Child 1 Age 6 - 7 (Male)
Program(s) focused in STEM
(5) Overall experience
My son loved attending the Codezilla STEM camp last summer. So much so that he's looking forward to returning this year! He's been to a few other camps and none of them reached him where he looked forward to going, until Codezilla. He came home [eager] to build things and show us what he's done, and he still uses the movie-making app with his toys at home! I'm so grateful to have found a fit for him as he was so resistant to every other camp. We literally dragged him kicking and screaming whereas he walked happily to this camp with enthusiasm.
(5) Reason for choosing the camp
I love all things science and wanted my son to gain the same spark for learning. He never liked the sports camps but the STEM camp was perfect and this year he's trying coding camps. Definitely worth the investment! We're joining again this year for some coding camps, as he showed an interest in Minecraft and some of the coding that can be done.
(5) Program quality and activities
I enjoyed the itinerary. My son enjoys "crafting" as he calls it, so the Toymakers camp was great, and the Moviemaker was fun for him to show a story in a way that made sense to him. His videos were pretty impressive to me as they only had a few hours to pull it together. I could see the counselors cared about the work they were doing.
(5) Social dynamics and experience
He made a couple of friends in the camps, they played together on and off for the rest of the summer. They never had an issue with bullying as far as I know, or at least nothing my son mentioned. The first day was a little tough for him, but by the second day he had a group he enjoyed being around and he constantly talked about them.
(5) Skills and growth
The presentation at the end of the week definitely pushed him out of his comfort zone. He was still a bit shy but I could tell he was proud of his projects. He learned story-making skills and construction skills that challenged him and he learned to be proud of what he accomplished and built. The team aspect helped challenge him to get along and not always push his ideas first.
(5) Staff/Instructors/Counsellors
We loved that the staff consisted of college or university-level kids. So many other camps he attended had high school students running it and he often said they'd scream or yell all the time and he's very sensitive to loud noises. As a result, they were always fair and engaging, always able to find a way to resolve the small differences that would come up.
(5) Advice and tips
If your child has any interest in coding and is in the STEM camp, bring a tablet with them as in their free time the counselors show them some coding techniques and let them try to navigate some of the things the others are working on. My other piece of advice is if your child has any interest in science or computers, definitely sign them up. The classes are small and the councilors care about what they're teaching.
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