SETTING UP YOUR CAMP PROGRAM
For your camp program you need to decide how many weeks each program will run and what tuition you will charge if any. Remember, you can offer this program to the entire camp and they would get it during their regular camp activity schedule. Another option could be, to set up a separate Extreme STEAM Robotics Program which could meet before, during or after camp each camp day. This approach would have an additional tuition which could be added on your camp’s enrollment form or you could set up a separate enrollment form for just this activity. Your offerings should be for a 2,4,6 and 8 week session.
Based on your enrollment and ages of your campers taking this program, you should set up your classes in the most efficient manner. Parents and campers must understand that the more weeks they enroll for this program, the more robotics programming and skill development they will receive.
Some examples of how to set up your classes would be as follows:
- A (2) week program that repeats every 2 weeks
- 2 (4) week programs that repeat each 4 weeks
- A (6) and (8) week program combination
It will be difficult for your teacher to have campers join a session in progress. That camper would have to be brought up to where the rest of the class is presently which could create some difficulty.
You potentially could have 2 different classes based on your enrollment. We recommend placing campers who finished 1st and 2nd grades as of the beginning of camp together and campers who finished 3rd through 5th grades together. As your teacher becomes familiar with the skill level of their campers, the instruction given to each will be scheduled accordingly.
You might have parents start their child with your 2 week session to see if he/she likes the program. Many times they will want to extend for additional weeks. If they want an additions 2 weeks place them in an appropriately aged 4 week program that is in progress. They might need a little adjustment period since there might be new campers in that class. Your teacher should handle those situations. In addition, if a 4 week camper wants an additional 2 or 4 weeks, place them in your 6-8 week session. You never want to turn a camper away unless your classes are totally full. You must be careful not to overcrowd your classes. It might seem like more money could be made, however, the attention your campers would receive will decrease and parents will not be happy.
These examples are given as a guide. You can group your campers into classes based on how you run your camp. At anytime feel free to contact Extreme STEAM Science Kids and we will be happy to assist you.
You have been given 2 different schedules along with the curriculum and activities to run your program. Teachers are strongly encouraged to watch the Professional Development Videos and get a full understanding about how the Dash robot works before starting their class. They can always review before each class in order to be comfortable with what they will be teaching their campers.
The schedules that are provided include 2-8 week schedules. They are broken up by grades finished by the beginning of camp. 1st and 2nd together and 3rd through 5th together. Campers who want to only enroll for 2 weeks will follow the first 2 weeks of the schedule that is appropriate for their age. The 2 week class will have to be repeated each 2 weeks throughout your camp schedule. If campers want to enroll for only 4 weeks they can be placed in a 4 week class only or in an 8 week class and leave after the first 4 weeks. If you have campers who want the last 4 week class, the last 4 weeks of the 8 week schedule does not offer the appropriate lessons for a beginning robotics camper. A separate 4 week class needs to be created that will follow the first 4 weeks on either schedule based on the camper’s age. You must decide what your minimum enrollment should be per class for the most efficiency with regard to your salary and scheduling. All the campers who want either 6 or 8 week sessions can be placed together. The campers who leave after 6 weeks would have received the bulk of the lessons that taught them programming. The last 2 weeks offers additional practice which only adds to your camper’s skill development.
Parents are always looking for new and exciting experiences that will offer fun, excitement and education for their children. They also seek flexibility when selecting these programs. Be careful to stick to your scheduled weekly class sessions. It is very difficult, not impossible, for campers to join a class in progress. If your 8 week class already started and a parent wants to enroll their child in that class, it depends how long it’s been running. If it is only 1 week the teacher could bring that camper up to speed. If it is 2 weeks in, that camper should join the last 4 week class and start from the beginning and not have to play catch-up.
It is difficult to give you every scenario, however, there will be times when a camper will have to leave their group to join their Extreme STEAM Science class. Try to make sure they don’t miss an activity they like and their parents won’t mind them missing. It boils down to priorities with regard to activity choice. These are examples to help you when trying to organize your Extreme STEAM Robotics classes.