get the opportunity to interact and socialize with other children who don’t know them from home or school, they often feel more comfortable being themselves and letting their guard down. This can lead to increased confidence and a belief that who they really are is enough for other kids to like and value them.

Building Healthy Relationships with Adults

Camps offer the opportunity for children to develop positive relationships with adults; another important component to social-emotional growth. There is always a camper with first day jitters, or sometimes even in tears upon arrival. Whether that’s due to camp being an unfamiliar environment, a fear of making new friends, or low confidence in academic abilities, a supportive adult can make all the difference in these situations.

Many of McLean School’s faculty, staff, and former students make up the talented team at SummerEdge. The instructors of McLean School are able to identify where a child is struggling, be it socially or academically. They offer comfort, teach the way each child learns best, provide strategies for children as they navigate social situations, and empower them to feel successful. Our counselors even join campers during lunch, should help be needed to facilitate social connections between children. It’s these positive interactions with adults that shape a child’s own relationship with others, their behavior, and self esteem. Research shows the deep impact on a child’s social well being when they have a positive relationship with an adult. In fact, one of the biggest predictors of college success is the development of healthy relationships with their teachers.

The Comfort of Structure

McLean School provides structure to a child’s day from the time they arrive in the morning to afternoon dismissal. There is a plan, a schedule, a sense of predictability. When children are able to anticipate their routine, it can provide them with a feeling of comfort, reducing the chances for confusion and anxiety throughout their day. Unfortunately, when school closes for summer break, that crucial system abruptly ends for many children.

Day camps can restore that familiar, school-like routine to a child’s day with established procedures for arrival, allocated times for specific activities, and guidance from staff during transitions. Camps have the added benefit of extended time for recreation, breaks, and group activities. The rigors of school life are reduced even in academic summer camps as the focus becomes more on the fun of learning and group interaction rather than outcome in the form of grades or test scores.

When campers know that the end of the school year doesn’t mean an end to a routine — simply a shift — it can provide a great level of reassurance. The same campers who arrived anxious on their first day of camp leave with smiles and laughter on their last because camp felt like an old familiar friend.

Lasting Positive Feelings

When children reflect upon their time at summer camp, their most vibrant memories might not be about the intricacies of every project they worked on, the names of all of their fellow campers, or the scores of the games that they played. Those memories will inevitably fade. What remains should be the positive feeling that camp invokes. When academic summer camps successfully provide social-emotional support to their campers, those feelings are of comfort, a sense of belonging, and happiness.