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22ndCenturyMedia.com camp guide part two
22nd century media | March 5, 2020 | 11
Phones down. Tools out.
The summer camp that
unlocks creativity and
sparks wonder is here
When we first began running
summer camps at BitSpace, Chicagoland’s
premier youth-only
makerspaces located in
Wilmette and Lincoln Square
five years ago, our goal was to
inspire kids to be producers, not
just consumers of technology.
As parents started coming back
to us and relaying stories of children
who were forgoing screen
time to continue building rocket
ships, robots, and forts in their
living rooms, and we watched
kids not want to leave our camps
at the end of the day, we knew
we were on to something.
Then came the local area
schools who noted the depth and
breadth of technologies in our
makerspaces - and the expertise
of our world-class guides - and
wanted to bring students in for
field trips.
As the maker ed movement
began to take root in Chicagoarea
schools, teachers asked us
to help train them on the tools
and apply the maker mindset
to help them achieve classroom
goals. 6,000 students and 100+
schools later, we remain obsessed
with unlocking creativity
and sparking wonder and awe
in students. We do that by providing
immersive experiences
directly to young people in the
Chicago area based on the absolute
best practices that we’ve
honed over time in the form of
summer camps, day-off camps,
and enrichment programs.
And, we support teachers
in their quest to revolutionize
education and integrate maker
ed into their school days by facilitating
field trips, providing
professional development, offering
enrichment programs at
schools, and helping schools to
design and build their own makerspaces.
Having seen the heights that
children go to when they are
given the opportunity (and just
enough support) to lead the way
with no agenda at the table aside
from creation for the joy of it,
this year we have decided to
double down on what we know
works and level up the camp experience.
Our week-long immersion experiences
into design-thinking,
collaboration, and making spark
curiosity in our campers and help
them flex their creative muscles
like never before. This year, our
campers are supported by an unprecedented
camper- to-guide
ratio of 5:1. In small groups, they
go through the process of dreaming
up ideas, moving through the
kind of planning stages that architects,
engineers and designers
go through and then they engage
in authentic design experiences
using virtual reality, 3D printing,
laser cutting, and so much more.
By the end of the week our
campers have turned their vision
into a tangible product.
And without even realizing it,
they will have developed critical
thinking and time-management
skills, have learned a ton of new
technology, and explored inquiry-
based design thinking on a
level that will set them up for a
future they’ll be ready for.
Submitted by Bit Space, 1131
Greenleaf Ave., Wilmette, (224)
408-8133