May 05, 2010

SIUC offering 12 LEGO Camp sessions this summer

by Amanda Scott

CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s Division of Continuing Education is offering 12 LEGO Camp sessions this summer for youths who are in first grade or older. The camps use Lego pieces and parts to introduce youngsters to engineering principles as they indulge their creativity and have fun.

Two different LEGO Junior Creative Lego Camps are specifically for first and second graders. Junior Creative Lego Camp I sessions are June 28-July 2 (Session 1), July 12-16 (Session 5), and Aug. 2-6 (Session 9). Each session meets from 8 to 11:30 a.m. daily on the SIUC campus. Camp I gives kids the opportunity to learn by doing using advanced LEGO parts and pieces including gears, levers, wheels, axles, structures, forces and simple machines.

Junior Creative Lego Camp II sessions are July 5-9 (Session 3), July 19-23 (Session 7), and Aug. 9-13 (Session 11), also from 8-11:30 a.m. each day. Camp II involves the use of very advanced LEGO parts and pieces, more hands-on learning and building projects of slightly higher complexity than those for Camp I.

Creative LEGO Camp and Advanced Creative LEGO Camp are for youths third grade age and older. These camps use very advanced LEGO parts and pieces and cover numerous engineering principles and projects. Creative LEGO Camp sessions will be June 28-July 2 (Session 2), July 12-16 (Session 6) and Aug. 2-6 (Session 10). The camps will meet from 1 to 4:30 p.m. each afternoon.

Advanced Creative LEGO Camp will be July 5-9 (Session 4), July 19-23 (Session 8) and Aug. 9-13 (Session 12), also 1- 4:30 p.m. The advanced camp involves the use of very advanced LEGO parts and pieces, more hands-on learning and building of more complex projects than those of the first camp.

Registration is $99 for each camp and includes faculty instruction, quality curriculum, daily snack breaks, a LEGO Creative Camp T-shirt, and a final project to take home on the last day of camp. Camp enrollment is limited. Registration will be on a first come, first served basis.

For more information or to register, contact the Division of Continuing Education at 618/536-7751 or look online at https://www.dce.siu.edu.