Girlstart Announces Lineup for Its 2014 Summer Camps

LAUDED BY CHANGE THE EQUATION AS ONE OF THE BEST STEM PROGRAMS IN THE NATION

GIRLSTART ANNOUNCES LINEUP FOR ITS 2014 SUMMER CAMPS, LAUDED BY CHANGE THE EQUATION AS ONE OF THE BEST STEM PROGRAMS IN THE NATION

Girlstart has announced its lineup for its 2014 Summer Camps – the latest in a series of award-winning programs for elementary and middle school girls, which a leading STEM organization recently lauded as one of the nation’s best STEM education programs.

Austin-area parents can now register their daughters for a program praised this past October by Change the Equation, the nonprofit, nonpartisan, CEO-led initiative that is mobilizing the business community to improve the quality of STEM learning in the United States. The organization declared Girlstart Summer Camp only one of four national programs immediately ready for nationwide scalability.

“We’ve prepared a diverse group of summer camps this year, that appeal to incoming 4th-8th grade girls and shows them how STEM is connected to the things they like most” said Katelyn Wamsted, Program Director of Girlstart. “We’re introducing girls to app making and 3D technologies, debuting brand-new features like the floor piano, and we’re utilizing our STEM Studio and Mini-Planetarium. We’re very excited about what we have to offer girls throughout Central Texas this year.”

Girlstart is making early registration available at $275 per week for those who sign up between now and March 24, with $300 full-price registration available for March 25 to May 27. Girlstart recommends early registration in order to secure spots; a number of the camps sell out by the end of the school year.

Girlstart will also be hosting an open house on Thursday, March 6 from 4-6 p.m. specifically geared for summer camp registration, showcasing some of the activities girls will participate in during the camps.

This year’s camps – which continue the Girlstart formula of fusing essential STEM education concepts with fun, creative, girl-centric programming – start on June 9, and include the following programs:

Animal World*
June 9-13, June 16-20, June 23-27
for incoming 4th-5th & 6th-8th 
graders

Girls will explore the habitats, adaptations and body systems of unique creatures in the animal kingdom, and will design a virtual 3D habitat and program an app.

Sound Check
July 7-11 & July 14-18
for incoming 6th-8th
 graders

Girls will design an instrument from recycled materials, make and play a floor piano, create a virtual 3D stage and program an app to make music.

Ice Age
July 7-11 & July 14-18
for incoming 4th-5th
 graders

Girls will participate in a range of cold-weather themes STEM activities, incorporating winter animals, clothing, weather and the Winter Olympics.

Adventure Land
July 21-25 & July 28-Aug 1
for incoming 6th-8th graders

Girls will create a theme park, using their imagination to engineer a roller coaster thrill ride, design the amusement buildings, produce an animated commercial and more.

Girlstart & the Olympians
July 21-25 & July 28-Aug 1
for incoming 4th-5th graders

This camp, based on the Percy Jackson and the Olympians book series, will allow girls to create a rocket to help Hermes fly, engineer a boat to cross the River of Hades, discover the stories behind the stars in our Mini-Planetarium and more.

For more information on the camps, visit Girlstart’s website; the Summer Camp page is at http://www.girlstart.org/our-programs/summer-camp