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Ellis Abel Learns.

Middle School STEM Summer Camp in Ames, IA

Parents in Ames, IA book summer in February and regret it in July. The Ames, IA metro area has about 128,090 residents, ranking 323rd in the country. What separates a week worth repeating is whether the child was ever genuinely stuck and then unstuck.

Ages 11-14 · For families · Iowa · Midwest

Middle School STEM Summer Camp — Ellis Abel Learns STEM summer camp materials used in Ames, IA
Middle School STEM Summer Camp — Ellis Abel Learns STEM summer camp materials used in Ames, IA

What the week actually is

Middle school is the drop-off point. Students who were curious at ten start performing disinterest at twelve because being wrong in front of peers has become expensive. This week is built to make being wrong cheap again.

Day by day

  1. Pick the problem and write the prediction
  2. First build, first failure
  3. Diagnose what actually went wrong
  4. Rebuild and test against the prediction
  5. Showcase: explain it to the room

Ames, IA — what applies locally

  • The Ames, IA metro area has about 128,090 residents, ranking 323rd in the country.
  • Metro area: Ames, IA
  • State: Iowa · Region: Midwest

Questions we get from Ames, IA

Will my child be bored?
Not if they are given something genuinely hard. Boredom at this age is almost always under-challenge.
Is it competitive?
There are challenges, but the scoring rewards iteration over first-try success.
Does it help with school?
It targets the habits, not the syllabus, which is the part school has no time to teach.

Other camp themes in Ames

STEM Summer CampAges 5-14Robotics CampAges 8-14Coding CampAges 7-14Engineering 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 5-10High 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

Middle School STEM Camp elsewhere in Iowa

Des Moines, IAMetro areaDavenport, IAMetro areaCedar Rapids, IAMetro areaIowa City, IAMetro areaWaterloo, IAMetro areaSioux City, IAMetro areaDubuque, IAMetro areaWest Des Moines, IACity

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