Discovering technology, engineering at camp – SFGate

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Campers at CodeREV Kids can learn different skills, including robotics, game design and engineering.

Campers at CodeREV Kids can learn different skills, including robotics, game design and engineering.

Activities at CodeREV Kids are project based so students are able to engage with the lessons and explore their own creativity.

Activities at CodeREV Kids are project based so students are able to engage with the lessons and explore their own creativity.

Courses for summer 2017 are organized into four tracks game design, programming, engineering and creative.

Courses for summer 2017 are organized into four tracks game design, programming, engineering and creative.

Bay Area locations include two in San Francisco, one in Mountain View and another in San Jose

Bay Area locations include two in San Francisco, one in Mountain View and another in San Jose

Discovering technology, engineering at camp

For the past three years, CodeREV Kids, a summer camp dedicated to teaching youth about coding and other technology fields, has grown to more than 10 locations. The rapid growth is a direct result of an increase in demand for these skills, said Bryan Curran, director of operations.

The CodeREV Kids curriculum, developed with the help of professors at Stanford, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard, is project based so students are able to engage with the lessons and explore their own creativity, Curran said. Campers are able to take home their work via email or Google Drive to share with family and friends or continue working on projects at home.

He added that no prior tech experience is necessary and students can pick and choose what they study if they attend multiple weeks.

Even if they just have a passive interest in technology, this is a great way for them to jump in and get their feet wet, Curran said. And with a lot to choose from, they can decide what subsection peaks their interest most.

CodeREV Kids was founded by Evan Boorman, a STEM teacher with more than 14 years of experience teaching students who both excel and struggle with STEM concepts. By learning coding, technology and robotics, students will begin to see how math and engineering can be used to build fun and useful things.

Camp groups have a 8-1 student-teacher ratio, but Curran said most are smaller, which allows campers to go more in-depth with what theyre learning. And the curriculum changes each week, so if campers only want to do the code-focused camp, they wont be repeating material.

Most kids do a bunch of different courses, but weve also had some kids do one the entire summer but there are different challenges and options each week, Curran said.

In addition to classroom work, campers will spend some of the day outdoors participating in games designed to exercise the body and mind while building social-emotional skills. Games include reverse tag, obstacle courses, capture the flag and freeze dance.

Courses for summer 2017 are organized into four tracks game design, programming, engineering and creative. Within those categories are several weeklong classes, including video game development, adventures in programming, REV robotics and 3D modeling among others.

These are all skills students will need as they enter the workforce, Curran said. Staff and instructors are experts in the fields they are teaching and Curran said many of them lead spring break and after school classes so they are equipped to teach tech concepts to children using easily digestible but relevant curriculum.

Tech is the fastest growing job sector on the market right now and with parents thinking about the future of their children's careers, even those who arent tech focused, are going to need these skills, he said. Theyre going to need to morph and adopt as technology changes [so] its really important for children to get their hands on these experiences from a young age.

But more than anything, Curran said he hopes students enjoy camp.

I want them to know theyre going to have a super awesome time this summer. We have a blast, he said.

The camps for ages 6 to 16 and they run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily. They start at $545 per week. Partial scholarships are available to students who qualify for free and reduced lunch and are awarded on a first come, first served basis.

CodeREV Kids

Bay Area locations include two in San Francisco, one in Mountain View and another in San Jose. To register or for more information visit coderevkids.com.

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Discovering technology, engineering at camp - SFGate