Summer Camp 2020 Themes

Mark your calendars! Girlstart’s summer camp registration opens January 13, 2020 and weeks have sold out quickly the past several years. For registration and more camp information visit: http://girlstart.org/our-programs/summer-camp/.

Camp Hermione (4th-5th & 6th-8th)
June 8-12, June 15-19, June 22-26
Calling all muggles! Channel your inner Hermione Granger as you discover chemical reactions in Potions class, design a catapult in Defense Against the Dark Arts, construct a sturdy tower to watch Quidditch, and engineer your own boat to travel across the Great Lake to Hogwarts. Girls will program an online TriWizard Tournament maze, 3D print the Hogwarts castle, and solder their own Golden Snitch ring.

Keep Girlstart Weird (4th-5th)
July 6-10, July 13-17
Live music, Congress Avenue Bridge bats, and the Lady Bird Wildflower Center! These are only a few things that make Austin special. Recreate the 360 Bridge, design a one-of-a-kind solar powered food truck, and engineer an outdoor music stage. From pumping water from the Edwards Aquifer to determining what it takes to win Formula 1, discover what it’s like to be an Austinite growing up in the state’s capital.

Beyond Your Backyard (6th-8th)
July 6-10, July 13-17
From backyard composting to cleaning the air we breathe, even a few small changes can make a huge environmental impact. Design a robot to sort recycling, create a device to remove plastic from the Texas Gulf, explore how artificial reefs preserve marine life, and solder a solar-powered LED light. Every day is Earth Day at this eco-friendly camp!

Secrets of Super Girl (4th-5th)
July 20-24, July 27-31
It’s a bird! It’s a plane! No, it’s Girlstart’s Super Girl! Program your superhero robot to save the day, design armor as strong as Wonder Woman’s, create an LED symbol of courage, engineer a device to go faster than a speeding bullet, and discover how to leap tall buildings. Learn the secrets behind a superhero’s powers and discover your inner superhero strength.

Girlstart Games (6th-8th)
July 20-24, July 27-31
Bronze, Silver, Gold! Regardless of the medal, Olympic athletes are the best at their sport. Explore the physics behind a gymnasts twists, create an aerodynamic diver, make the perfect hole in one shot, and design the next Olympic torch. From engineering a fast sailboat to programming robots to synchronize swim, the Girlstart Olympics are the place to be in Summer 2020.

DeSTEMber 2019 – Week 4 Materials List

Activities for December 22nd – 31st

We are so excited for our final week of DeSTEMber activities!

12.22 Tea Bag Rocket
12.23 Safety Shake Light
12.24 Poinsettia Spinner
12.25 Hang Gliders
12.26 Sound Sandwich
12.27 Augmented Reality
12.28 SciGirls – Code Quest
12.28 Up, Up, the Water Goes
12.29 Non-Round Rollers
12.30 Origami Firefly Circuit
12.31 Dream Big

* The following list contains affiliate links. Girlstart is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

12.22 – Tea Bag Rocket

Add materials to your Amazon shopping cart

  • Lighter
  • Plate or pan (metal or ceramic; NOT paper or plastic)
  • Scissors
  • Tea bag

12.23 – Safety Shake Light

Add materials to your Amazon shopping cart

  • 2 8.5 x 11-inch A4 transparency sheets
  • 5 ceramic “donut” disk magnets, 1-inch outer diameter
  • Clear tape
  • 200 feet (~60 meters) of #30 magnet wire (very thin copper wire with lacquer insulation)
  • 5mm LED light
  • Masking tape
  • 2 mini alligator clips
  • 2 plastic film canisters with lids
  • 3 rubber bands (size #33)
  • Scissors
  • Sheet of fine sandpaper

12.24 – Poinsettia Spinner

Add materials to your Amazon shopping cart

  • Bendable straw (biodegradable)
  • Clear tape
  • Hole puncher
  • Modeling clay (small piece)
  • Poinsettia Spinner Template, printed on red cardstock*
  • Poinsettia Spinner Template, printed on green cardstock*
  • Scissors
  • Wooden skewer

*Template can alternatively be printed on white cardstock and colored green or red with markers, crayons, or colored pencils.

12.25 – Hang Gliders

Add materials to your Amazon shopping cart

  • Clear tape
  • Hot glue gun and hot glue sticks
  • 12 x 12-inch piece of plastic disposable table cloth
  • Scissors
  • Sharpie
  • Small figure
  • 5 straws (biodegradable)
  • 2-4 twist ties

12.26 – Sound Sandwich

Add materials to your Amazon shopping cart

  • Scissors
  • 2 small rubber bands (size #32)
  • Straw (biodegradable)
  • 2 tongue depressors
  • Wide rubber band (size #64)

12.27 – Augmented Reality

  • Printed Marker Page (attached)
  • Smartphone with the Spacecraft 3D app

12.28 – SciGirls – Code Quest

12.28 – Up, Up, the Water Goes

Add materials to your Amazon shopping cart

  • Bowl (shorter than a 16-ounce plastic cup)
  • Clear packing tape
  • Food coloring
  • Large yogurt container, or similar (~32 ounces)
  • Paper towels
  • 16-ounce plastic cup
  • Plastic tubing (3/8-inch inner diameter; 48 inches long)
  • Water (enough to fill bowl ¾ full)

12.29 – Non-Round Rollers

Add materials to your Amazon shopping cart

  • 3 printed Non-Round Rollers Templates (attached)
  • 3 file folders or 1 large piece of poster board
  • Glue stick
  • 6 x 12-inch piece of cardboard or foam board
  • Scissors

12.30 – Origami Firefly Circuit

Add materials to your Amazon shopping cart

  • Adhesive copper tape (¼-inch width; 7-inch length)
  • Clear tape
  • 3V coin cell battery (CR 2032)
  • 5mm LED light
  • Scissors
  • 5 x 11-inch sheet of colorful paper

12.31 – Dream Big

Add materials to your Amazon shopping cart

  • Hole puncher
  • Magnifying Glass Template, printed on cardstock (attached)
  • Scissors
  • 6-inch ribbon piece in each of the following colors:
    • Blue, green, orange, pink, purple, yellow
  • Sharpie in each of the following colors:
    • Blue, green, orange, pink, purple, yellow

DeSTEMber 2019 – Week 3 Materials List

Activities for the week of December 15th – 21st

We are so excited for our third week of DeSTEMber!

Each Sunday we will post the materials list for the upcoming week:

12.15 Spectroscope
12.16 Houston Zoo – Black Bears
12.16 Sturdy Shoes
12.17 Density Rainbow
12.18 Thread the Needle
12.19 LED Bracelets
12.20 Paper Rockets
12.21 Lunar Orbiter

* The following list contains affiliate links. Girlstart is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

12.15 – Spectroscope

Add materials to your Amazon shopping cart

  • Blank or old CD
  • Paint (optional)
  • Paper towel roll tube
  • Pencil
  • Precision knife and/or scissors
  • Small piece of cardboard or cardstock
  • Tape

12.16 – Houston Zoo – Black Bears

Add materials to your Amazon shopping cart

  • Dry erase markers
  • Envelopes
  • Pictures of bears and bear sign
  • Set of food cards
  • Thumb tacks
  • White board with stand

12.16 – Sturdy Shoes

Add materials to your Amazon shopping cart

  • Computer or smartphone with internet
  • 2 5 x 5-inch pieces of fabric
  • 3-ounce paper cup
  • Pencil
  • Piece of paper
  • 2 5 x 5-inch pieces of plastic wrap
  • 2 pipe cleaners
  • Rock with rough edges (a rock wall or something similar can be substituted)
  • 2 5 x 5-inch pieces of rubber glove material
  • Scissors
  • Small stuffed dog (one paw should fit inside paper cup)
  • Stickers/markers for decoration
  • Tape (packing tape is best, but any kind works)

12.17 – Density Rainbow

Add materials to your Amazon shopping cart

  • Baster
  • 6 cups or glasses
  • Food coloring (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple)
  • 1-cup measuring cup
  • Plastic test tube
  • Spoon
  • Sugar
  • Teaspoon
  • Water

12.18 – Thread the Needle

Add materials to your Amazon shopping cart

  • Modeling clay
  • Pencil (or dowel)
  • Washer with a hole that is a little larger than the pencil’s diameter (so the pencil can fit through it)

12.19 – LED Bracelets

Add materials to your Amazon shopping cart

  • 3V coin cell battery (CR 2032)
  • 5mm LED light
  • Pipe cleaner
  • ¾ x 1 ½-inch rectangle of craft foam
  • Scissors
  • Small binder clip
  • 2 x 2-inch square of craft foam

12.20 – Paper Rockets

Add materials to your Amazon shopping cart

  • Clear tape
  • Pencil
  • Plastic bendy straw
  • Printed Rocket Template (see below)
  • Scissors
  • Stickers or washi tape for decoration

12.21 – Lunar Orbiter

Add materials to your Amazon shopping cart

  • Foam shapes
  • 2 googly eyes
  • 2 index cards
  • 6 x 6-inch piece of aluminum foil
  • 2 pipe cleaners
  • Plastic spoon
  • Scissors
  • Small box (~ 3 x 3 x 3 inches)
  • Tape

DeSTEMber 2019 – Week 2 Materials List

Activities for the week of December 8th – 14th

We are so excited for our second week of DeSTEMber!

Each Sunday we will post the materials list for the upcoming week:

12.08 Marshmallow Slingshot
12.09 Holiday Stop Motion Video
12.10 Blockly
12.11 Chemical Mystery
12.12 Circuit Reindeer
12.13 Green Screen Forecasting
12.14 Makeblock Drones

* The following list contains affiliate links. Girlstart is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

12.08 – Marshmallow Slingshot

Add materials to your Amazon shopping cart

  • Golf pencil
  • Hole puncher
  • Marshmallow (or other small object to launch, such as a ping pong ball)
  • Pen or marker
  • Ruler
  • Scissors
  • Tape
  • 2 thin rubber bands
  • 2 toilet paper roll tubes, or one paper towel roll tube cut in half

12.09 – Holiday Stop Motion Video

Add materials to your Amazon shopping cart

  • Construction paper
  • Markers
  • 1-2 pieces of white poster board
  • Scissors
  • Smartphone or tablet with the Stop Motion Studio app
  • Optional: miscellaneous craft supplies (clay, pipe cleaners, glue, beads, crayons, colored pencils, etc.)
  • Optional: small tripod or phone/tablet holder

12.10 – Blockly

12.11 – Chemical Mystery

Add materials to your Amazon shopping cart

  • Blender
  • Bowl
  • ½ of a red cabbage
  • 14 small clear plastic cups (for example, clear 2 ounce portion cups)
  • Knife and cutting board (to chop cabbage)
  • Paper and pencil
  • Permanent marker
  • Pipette or eye dropper
  • Safety goggles
  • Strainer
  • Test liquids: Ammonia, baking soda in water, clear soda (7UP), finger nail polish remover, hydrogen peroxide, laundry detergent, lime juice, milk, mouthwash, orange juice, salt water, shampoo, vinegar, and water
  • Water (about 4 cups)

12.12 – Circuit Reindeer

Add materials to your Amazon shopping cart

  • 6 brown pipe cleaners
  • Clothespin
  • 3V coin cell battery (CR 2032)
  • Electrical tape
  • 2 googly eyes
  • 5mm LED light bulb (red)
  • 2 4-6-inch pieces of 24-gauge insulated wire
  • Scissors or wire strippers

12.13 – Green Screen Forecasting

Add materials to your Amazon shopping cart

  • Paper
  • Pencil
  • Smartphone with the KineMaster app
  • Solid colored wall
  • Tripod (optional)

12.14 – Makeblock Drones

Add materials to your Amazon shopping cart

  • Makeblock drone
  • Smartphone (with Internet access)