June 8-12, grades 1-6

In Snapology’s STEAM Club, campers will actively experiment with the principles of science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics.  All programs and activities are hands-on with guided instruction from an experienced Snapologist. Snapology programs utilize teamwork, communication and creative problem-solving as an essential part of creating a fun and productive atmosphere where students can learn, challenge themselves and practice their social skills. Campers will work with a partner to create a variety of structures, robots, machines and more to solve challenges presented to them in this exciting enrichment club!

Aug. 3-7, grades 1-6

Enjoy a fun week of STEAM art with SSA Country Day School teacher Kelly Bellini and Snapology! Morning periods with Ms. Bellini will be focused on creativity, imagination and engaging projects, using a variety of materials for art-making and building.  Campers will explore techniques of the master artists and use those skills to create their own masterpieces! In the afternoon, Pittsburgh's Snapology will join campers to host their Brick Art & Design Lab. Artist Edgar Degas once said, “Art is not what you see, but what you make others see.” Campers will learn about different types of art and the periods in which they were created. Then they will interpret what they see and create their own works of art out of LEGO bricks, drawing inspiration and guidance from great works of art like Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, Van Gogh’s Starry Night, Wright’s Fallingwater, and many more! By the end of the week, campers will be able to not only share information about famous artists, art forms and art movements, but also to create their own unique works of art that reach beyond the past and into the future. 

Snapology was created by two sisters, Lisa and Laura Coe, who observed the love their children had for creative play using building blocks and other materials that snap together. The idea of offering enrichment classes and camps to teach science, technology, engineering, mathematics, art and literacy concepts excited them given both of their backgrounds in mathematics and science.

Snapology’s mission is to provide educational play to children using LEGO® bricks, K’Nex, computers and other interactive mediums. Our passion is providing programs to children of all abilities, including gifted children and those with extra needs.

July 6-10, grades 1-3

Explore all the caped crusaders and discover their super powers in this action packed LEGO® camp. Create a fantasy world and protect it against all the evil arch-enemies with custom contraptions made with LEGO® bricks. Campers will build the SHIELD Jet, custom secret lairs, and speedy flying contraptions. Avengers fans will love this camp as they work in teams to defeat Loki!

July 13-17, grades K-2

Prepare for a full-day LEGO camp packed with hands-on and minds-on STEM fun! Build projects inspired by cool machines close to home such as Cities, Garbage Trucks and Catamarans. Then build X-Wings, Energy Catapults and Defense Turrets from a galaxy far, far away! Learn about BOTH kinds of ​The Force​ in this full-day themed engineering camp for LEGO fanatics!

July 13-17, grades 3-5

Get ready to pitch, yaw, roll and thrust around the drone arena in this exhilarating camp program. Throughout the week, campers will enjoy one of the world’s fastest-growing sports, drone racing. Campers will learn about the basic safety of drone flying before fine-tuning their hand-eye coordination skills and free flying the drone. Campers will advance through an abundance of skill challenges, both in the air and on the ground, as they learn how to perform various exercises and maneuvers to become familiar with the drone’s speed and agility. Each day, teams of “flight squads” post up against one another in friendly competition as they race against not only one another, but also the clock. Pilots will first maneuver the drone through creative yet compact obstacle courses before taking on the challenge of flying for speed. There is a creative component to this camp program, as flight squads will help to create the course design and then, help build the obstacle course in preparation for the last day’s final activities and Drone Olympic competition.

July 27-31, grades 3-5

This camp introduces the enjoyment of flying drones to the real-world application of learning how to use drones in emergency response situations. This is an action-packed and creative program where teams of campers (flight squads) face off, taking on both the “rescuer” and the “victim” mentality. Throughout the week, campers will participate in fun yet realistic role-playing missions while they attempt to outsmart and outmaneuver the opposing team. Flight squads also will work together to conduct mock search and rescue challenges – all in a safe and friendly competitive environment. Campers will earn their wings, take pride and gain confidence with each assignment. The key will be how well each team works together and  within their flight squads to conquer the adventures at hand. Also included in this program are the innovative Drobots Drone Games, including challenges and concepts such as: Keys To Millions; Spy Drone, Drones To The Rescue, Drone Pod-Racing and more.

Aug. 3-7, grades 1-3

BB8 Adventures takes STEM to a galaxy far, far away. This program combines all of the highlights from the latest Star Wars movies, specifically the newest droid, D-0, and the rest of the popular bots, which are certain to excite your camper! Each day, teams of campers (squads) work together, with encouragement and guidance from their Jedi counselors, to customize droid-like robots and complete various Yoda engineering challenges. Throughout the week, campers will dunk intergalactic basketballs into mini hoops, play BB8 battleship, and joust in the balloon popping droid arena. Each challenge presents the campers with hands-on building and engineering lessons to help make their bots jump up ramps, roll through tunnels, and bounce over barriers. BB8 Adventures offers a friendly and collaborative environment, encouraging teamwork, sportsmanship and positivity – all while introducing campers to become active participants with today’s most applicable, exciting and new technology.

Aug. 3-7, grades 3-5

This unique program combines drone and robot technology with the visual arts. Modeled after the Drobots National Synchronized Dancing Drone Competition, this STEAM-focused camp offers creative, fun and engaging projects for participants of all interests and experience. No other camp offers such an exciting opportunity to combine and synchronize drones flying in the air with drones rolling on the ground. Throughout the week, campers will split time between both the Dancing Drone activity station and the Drone Storyboard activity station, where they will work together in teams to build a portfolio of creative, technology-based presentations. Campers will utilize autonomous programming and technology to unveil real-life stories and performances as the drones and robots interact with one another and assume certain character roles within the story. It’s time to create a technology masterpiece with a narrative that includes: drones, robots, design, music, drawing and coding, and then share your final presentation with your family and friends.

Drobots Company was originally founded by a small group of parents, educators, visionaries and do-it-yourself engineers. The mission was and still is to inspire students to reduce time in front of a computer screen and instead utilize drone technology in a setting that promotes collaborative project-based learning in a positive educational environment. Hence, the company trademark slogan, Where Technology Meets Fresh Air™.

At Drobots we create flexible experiences that shift students between the excitement and hands-on activities of our indoor activities and the freedom and exploration of the outdoors. Participants utilize imagination, hand-eye coordination and STEM applications to conquer challenges and missions – all in a team-oriented environment. Under the umbrella of a friendly competitive and gamified teaching and learning methodology, participants collaborate in a team setting to deconstruct challenges and then solve them.

The Summer Focus on Reading class builds upon and encourages students' love for reading and storytelling. Students will seek to address "summer reading loss" through daily reading and written response, which helps significantly with reading comprehension and vocabulary growth.

Students read books from Shady Side Academy's summer reading lists and other age-appropriate library selections. The selected books provide opportunities to discuss the literary elements of setting, characters and plot. Students learn to discern a story’s main ideas and to discover literary signposts that point to significant moments within the narrative. Since the focus of each two-week session is on a specific book, writing will be focused on identification of literary elements, signposts, and summaries. These are hands-on courses that meet students at their current level and help prepare them for the challenges of the school year ahead.

Elementary math classes are hands-on, skills-based, engaging courses that meet students at their current level and help prepare them for the challenges of the next school year. Through projects, play and problem-solving activities, students bolster their math skills and passion for the subject.

We recommend enrolling your child in the course most closely aligned with the math course he or she will be taking in the 2020-2021 school year. For most students this is their grade level for the 2020-2021 year.