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Ellis Abel Learns.

Week-Long STEM Summer Camp in Brown County, SD

Brown County is one of 66 counties in South Dakota. The case for week-long stem 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 6-14 · For families · South Dakota · Midwest

Week-Long STEM Summer Camp — Ellis Abel Learns STEM summer camp materials used in Brown County, SD
Week-Long STEM Summer Camp — Ellis Abel Learns STEM summer camp materials used in Brown County, SD

What the week actually is

Five days is the shortest span in which a child can carry one project from a bad first attempt to something they are proud of. Anything shorter produces a souvenir; a week produces a change in what they think they can do.

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

Brown County, SD — what applies locally

  • Brown County is one of 66 counties in South Dakota.
  • Every public school district inside Brown County is eligible for the district licensing terms.
  • State: South Dakota · Region: Midwest

Questions we get from Brown County, SD

Why a week and not two?
Two is better if the family can do it. One week is the minimum that produces a finished thing.
What happens on Friday?
A showcase where each child explains their build to the room, which is the hardest and most valuable hour of the week.
Can we do more than one week?
Yes, the themes are designed not to overlap.

Other camp themes in Brown County

Week-Long STEM Camp elsewhere in South Dakota

All Week-Long STEM Camp locations · Full camp directory · Ask about a place