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 Traverse County, MN

Traverse County is one of 87 counties in Minnesota. The case for engineering summer camp here is not that the area lacks camps — it is that most of them end without the child being able to explain what they made.

Ages 7-14 · For families · Minnesota · Midwest

Engineering Summer Camp — Ellis Abel Learns STEM summer camp materials used in Traverse County, MN

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

Traverse County, MN — what applies locally

Traverse County is one of 87 counties in Minnesota.
Every public school district inside Traverse County is eligible for the district licensing terms.
State: Minnesota · Region: Midwest

Questions we get from Traverse County, MN

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 Traverse County

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Engineering Camp elsewhere in Minnesota

Aitkin County, MNCounty Anoka County, MNCounty Becker County, MNCounty Beltrami County, MNCounty Benton County, MNCounty Big Stone County, MNCounty Blue Earth County, MNCounty Brown County, MNCounty

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