Skip to content
Ellis Abel Learns.

Engineering Summer Camp in San Francisco, CA

Parents in San Francisco, CA book summer in February and regret it in July. The San Francisco–Oakland–Fremont, CA metro area has about 4,630,041 residents, ranking 13th in the country. What separates a week worth repeating is whether the child was ever genuinely stuck and then unstuck.

Ages 7-14 · For families · California · West

Engineering Summer Camp — Ellis Abel Learns STEM summer camp materials used in San Francisco, CA
Engineering Summer Camp — Ellis Abel Learns STEM summer camp materials used in San Francisco, CA

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

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

San Francisco, CA — what applies locally

  • The San Francisco–Oakland–Fremont, CA metro area has about 4,630,041 residents, ranking 13th in the country.
  • Metro area: San Francisco–Oakland–Fremont, CA
  • State: California · Region: West

Questions we get from San Francisco, CA

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 San Francisco

STEM Summer CampAges 5-14Robotics CampAges 8-14Coding CampAges 7-14Science CampAges 5-14Math CampAges 5-14Space CampAges 7-14Drone CampAges 9-14Game Design CampAges 8-14AI CampAges 10-14Electronics CampAges 8-14Chemistry CampAges 9-14Nature Science CampAges 5-133D Printing CampAges 9-14Minecraft STEM CampAges 7-12Girls STEM CampAges 7-14Neurodivergent STEM CampAges 6-14Preschool STEM CampAges 3-5Elementary STEM CampAges 5-10Middle School STEM CampAges 11-14High School STEM CampAges 14-18Half-Day STEM CampAges 5-12Week-Long STEM CampAges 6-14Affordable STEM CampAges 5-14Virtual STEM CampAges 7-14Curriculum LicensingAges K-8Church Youth STEMAges 5-14After-School LicensingAges 5-14District Summer STEMAges K-8Parks & Rec STEM CampAges 5-13Homeschool Co-op STEMAges 5-14YMCA STEM CurriculumAges 5-14Daycare Summer STEMAges 3-6Start a STEM CampAges K-8

Engineering Camp elsewhere in California

Los Angeles, CAMetro areaRiverside, CAMetro areaSan Diego, CAMetro areaSacramento, CAMetro areaSan Jose, CAMetro areaFresno, CAMetro areaBakersfield, CAMetro areaOxnard, CAMetro area

All Engineering Camp locations · Full camp directory · Ask about a place