Summer Camps

Schedule

Joining an ExploreHope Camp and Hope Rep camp on the same day? Sign up for lunch supervision through ExploreHope!

Camp Descriptions by Grade Level

Grade levels vary by camp. Please read carefully to make sure your student(s) is appropriately placed. Camps are listed alphabetically by grade band. Register for the grade your student will be entering in fall 2024.

Lower Elementary Camps (Kindergarten–Grade 2)

ART IN NATURE
Grades K–2 
Inspired by nature! Nature provides so much beauty and is full of artistic patterns! We’ll dream up amazing artworks using seeds, spices, leaves, and petals as we become scientists studying the natural world. Expect a lot of creative creations with this camp!

COOL CRITTERS and CRAWLIES
Grades K–2
Hakuna Matata is the theme for this camp as we explore the awesome world of bugs from butterflies to beetles, spiders to wasps and insects in between. If you like collecting bugs, this camp is for you!

CRAZY CHEMISTRY
Grades K–2  
Chemistry is fun! Major chemistry concepts are underlying every hands-on experience in this camp designed for budding chemists and curious kids alike. Do you like to mix things together and watch what happens? We will explore how different substances react to each other; some will “explode,” others will connect while others will grow into crystals. Ever wonder how dry ice and liquid nitrogen react to normal room temperature? Come to camp to find out!
Parents: This camp provides a good base for Crazy Chem 3–5. 

DOING SCIENCE WITH DISNEY
Grades K–2 
Come explore science in the lands created by Disney. Heroes, villains and sidekicks alike will be our focus as we learn about all special ways they use gems, energy and structures within their magical kingdoms. 

PREHISTORIC PLANET
Grades K–2 
Discover the world of dinosaurs as we learn their types, where they lived and what they ate. Get to know their world by getting hands-on with rock formations, volcanoes, bones and fossils.

SUPER SCIENCE SAMPLER
Grades K–2 
Looking for a mix? This camp will have different themes each day from some of our favorite K–2 camps… Tykes Lego, Cool Critters and Crawlies, Prehistoric Planet, Art in Nature and others. 

SUPERHERO SCIENCE
Grades K–2
Come to Superhero Science to discover the science behind superpowers! We’ll cover everything from Iron Man’s flight skills, to the biology of Hulk, to Wolverine’s incredible senses and Thor’s knowledge of the universe. Who knows… you might become a superhero yourself!

TINKER ENGINEERS
Grades K–2
Calling all tinkerers! Want to see what you can make from your imagination? Come learn how to make simple machines and create your own contraptions to make stories come to life. 

TYKES LEGO
Grades K–2
“Build, build, build” is our theme this year. Get ready to build awesome LEGO structures as you are introduced to the science of simple machines, the mechanics of motion and the control of forces. Who doesn’t love LEGOs?

Upper Elementary Camps (Grades 3–6)

ART 2D & 3D
Grades 3–5 
This camp takes old favorites and combines them with new projects while exploring the elements and principles of 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional art through the mediums of watercolor, graphite, colored pencils, wood, clay and metals.

CLUB VET
Grades 3–5 
Attention all future veterinarians! Do you love caring for animals? Want to learn what vets do? Come join us as we explore what veterinarians do and the ways they help care for animals. Hear from a local vet, participate in lab testing, explore parasites and more. 

CRAZY CHEMISTRY
Grades 3–5
Solids, liquids and gasses — oh my! Polymers, pH and density — no lie. Come explore chemistry like never before with hands-on, exciting experiments and activities designed to satisfy both blooming and budding scientists. Who doesn’t like liquid nitrogen, dry ice, alka seltzer rockets, flubber and so much more? 

CSI (Crime Scene Investigators)
Grades 3–5
How do modern day detectives put the pieces of evidence together to solve crime? Find out the tricks and methods used as you solve an all-new crime. Topics covered include fingerprinting, DNA analysis, blood typing and more!

EV3 LEGO MINDSTORMS BASIC
Grades 3–5
Welcome to the exciting world of Lego Robotics, EV3 style. Get an introduction to machines, robot construction, programming and teamwork as your group builds robots and completes challenges.

EXPLORING ECOSYSTEMS
Grades 3–5
Step outside to explore local ecosystems! Whether it’s in the woods or water, there are critters everywhere that interact with their environment. You will get to collect, observe and identify organisms and measure abiotic factors to understand how they all interact to form an ecosystem.

EXPLORING ENERGY: MAKE AND TAKE CAMP
Grades 3–5 
Energy is all around us — and this camp will prove it like never before. Students will use common household or hardware items to study and create mini-projects that can be taken home for keeps! Science concepts that may be explored include sound and light waves, colors and optics, electricity and magnets, wind and solar power, heat and temperature.

MOVIE MAKING 1.0
Grades 4–6 
Explore the world of digital video communication through the creativity and technology of movie making. You’ll use digital video cameras, editing software and Mac computers to make your own documentary movie.

ROLLER COASTER SCIENCE
Grades 3–5 
Roller coaster science will bring out creativity in everyone as campers will explore how to build ramps, runs and machines, as well as how to make small adjustments and problem-solve. Each project lets campers explore a specific scientific concept that will impact the coasters they build.

SCIENCE OF ART
Grades 3–5
Did you know scientific discoveries made new colors, materials and designs possible for artists? Explore the awesome world of art as you create your own masterpieces and learn the science of painting, ceramics, printing, photography and sculpture.

THE SCIENCE OF HARRY POTTER
Grades 3–5
Upon arrival Monday, you’ll be “sorted” into houses and whisked away to the magical world of science — Harry Potter style. Perform experiments that illuminate the “science” of Harry Potter, from the Goblet of Fire to the Deathly Hallows.

STAR WARS
Grades 3–5 
The Force is calling you to travel galaxies a long time ago and far, far away. We will explore force shields, photons, creatures, droids and life forces. Build your own hovercraft and more as you join forces during our weeklong Jedi training.

**NEW!** SUPER SCIENCE SAMPLER 2.0
Grades 3–5
Looking for a mix? This camp will have different themes each day from some of our favorite 3–5 camps… Club Vet, Crazy Chemistry, Roller Coaster, Exploring Energy and more…

Secondary Education Camps (Grades 6–12)

**NEW!** AMAZING ANIMAL ABILITIES!
Grades 6–9
Did you know that mice can hear sounds that humans cannot? Or that birds and bees can see colors we can only imagine? This camp will explore the amazing sensory abilities of animals — from seeing and hearing to communication with electricity and sensing magnetic fields. Learn about these amazing abilities through dissections, working with live animals, and using fun technologies that allow us to explore realms that are unknown to us. The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded full scholarships for camp participants; funding decisions are often made based on need, with priority going to participants that qualify for free or reduced lunch. Please reach out to sciencecamp@hope.edu with any questions.

ART AND DESIGN
Grades 6-8
Love to create new costumes, art projects and sculptures? Explore basic art principles that can be applied to making your own dynamic and creative designs. Camp will involve a range of 3D media.

CRAZY CHEMISTRY
Grades 6–9
Calling all chemists! Come explore elements, chemical and physical properties, solutions, polymers, states of matter and more in this week-long immersion in all things chemistry. Who doesn’t love liquid nitrogen, dry ice and exploding hydrogen balloons?

**NEW!** CREATING WITH CANVA
Grades 7-9
Build your skills using CANVA! Learn some basic graphic design tips with typography, image editing, and understanding color accessibility. This powerful tool will help build digital confidence in executing print or digital media. Students must already have a CANVA account created before beginning this camp. Please share email and password with your child to access software during camp. (For more information email sciencecamps@hope.edu.) Each day students will leave with a completed project either in print or digital to show their family and friends. 

DIVE DEEPER INTO DISSECTION
Grades 7–10
Hone your future skills as a surgeon! Explore deeper and advance your dissection skills through comparative anatomy of animals from different classes with and without backbones! You will apply your dissection skills to a squid, dogfish shark, frog, pigeon and fetal pig. 

EV3 LEGO MINDSTORMS ADVANCED
Grades 6–12 
Loved EV3 Basics Camp? Come get new programming challenges based on FIRST Lego League prior competitions and do more exploration into sensors and build new robots in this camp! For those with prior Mindstorms programming experience.

INVENTING IN 3D
Grades 6–10
Bring your creations to life with online drafting and 3D printing. Come explore this cutting edge technology along with developing skills in mechanical drawing, material testing, and engineering design.

**UPDATED!** NEUROSCIENCE
Grades 6–9
Explore the power of the brain! Have you ever wanted to record your own brain activity or dissect a real brain? Have you ever been curious about how our brain controls our movements or how our senses work? Would you like to investigate how the nervous system develops and controls swimming in fish? If so, this is the camp for you! Come explore these topics and many more as we unpack the power of our minds! This is a bilingual camp that will be offered in English and Spanish.

Full scholarships are available for campers. Determination is usually made based on free and reduced school lunch. Contact sciencecamp@hope.edu for more information.

¡Explora el poder de tu cerebro! ¿Alguna vez has querido grabar tu actividad cerebral, o disectar un cerebro de verdad?. ¿Has tenido curiosidad acerca de cómo el cerebro controla nuestros movimientos, o cómo funcionan tus sentidos?. ¿Te gustaría investigar cómo se desarrolla el sistema nervioso en peces, y cómo les permite nadar?. Explora estos y otros temas de neurociencias en este campamento, en el cual ¡extenderemos el poder de nuestra mente! Este campamento es bilingüe, se ofrecerá instrucción en inglés y en español.

Existen becas completas disponibles. La selección de participantes normalmente se determina a través de la elegibilidad para lunch escolar gratis o de precio reducido. Para mas información, contacte a sciencecamp@hope.edu.

NURSING
Grades 9–12 
Explore the exciting field of nursing and participate in many of the skills required to be successful in nursing and health care. Hands-on daily experiences provided in conjunction with Hope nursing students in our newly renovated skills lab.

TAKING COMMAND OF CIRCUITS
Grades 6–9 
Electronics are all around us — be part of creating them! Practice the logic of programming, explore how your favorite technologies use information, and build your own electronic circuits.

Googenius cartooning camps (Grades 2–10)

CLASSIC CARTOONING – A GOOGENIUS CAMP
Grades 2–10
Learn the basics of cartoon strip and panel development. Create characters, add expressions and learn inking techniques. A treasury will be assembled at the end of the class. Returnees will be challenged.

COMICS, MANGA & GRAPHIC NOVELS – A GOOGENIUS CAMP
Grades 4–12
Hone your graphic story-telling skills and create a collective graphic novel. Comic book, manga and basic graphic novel illustrations highlighted. Returnees welcome for more advanced exercises and a final project.

WATCHING, DRAWING AND EVALUATING ANIME CAMP! – A GOOGENIUS CAMP
Grades 3–10
Come learn about the evolution of Anime in Japan and now here in the U.S. Every day we’ll watch 20 minute sections of historical anime and spend 40 minutes discussing and drawing the main characters. If you love anime, this is your class. If you don’t know anything about anime and want to be “in the loop” this is for you. You’ll learn about history, you’ll learn about story development, and you’ll learn how to draw! As the week goes on, you’ll have a spliced together story with popular anime characters that you’ve drawn!

Additional Information

LUNCHTIME SUPERVISION

Lunchtime supervision is available for campers enrolled in a morning and afternoon camp during the same week. Available Monday through Thursday, $40/week. Sign up when you register. All campers, regardless of age, staying on campus during lunchtime must register for safety concerns.

Joining an ExploreHope Camp and Hope Rep camp on the same day? Sign up for lunch supervision.

Lunch is not provided. Due to allergies, please do not send items containing peanut products with your camper.

FINANCIAL AID

A limited number of 50% scholarships are available for campers. Determination usually made based on free and reduced school lunch. Indicate on your registration or contact sciencecamp@hope.edu for more information.

MEDICAL AND SPECIAL NEEDS

Please inform us of all medical and special needs for your child. We aim to create a welcome environment for all. However, we are not staffed for one-on-one assistance for students. Please indicate on your registration and we will contact you for further information.

SUPPORT US!

Science camps are self-funded through tuition and grants. Support us with a donation to our scholarship fund. 100% of donations go to campers in need.

Give online today 

Thank you to our amazing sponsors:

• Michigan Space Grant Consortium
• Holland Junior Welfare League
• ASME Environmental Engineering Division
• Engineering Information Network
• Hope College Natural and Applied Science Division