Summer CampsSummer Is Awesome With Exploration Place
Adventure, fun and science collide to make summers awesome at Exploration Place in Wichita. Your camper will spend the summer exploring new topics, learning through hands-on interactive fun, making new friends and creating memories to last a lifetime.
Are you a member? Members save $35 per child, per week!
Digging in the dirt is much more rewarding when you know what you’re looking for. Are you always finding pebbles and rocks in your child’s pockets and backpack? Feed their inner gemologist as campers learn to excavate and classify gems, crystals, minerals and more.
Handle salt crystals found in Kansas and use mining techniques to excavate eatable crystals.
Discover how caves form as you create your own cavern.
Travel through the rock cycle through interactive game play to discover the different types of rocks found on Earth.
Please note: This is a four-day pre-session camp, Tuesday through Friday, due to the Memorial Day holiday and will need to be purchased separately (via the link below) than the regular full-week camps. However, only one set of camp forms will be needed for the entire summer.
What happens when you take a classic like LEGOs and combine them with creativity, imagination and a little circuitry? Your creations come alive! Reimagine how to build and engineer plastic bricks by adding movement and a bit of illumination.
Take to the sky to protect your LEGO man from a 30-foot drop
Battle the sea in a LEGO boat cargo challenge
Connect the bricks with circuitry to light up your own LEGO structure
Destroy LEGO creations with demolition techniques and wrecking balls
Your camper’s mission awaits! Budding astronauts and amateur astronomers will love getting lost in space. With a week packed full of hands-on learning, this camp is sure to be a highlight of your child’s summer. Nurture their love for exploration and let them experience the fundamentals of space like never before – at Exploration Place!
Build several rockets and discover the force it takes for them to lift off the ground
Create a landing system to help the Artemis crew create a civilization as they return to the Moon
Explore how gravity affects everything on earth and in space
Play with centripetal force as you control water and defy gravity
Walk the solar system and discover the magnitude of miles from Earth to our Sun, Moon, Mars and more
Your child will step into the shoes of a paleontologist through fun and immersive activities that teach about prehistoric eras. Campers will get their hands dirty digging for fossils, come face to face with a dinosaur and meet a real paleontologist!
Create a trace fossil to take a dinosaur footprint home with
Meet a paleontologist and learn about an active dinosaur dig
Concoct Velociraptor slime that teaches us why dinosaurs would spit at their enemies
Meet a Dilophosaurus and use scientific reasoning to discover some hard-learned truths in their story
Use paleontological tools to dig for real fossils and identify them using context clues
Travel around the world as animal investigators. Discover why some animals thrive in one environment over another, how scientists study the clues that animals leave for us and why different animals are better suited as hunter or prey. Meet animals and talk with the handlers who care for them.
Animal encounters throughout the week
Learn how birds of prey eat their food and what the fragments tell us
Hunt for tracks and identify the animal who left them
Inspect a variety of furs to hypothesize why they feel and protect each animal uniquely
Create robotic bee pollinators and learn how humans influence animal abilities
At Minecraft Unplugged camp, campers will use their favorite characters to dive into the science behind the game. A variety of STEM-based activities take your child’s passion for Minecraft off the computer screen and into real life with hands-on and interactive tasks and challenges.
Build an LED red stone torch that glows with the use of circuitry
Develop your own fantasy world, identify which biome to place it in and explore new landscapes
Design an Ender Dragon rocket and learn about trajectory
Use computer science to code a Minecraft character
Campers will use a variety of robotic programming and engineering to complete challenges. Each day will feature a new type of robotic element and challenge. Robot-a-Palooza takes the learning off the tablet or computer screen and into your child’s hands.
Build a robotic sidekick using LEGOs and technology
Speak in command codes to direct your friends through an interactive obstacle course
Become an electron through game simulation to discover the path it takes to make your favorite devices function
Meet a working robot and team up with artificial intelligence to create a digital masterpiece
Dive deep below the ocean’s currents to join Dory, Nemo, Marlin and friends as you discover what makes our oceans so diverse. From handling shark’s teeth to glowing from bioluminescence your camper will never forget the fun and wonder that can be found beneath the ocean waves.
Dissect a gelatin piranha and compare internal structures and mechanisms used to capture prey
Join Squirt as he shows you how turtles conserve energy by riding ocean currents in a game play relay race
Analyze how octopi like Pearl can camouflage so quickly and learn how you can blend your skin into the background, too
Become a whale in our interactive whale migration game
Join forces with Gru, Bob, Kevin and Stuart as you master Minion engineering. Secure your goggles, pull up your gloves and embark on an adventure through engineering, projectiles, chemical reactions and more alongside your favorite Minion characters.
Create a chemical reaction used in all fart guns to stun your enemies through smell
Take down the moon and shrink it forever when you play with polymers and heat
Fine tune your robotic engineering skills as you design a cookie-bot that Gru would be proud of
Launch minions and bananas at your enemies lair when you design and test a catapult worthy of the minion cause
Step into the Pokéworld as you become a trainer of your very own Pokémon. Collect badges throughout your activities until your final battle in the Exploration Place Pokémon League.
Create your own Pokémon while thinking about life cycles and how your Pokémon will grow
Design a biome within a Pokéball to fit your Pokémon type
Dive into Pokémon training for grass, water, fire and electric Pokémon
Final battle! Take your Pokémon skills and put them to the test as you battle water against fire, electricity against earth and all the possible combinations
Jump into a new 3D realm of your own making. Develop a character to play along with and discover new worlds. Cultivate a completely new story and battle to the end and become the ultimate champion. This camp is designed for those students with intermediate experience with coding
Activities
Design your own Roblox world through the use of Roblox Studio.
Take Part in a Roblox Battle outside of the digital world against your own friends.
Enhance your coding skills as you create checkpoints, themes and platforms for your character.
Please note: This is a four-day pre-session camp, Tuesday through Friday, due to the Memorial Day holiday and will need to be purchased separately (via the link below) than the regular full-week camps. However, only one set of camp forms will be needed for the entire summer.
Rocket launch your way to the moon as you join up with NASA’s Artemis mission to create a new colony. See what it takes to survive on this foreign terrain. How is the Moon different than Earth and what would it take to live there?
Design a space suit
Test your ability to spiral through space when you sit in the Barany chair used in astronaut training
Test lunar soil simulant used by NASA while driving a rover from one colony to another
Learn how astronauts use greenhouses to collect water from plants necessary to sustain life
Design a space colony strong enough to survive a meteor strike
From digital design to engineering structures, take LEGO skills to a new level. Develop machines, manipulate Apitor Robots and watch LEGO builds come to life with augmented reality. This camp focuses on the engineering process, problem-solving, programming and structural design.
Build and program LEGO robotic catapults, dinosaurs, helicopters and more
Become the mayor of your own LEGO city
Build and test bridges between each city to test which bridge can hold the most weight
Build a LEGO haunted location and scan it with our iPads to bring the ghosts to life as you battle against the odds in your own LEGO build video game
Cultivate a deeper understanding of gems, geodes, cave diving, volcanoes and more! Explore the hidden treasures once buried in the depths of the Earth through hands-on activities. Who knows, the kid who once hoarded rocks may grow up to be a geologist or gemologist after spending the week learning the science under the surface!
Unearth your own ancient crystal and discover its origins
Design your own cenote to keep for years to come
Join a team of divers as you experience a cave dive and discover the beautiful and terrifying creatures that live below the surface
Break open a volcano burp and discover the sparkles inside
Have you ever wondered how they made Hagrid appear so tall? Or how characters can jump through a glass window without being hurt? Despite what your eyes are telling you, it’s not magic — it’s special effects that use science! Uncover the mystery and become a special effects director in our week-long Magic of the Movies camp.
Designing glass that you can safely smash with your hands
Use forced perspective to appear giant compared to your friend
Manipulate unexpected items to recreate the sound effects in the movies
Create and edit a short film to showcase to family and friends at the end of the week
Campers will dream, design and build awe-inspiring structures, animatronics and theme park attractions. Tap into your imagination when you dream up your own theme park experience. When it comes to engineering and animatronics, imagination reigns.
Take your designing abilities to fantastical heights while designing a rollercoaster
Design a multi-level iconic centerpiece attraction for your theme park
Add lights and sound to your structures
Design a theme park map for your visitors to use
Showcase your theme park to your family and visitors
Play your way through the STEM career of your choosing. Take your character through college to retirement by delving into four fields of STEM careers. One day you are dissecting brains and eyes, the next day you are a physicist bungee testing a bridge. You never know where the world of STEM can take you!
Animal dissections are included in this camp.
Dissect a sheep brain and cow eye as you explore a career in biology
Test exothermic reactions and chemical explosions as part of a chemistry career path
Build bungee bridges and experiment with the forces used in a physics career
Use computer design programs to test new ideas with an engineering career focus
Robotic programing is only one side of the robotic world. Step into the engineering side when you learn about the construction of robotic hydraulics, gears, soldering, troubleshooting and more.
Build your own robotic arm controlled through hydraulics
Use gears to bring a robot animatronic build to life
Learn from a robotic engineer how to solder and de-solder as you dissect household objects
Build, test and design your own robotic car to take home with you
Immerse yourself in this week-long ocean expedition as we embark on a journey to understand more about the ocean and its inhabitants. Link up with live web cams around the world to see sharks in their natural habitat. Dive deeper than the light can go as you see how animals use bioluminescence to attract prey.
Animal dissections are included in this camp.
Dissect a real shark, squid and starfish
Become bioluminescent just like the deep sea creatures do
Discover the challenges water pressure creates for deep exploration
Explore the different types of reefs, how they form and the important role they play in the life of the ocean
Explore how humans are impacting the oceans and create a solution to solve one of Earth’s biggest problems
All great inventors set out to solve a problem. The airplane cut down the time it took to travel long distances. The cell phone connected people from all over the world without wires. The light bulb, wheel and zipper all solved problems… and the list goes on! Step into the shoes of the great inventors of past and present as you tackle a global problem, redesign or imagine a solution and then build a computer drafted and 3D model. Design a marketing plan for your invention and sell your product in a showcase with other inventors.
Use CAD software to create a mock-up of your idea
Build a functioning prototype
Pitch ideas to investors
Market your idea through simulated social media strategies and by recording your own commercial
Camp ends at 4 pm, with final check-out ending at 4:15 pm
Any campers dropped off before 8:30 am or remaining after 4:15 pm will automatically be enrolled in Before or After Care. Parents will need to pay before leaving or picking up their camper.
Before Care allows campers supervised free play by Exploration Place camp staff before the camp day begins. Before Care check-in begins at 7:30 am. All paperwork must be completed before adults leave. Breakfast is provided for campers. At 8:30 am, campers will transition to their groups’ lead teachers and meet arriving campers. The camp day begins at 9 am. Before Care is charged by the week at $34 Members/ $40 Non Members.
After Care allows campers to remain when the camp day has concluded. At 4:15 pm, campers transfer from lead teachers’ care to camp staff care. They will be served a snack and be allowed supervised free play. Campers must be checked-out to their adults by 6 pm. After Care is charged by the week at $42 Members / $50 Non Members.
If there is space available, you are welcome to register mid-week. Exploration Place does not pro-rate Before or After Care. The price is the same if your child is present for one day or all five days.
Late arrivals and early pickups are allowed. Please go to the front desk and ask for camp assistance. We do not allow check out between 3:40 – 4pm to allow time for clean-up.
Before Care allows campers supervised free play by Exploration Place camp staff before the camp day begins. Before Care check-in begins at 7:30 am. All paperwork must be completed before adults leave. Breakfast is provided for campers. At 8:30 am, campers will transition to their groups’ lead teachers and meet arriving campers. The camp day begins at 9 am. Before Care is charged by the week at $34 Members/ $40 Non Members.
After Care allows campers to remain when the camp day has concluded. At 4:15 pm, campers transfer from lead teachers’ care to camp staff care. They will be served a snack and be allowed supervised free play. Campers must be checked-out to their adults by 6 pm. After Care is charged by the week at $42 Members / $50 Non Members.
For any camper concerns, contact the Camp Director. There may be special forms that will need to be completed. You may reach the Camp Director at (316) 660-0644 or contact us online.
Camp teachers are available at check-in from 8:30 – 9 am and check-out from 4 – 4:15 pm. Other arrangements may be made to speak with a camp director if these times do not work with the camp parent. Parents are also encouraged to share any problems with the assistant camp director or the camp director via phone, email or in-person at any time during normal business hours.
We take all requests into consideration. Our lesson plans are targeted to a specific age; if siblings or friends are the same age, they may be in the same class. The camp director has discretion over camper placement.
Please make requests at least two weeks prior to your registered camp start date.
Yes, campers should bring a lunch labeled with their names in a leak-proof container (no paper sacks), silverware if needed, with an ice pack. Microwaves are available as needed.
Yes, check with an Exploration Place staff member at check-in to confirm your camper’s lunch time. You are welcome to check out your camper for lunch, drop off lunch at the front desk, or bring lunch to eat with your camper.
Exploration Place Summer Camps are peanut and tree-nut free. We ask that parents do not pack these items in camper lunches to avoid any allergies. If your camper has any food allergies, please share with someone at check-in and put the information into CampDoc.
Yes, all forms are required to be complete upon the first day of camp. If information is missing we will require you to complete the information before allowing you to leave your child in our care.
Please fill out the appropriate medical information on your CampDoc account.
Summer Camp Sponsors
Presenting Sponsor
Other Sponsors
Travel Camps
This summer, Exploration Place is hosting a series of camps at local community partner sites in Newton, Mulvane, Arkansas City, McPherson, Abilene, Andover and El Dorado. Students ages 8 - 13 can spend a week close to home, learning about STEM using LEGO programs.
