Child 1 Age 7 (Female)
Program(s) focused in Science (multi), Engineering
(5) Overall experience
My daughter had a wonderful experience. She was excited to go every morning and had lots of exciting news to share at the end of the day. One of the things she noted was that many of the counsellors were women - I love that she noticed it and clearly felt inspired. It meant a lot to me that there were female role models in science and engineering. I would definitely send my daughter back to this camp in the future.
(5) Reason for choosing the camp
Initially, I chose this camp out of sheer convenience, as it is located on Queen's campus and I am a Queen's employee; it is facilitated through Smith Engineering, so I already knew and trusted the staff. Having experienced the camp, I would confidently send my daughter back in the future, even if I wasn't working at Queen's. The experience was great, totally worth the investment, and no hidden costs.
(5) Program quality and activities
My daughter loved the activities. She loves crafting, so adding some of the engineering design thinking to the creation part was really exciting for her. There was a good mix of student-led learning and demonstration/facilitation, with lots of room for curiosity, questions, and assistance. The activities also weren't limited to just engineering - she enjoyed learning about plant growth and was excited to bring home planted seeds to watch sprout.
(5) Social dynamics and experience
We registered with a friend, so my daughter felt confident joining a new group, knowing she would know at least one person. It turned out that she knew more people than she thought she would, a testament to the quality programming that drives word of mouth parent to parent referrals. She also made new friends there, and the counsellors were excellent at cultivating a safe and inclusive environment.
(5) Skills and growth
I think this camp helped to cultivate an interest in science and engineering and also a confidence in trying new things, testing, and pivoting. Being able to see something not go as planned and learn from it to improve a design was really exciting. I think that pushed my daughter out of her comfort zone - the idea of learning vs failure. I think that was real growth. Additionally, having positive female role models in science and engineering programs was great for her.
(5) Staff/Instructors/Counsellors
The staff for this camp were all really wonderful. My daughter had nothing but wonderful things to say about all of her counsellors - again, noting that there were "girl engineers" on the team. The staff were very kind and approachable and demonstrated excellent and professional leadership abilities. I also felt that their drop-off and pick-up procedure demonstrated attention to the safety and security of my child. The manager of the program was present at drop-off when I was there, and my interactions with him made me feel confident in the positive environment being set for the kids.
(5) Advice and tips
One tip I would share is that there's a hot lunch option offered to participants of the program through the Grocery Basket on Queen's campus. My daughter thoroughly enjoyed having pizza, grilled cheese, and other favourites, and I certainly enjoyed not having to pack a full lunch on those days. Costs were very reasonable, and healthy options were available. You can also opt to do just certain days, which is nice if you don't want to commit to a week. Not everyone does it, and not every day, so regardless of whether you opt to do hot lunch or not, your child will not be the only one eating it or not eating it - we did a few days and my daughter said everyone seemed to do something different, and no one felt left out by their lunch option (seems silly, but it was noted!).
More reviews of Connections: Queen’s Summer Engineering Academy (QSEA)
Both of my kids had a great time and we are going back this summer (2025). If anything, I wish there were weeks offered as we could have potentially done multiple weeks.
Enthusiasm about attending...
