NOTE: IF THE CAMP IS LISTED BELOW - IT IS NOT FULL
WHEN YOU REGISTER YOUR CHILD, ONCE YOU FILL IN THEIR AGE & GRADE AVAILABLE CAMPS WILL POPULATE
Camps are held at Drake Planetarium. 2020 Sherman Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45212
Camp is Monday - Friday with 2 different camps! 1 in the morning and 1 in the afternoon, or stay for both!
AM Camp runs from 9AM - 12PM
PM Camp runs from 1PM - 4PM
ALL DAY Camp runs 9AM-4PM, Lunch from 12PM-1PM
Cost -
Half Day (Either AM or PM Camp) : $185
Full Day (Includes AM Camp, Lunch, and PM Camp) : $300
Multi Sibling Discount:
$5 off per child for half day camps
$10 off per child for full day camps
(Half Day Code: HalfFam2023
Full Day Code: FullFam2023)
- Submit registration form with full payment or a non-refundable, 50% deposit in order to reserve your spot.
Deposit, or 50% of full registration payment, is never refundable.
- Remaining balance is due 30 days prior to the start date of the registered Summer Camp.
- A $25 late-processing fee will be added for late balance payments.
- Planetarium Members receive a 10% discount on a Half Day Camp!
- Please read the Parent Info Sheet for extended information.
- We reserve the right to cancel a camp and refund the money for the campers in it, in the case of insufficient attendance.
- For additional information on our Summer Camps, explore the information below or please call (513) 396-5578.
Week 1 : June 12 - 16
K - 1: Lego Zoo Adventures + Young Engineers
2nd - 3rd: Space Camp + WeDO I
4th - 8th: WeDo 2 + All About Space
Week 4 : July 10 - 14
K - 1: Little Astronauts + Rockets
2nd - 3rd: Rover Engineers + Advanced Young Builders
4th - 8th: Battle Bots I + MoonBots
Week 2 : June 19 - 23
K - 1: Young Engineers + Dino Discovery
2nd - 3rd: Rockets + WeDo 2
4th - 8th: WeDo2/SPIKE + Rockets
Week 5 : July 17 - 21
K - 1: Famous Architecture + STEAM Ventures
2nd - 3rd: ZooBots + Crazy Contraptions
4th - 8th: SPIKE + Advanced Engineering
Week 3 : June 26 - June 30
K - 1: Engineering Challenge + Our Earth
2nd - 3rd: Mini Sphero + Invention Adventure
4th - 8th: SPHERO Programming + Lego SPIKE PRIME
Week 6 : July 24- 28
K - 1: All About Art + Magic Beans
2nd - 3rd: Traveling Artist + Young Paleontologists
4th - 8th: Battle Bots II + Space Bots
Weekly Schedule Details
June 12th - 16th
Entering K - 1st
AM: Lego Zoo Adventures : Traverse tricky terrain, shake claws with lobsters and design ecosystems in this life science enrichment program. Exploring the globe, learners discover the diversity of animal adaptations, the differences in habitats and what’s necessary for each biome’s survival through hands-on STEM activities. They’ll travel from the sands of the Sahara to the peaks of the Himalayas, investigating complex creatures as they build models of each animal, focusing-in on the biological diversity that makes them special. Through creative thinking, collaboration and multi-subject integration, Lego Zoo fosters a unique bond to the Earth’s biospheres and the vital roles animals play in them
PM: Young Engineers: -- - Learn the basics of mechanical engineering while building a variety of machines. Everyone will have lots of fun using Lego elements, gears, pulleys, and levers to build working models of amusement
park rides and other complex machines while learn how engineers work to improve our lives. Students will brainstorm, design, build, test, evaluate, redesign and share your innovative solutions.
Entering 2nd - 3rd
AM: Little Astronauts - All about the Solar System. Travel to the planets and beyond. Students will explore the secrets of the universe, learning about the Sun, stars, planets and seasonal constellations. Featuring Sun dials, Rocketry, solar system scavenger hunts, and more.
PM: WeDo I - This course combines robotics and programming into one. Let your budding engineer turn Lego® bricks, gears, and motors into drumming monkeys, hungry alligators, and roaring lions. Using a computer, students program the animals to move and make sounds. No previous robotic or programming experience needed!
Entering 4th - 8th
AM: WeDo Plus- This Camp will give campers the opportunity to make simple robots perform complicated tasks in a fun and challenging way. The week will focus on learning to program by using block-based coding languages to get their robots to complete a variety of missions. By the end of the week, campers will be creating their own challenges.
PM: All About Space : Campers will have five days of space camp fun which includes rocketry, planetarium labs, rover designs, telescopes, and much more. Campers will take quests to mars, the moon, and other planets -- discovering what is "out there.
June 20st - 24th
Entering K - 1st
AM: Young Engineers - Construct a variety of projects including roller coasters, bridges, drop towers, wire circuits, mazes, and much more. Explore the fun and exciting worlds of civil, electrical, mechanical, and chemical engineering
PM: Dinosaur Discovery - All thing Prehistoric in this camp! Learn all about Dinosaurs and the ancient plants and animals that came before us! Dinosaur digs, planetarium shows, fossils, dino art, and more!
Entering 2nd - 3rd
AM: Rockin' Rockets - Blast your child into a full week of rocket fun! Students will create a variety of flying rocket models, some of which can be taken home. All types of rocketry will be discussed and presented; students will have different challenges to let them test their rocket knowledge.
PM: Robotics WeDo II - LEGO® Education WeDo 2.0 combines LEGO elements with intuitive block-based coding that make STEAM learning fun and accessible. LEGO bricks, sensors and motors help students of all levels develop concrete and tangible understanding of abstract concepts. Campers will compete in different robotics challenges daily!
Entering 4th - 8th
AM: Robotics WeDo II -LEGO® Education WeDo 2.0 combines LEGO elements with intuitive block-based coding that make STEAM learning fun and accessible. LEGO bricks, sensors and motors help students of all levels develop concrete and tangible understanding of abstract concepts. Campers will compete in different robotics challenges daily! Challenges campers to define problems, ask questions, and design their own solutions—setting them on a path to become lifelong learners.
PM: Rocket Rush - Build and keep all kinds of rocketry. Throughout the week campers build more and more complex rockets using a variety of fuel sources and launching methods.
June 26th- June 30th
Entering K - 1st
AM: Engineering Challenge : Building with LEGOs and other materials can ignite imagination and creativity! Students will brainstorm, design, build, test, evaluate and redesign a number of models that will bring invention to life. Get them thinking like engineers and show them how science improves people's lives by solving every day problems!
PM: Our Earth: -- A hands on earth science STEM summer experience exploring Weather, Climate, Oceans, Nature, Geology, the Arts and more! Campers will explore the Earth inside our famous Drake Planetarium. Each day will feature a unique EARTH/SPACE topic and theme.
Entering 1st - 3rd
AM: Sphero Coding - Drive a robot and then learn to code it on your own! Sphero Mini is a powerful, ping pong-size robotic ball with a gyroscope, accelerometer, and LED lights that glow in tons of colors. Ready to play and learn?
PM: Invention Adventure: Students will be given an invention challenge. Students will construct a Rube Goldberg contraption, invention, device or apparatus that is deliberately over-engineered to perform a simple task which could include a chain reaction. Students will be given a real world application for the challenge's problem. The concepts of build, test and redesign are used during every challenge. Join us and discover
Entering 4th - 8th
AM: Sphero Programming - Learn to program robots using Sphero, a powerful rolling robot! Build critical thinking and problem-solving skills as you tackle maze competitions, code tasks, build robo-boats, and complete exciting robot challenges! We will also study the history of robotics and current developments in robotic technologies used in industry, health, and exploration.
PM: LEGO SPIKE PRIME Coding: Combining colorful LEGO building elements, easy-to-use hardware, and an intuitive drag-and-drop coding language based on Scratch, SPIKE Prime continuously engages students through playful learning activities to think critically and solve complex problems, regardless of their learning level. From easy-entry projects to limitless creative design possibilities, including the option to explore text-based coding with Python, SPIKE Prime helps campers learn the essential STEAM and 21st century skills needed to become the innovative minds of tomorrow... while having fun!
July 10th - 14th
Entering K-1st
AM: Little Astronauts - Campers will have five days of space camp fun which includes rocketry, planetarium labs, rover designs, telescopes, and much more. Travel to the planets and beyond in a way that only Drake Planetarium can do for a week that is guaranteed to be remembered!
PM: Rockets! - Looking for a blast? Nothing but rocket fun for an entire week! Build and keep all kinds of rocketry. Throughout the week campers build more challenging rockets, use different launching methods, and take a Rocketship Ride in Drake Planetarium
Entering 2nd - 3rd
AM: Rover Engineers - This camp sparks the inventive spirit, promotes creativity, problem solving and expressing ideas through the building process. Math, science and engineering experiences will connect the process of invention to their everyday lives. Bot invention challenge will be presented and students will brainstorm their design ideas, build, test, and then redesign their invention.
PM: Advanced Young Builders - This introduces the young builder to a variety of fun simple and complex machines. Campers learn about gears, pulleys, levers, wheels, axles, and other applications for these simple machines. Students work in teams of two and students develop eye-hand coordination, team cooperation, and how to follow directions to complete a variety of build projects. This is a fun camp that covers the basics of engineering design for the budding young engineer or scientist.
Entering 4th - 8th
AM: Battle Bots I - Be a robot engineer for a week. Design 5 different types of battling bots, then engage in competitions throughout the week.
PM: MoonBots (NXT) - Calling all space and robotic enthusiasts -- We need your help! Campers will use engineering, programming, invention and design to build self serving space robotics! Every day, a new challenge or problem will be presented to Campers to solve using their own NXT robotic creations.
July 17th - 21st
Entering K - 1st
AM: Famous Architecture : - Students will explore different aspects of architecture. Students discover some of the problems faced by engineers and builders throughout history. From pyramids to skyscrapers and on to the Great Wall of China; builders will construct a myriad of ancient builds and replicate the architecture from other cultures. Students will implement a variety of city designs and engineer their own city of the future.
PM: STEAM Ventures : This program is an array of crazy, wild science which is educational and a blast of fun. Science topics covered are art, rocketry, build challenges, engineering design and much more.
Entering 2nd-3rd
AM: ZooBots- This course combines robotics and programming into one. Let your budding engineer turn Lego® bricks, gears, and motors into drumming monkeys, hungry alligators, and roaring lions. Using a computer, students program the animals to move and make sounds. No previous robotic or programming experience needed!
PM: Crazy Contraptions - Campers will have a blast designing and building amazing moving machines and combine them to create crazy chain reactions. The combinations are as endless as their imagination. Campers will join their individual machines in the collaborative creation of crazier and more complex chain reactions for amazing results.
Entering 4th - 8th
AM: Sphero Coding and Programming: Learn to program robots using Sphero, a powerful rolling robot! Build critical thinking and problem-solving skills as you tackle maze competitions, code tasks, build robo-boats, and complete exciting robot challenges! We will also study the history of robotics and current developments in robotic technologies used in industry, health, and exploration.
PM: Advanced Engineering - Campers will have an entire week of creation fun in this advanced mechanical engineering camp. Participants will be building and motorizing several models from plans designed by the Lego® Academy of Engineering. This camp is loaded with advanced building challenges.
July 24th - 28th
Entering K-1st
AM: All About Art : Campers spend a week doing fun science and engineering projects, perfecting the “magic” of science, and using art to illustrate the principles of science about which they are learning. Explore different types of art through various locations in the world!
PM: MagicBeans - Watch favorite folktales come to life as your students journey into exotic and far away lands in magical worlds full of heroes and foes. Capture imaginations with this STEAM Summer Camp! From Jack and the Beanstalk to the golden touch of King Midas, Magic Beans brings fairy tales to life through thrilling engineering, language arts and collaborative communication activities. Designed with a focus on arts integration, each day of camp challenges students to boost fluency, vocabulary, comprehension and hands-on creativity as they work together to build the characters and stage props needed to act out the different folktales highlighted in every unit. Combine manipulative-based engineering activities with a sprinkle of magic and let fiction fly in Magic Beans.
2nd-3rd
AM: Traveling Artist - Survey the world of art by carving totem poles in the Pacific Northwest, crafting Aztec masks in the heart of Mexico and experimenting with the artistic traditions of history. In this thrilling summer camp, campers get creative examining the STEM processes that make art possible, like the delicate balance of water tension involved in Japanese Suminagashi paper or the cultural traditions and paleontology of Chinese “dragons”.
PM: Young Paleontologists- EXPLORE the ways that paleontologists work, and the methods and tools they use to understand ancient life. LEARN about Earth's history, ancient plants and animals, and changes to past climate and environments. Campers spend one week being a paleontologist. Digging up fossils and artifacts, creating their own fossils, learning all about different dinosaurs, and even take a trip inside the Planetarium to see the time dinosaurs ruled the earth in 360 degrees!
Entering 4th-8th
AM: BattleBots II -Keep the Battles going! Be a robot engineer for a week. Design and UPGRADE different types of battling bots, then engage in competitions throughout the week.
PM: SpaceBots (EV3) - : Take an adventure where campers will work in teams to build and program LEGO® MINDSTORM EV3 robots. Mission : Create different robotics that can travel to Mars, collect different types of data and navigate the tough terrain of Mars!