Students entering fourth through eighth grades in the fall can enjoy a fun and educational robotics camp experience this summer. The camp will take place in the technology education classrooms at Solanco High School, 585 Solanco Road, Quarryville, from Monday, July 11, through Thursday, July 14, from 9 to 11 a.m. each day.

"There are lots of summer sports camps, but there really weren't many academic camps," said Todd Brown, Solanco technology education teacher, explaining how the idea of the program came about. "I felt we could get in a robotics STEM thing. That way, we keep the kids on par as far as academic thought and knowledge."

A goal of the camp is to introduce students to STEM-based topics in combination with robotics, automation, coding and computer science principles. Organizers hope that early exposure will spark students' interest in these subjects and encourage them to explore technology, engineering and innovation at a young age.

The camp is being run by the Solanco High School technology education department and will be staffed by district teachers with help from student members of the high school's robotics teams.

Because of the close attention students receive, the camp is suited to students at all levels. "They're really able to dive in at their own pace, their own interest and where they want to take their own specific robot," Brown said.

During the weeklong camp, students will be introduced to the foundations of robotics and coding. Campers will learn the basic of coding through block coding and will learn to create their own code to solve real-world problem scenarios. The campers will use Vex coding in C++ and Amazon Future Engineering CoderZ in Python, as well as other robotics and coding resources.

The students will cover four topics in robotics over the four-day camp where they will learn and solve challenges. Information on follow-up resources will be made available so campers can continue to work throughout the summer if they wish to.

In addition of building interest in robotics and the STEM fields, the camp is also a fundraiser for Solanco's robotics competition teams.

"Last year we had a full camp. Students were engaged in many STEM-based, robotics, coding and engineering challenges. For many students, this was their first experience in intensive STEM-based activities, which has sparked interest in the subject and many new education and career opportunities," Brown said.

Space for the camp is limited to ensure personalized instruction. A fee will be charged per student. No advance preparation is needed. Those who register by Friday, June 3, will receive a camp T-shirt.

For more information or to register for the camp, email Brown at todd_brown@solancosd.org.