Get ready for takeoff! The Challenger STEM Learning Center at UTC is hosting day camps for children throughout the summer.
Starting in June, rising second to sixth graders in the Challenger Exploration Camp will have the opportunity to participate in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) challenges, rocket launches and explorations of space and Earth.
Each day, campers can also go on excursions to locations such as the Chattanooga Zoo, the UTC Aquatic and Recreation Center, the Clarence T. Jones Observatory and the National Medal of Honor Heritage Center.
Levi Lanzoni, operations coordinator for the Challenger STEM Learning Center, said he looks forward to bringing the Challenger Exploration Camp back after a three-year hiatus.
“Part of doing our summer camps is it gets the word out about the Challenger Center,” he said.
To provide more opportunities for children to attend, the summer schedule is divided into two weeks in June and two weeks in July for each of the two age groups: rising second and third graders, and rising fourth through sixth graders.
- The cost for the camp is $290.50 per week. The Challenger STEM Learning Center will host up to 20 children per week.
- The center will provide transportation for excursions, allowing parents to drop their children off in the morning and pick them up in the afternoon.
- All excursion tickets are included in the camp price.
- Children are required to bring their own lunch.
To learn more about the Challenger STEM Learning Center and to access a link to the Challenger Exploration Camp, visit go.utc.edu/challenger-camp.
As part of the Challenger STEM Learning Center’s mission to educate and inspire the community, it is working with Hamilton County Schools to align the concepts explored in camp with the curriculum children are learning in school.
With a mission and space dedicated to fostering curiosity and creativity from an early age, Lanzoni hopes the summer camps will inspire greater community engagement with the Challenger STEM Learning Center as it strives to provide each visitor with a meaningful experience.
“We want them to do activities that are STEM-oriented,” Lanzoni said. “A lot of (camp activities) are standards-aligned … that way we’re teaching content that they are reviewing in class so it’s relevant to a lot of kids’ age ranges.”
