Digital Discovery CampsFun Summer Learning From the Comfort of Home
Exploration Place has a variety of Digital Discover Camps each summer for children ages eight through 13 who prefer the comfort of home or are outside the area. Participants in our Digital Discover Camps and museum members also get access to the Explorer Club. Digital Discovery Camps are a great alternative to in-person camps because they allow kids from all over Kansas to participate in the summer learning programs at Exploration Place!
Available Digital Discovery Camps
Digital Discovery Camps help campers level up their coding, graphic design and game design skills through a variety of programs, activities and challenges.
Become a Lego design engineer right from home! During this week-long camp, your child will learn what it’s like to be a Lego engineer who designs and builds elaborate structures. We will guide them through the process of how to build three-dimensional structures in a virtual space all of the way to their final build at the end of camp. The lessons compound on each other, and by the end of the week, they will bring their structure to life.
Activities
Learn how Lego engineers plan their elaborate builds
Build a virtual representation of a structure
Test blueprints in a virtual format before construction
Identify which Lego bricks you will need to fulfill your design
Follow your plan to bring your creation to life
Requirements
Digital camps require internet access and a laptop or computer with a camera and microphone. This camp also requires the use of many Legos.
Spark a love of coding with this beginner-level game design camp. Over the course of the week, campers will design their own characters, learn to write the code and programming to give them action, and develop a world for their characters to live and interact in.
Activities
Create and code video game characters
Code characters to perform actions based upon the keys chosen
Experiment with a variety of game design styles such as those similar to Super Mario, arcade space games, a quest game and a racing game
Use the program Gdevelop
Requirements
Digital camps require internet access and a laptop or computer with a camera and microphone.
Comics are more than entertainment—they are science in creative form. The visual aspects of comic books are used to evoke a chemical reaction or emotion from a reader. Learn illustration techniques, photo editing, storyboarding and comic book design as catalysts for combing a love of art and fantasy with the unwavering principles of STEM fields.
Activities
Create a storyboard using the framework of story structure
Design initial draft of a comic
Analyze the impact of visual cues or images on a reader
Develop characters to feel more relatable
Learn about visual influences within our own lives
Requirements
Digital camps require internet access and a laptop or computer with a camera and microphone.
This camp is designed for aspiring directors who would rather be behind the camera than in front of it. Campers will go through the creative process of writing, producing and editing their own film. Along the way, they will learn the STEM lessons that influence an audience’s response to the content and delivery of the story.
Activities
Experiment with lighting techniques and color manipulation
Look at how films use color to convince the audience how a character is feeling
Edit short snips of film into one longer feature film
Add music and sound effects to films, developing a soundtrack
Participate in a virtual film festival and enjoy one another’s work
Requirements
Digital camps require internet access and a laptop or computer with a camera and microphone.
Drawing with pencil and paper is transported to new heights with this digital animation camp. Learn to animate characters and storylines using software and foundational principles that will grow along with the artist. Art and science combine to make this camp a creative adventure in STEM-based skills.
Activities
Navigate Wick Editor animation software.
Learn the 12 principles of animation, including timing and spacing, squish and stretch, and follow-through.
Create movement within an object.
Bring a character of your choice to life.
Requirements
Digital camps require internet access and a laptop or computer with a camera and microphone.
Jump into a new 3D realm of your own making. This camp is designed for the Roblox player who wants to take their game to the next level. Learn how to use coding to customize your character and landscape. Most important, learn the basics of the computer language that makes video game ideas come to life. This camp is designed for those students with little to no game development experience.
Activities
Develop a character to play along with and discover new worlds
Cultivate a completely new story and battle to the end to become the ultimate champion
Learn the systematic process of creating a video game
Design landscapes and create obstacles
Exercise problem- solving skills during the development process
Requirements
Digital camps require internet access and a laptop or computer with a camera and microphone.
Immerse yourself in the world of Anime. More than simple artwork, Anime provides an invaluable learning opportunity to look at the history, culture, tradition, discipline, and design of the Japanese medium. Learn how computer programming, graphic design and illustration are all essential skills when taking a 2D represented drawing into the digital world. Experience in drawing is not required, and there will be tutorials to provide guidance on character design. Use of Krita will be required for this course.
Activities
Design characters
Explore new drawing techniques
Learn computer software design through Krita
Learn about your favorite anime character’s origins
Design your own anime character and storyline
Requirements
Digital camps require internet access and a laptop or computer with a camera and microphone.
Needs-Based Scholarships Available
If your child is eligible for free or reduced lunches or SNAP, they may qualify for a needs-based scholarship to attend camp!
No, the model release form is optional. If you choose not to fill out the form, your camper may be removed from certain activities where picture/videography is taking place to prevent your camper from being included in the picture. Please let an Exploration Place staff member know you decline the model release form at the beginning of class.
No, forms are good for one year, beginning May 1 and continuing until the following April 30.
Sponsors
Presenting Sponsor
Other Sponsors
Contact Our Camp Team
If you have questions about Digital Discovery Camps with Exploration Place, you may contact Jessica Nickel at (316) 660-0644 or complete the online form. We look forward to speaking with you!
