Load-bearing structures, simple machines, catapults, water filters — physical things that either work or fall over.

Do they work alone or in teams?

Both. Solo build first, then a team build where they have to defend a design choice out loud.

Engineering Summer Camp in Burlington, VT

The Burlington–South Burlington, VT metro area has about 227,803 residents, ranking 213th in the country. Engineering Summer Camp works the same way here as anywhere: give a child a problem too hard to guess at, then refuse to hand them the answer.

Ages 7-14 · For families · Vermont · Northeast

Engineering Summer Camp — Ellis Abel Learns STEM summer camp materials used in Burlington, VT

What the week actually is

Engineering week is constraints week. A bridge that must hold a weight, with a fixed pile of materials and a deadline. Children who have never been told no by a problem before meet one here, and learn that the answer is a redesign, not a tantrum.

Day by day

Constraints and a materials budget
First build, first collapse
Redesign from what failed
Load test to destruction, record the number
Showcase: defend the design choice

Burlington, VT — what applies locally

The Burlington–South Burlington, VT metro area has about 227,803 residents, ranking 213th in the country.
Metro area: Burlington–South Burlington, VT
State: Vermont · Region: Northeast

Questions we get from Burlington, VT

What do they build?: Load-bearing structures, simple machines, catapults, water filters — physical things that either work or fall over.
Is it messy?: Yes. That is not incidental.
Do they work alone or in teams?: Both. Solo build first, then a team build where they have to defend a design choice out loud.

Other camp themes in Burlington

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Engineering Camp elsewhere in Vermont

South Burlington, VTCity Addison County, VTCounty Bennington County, VTCounty Caledonia County, VTCounty Chittenden County, VTCounty Essex County, VTCounty Franklin County, VTCounty Grand Isle County, VTCounty

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