Heads up! We had a spot open up for VR this Saturday at 3 pm. You register below and check out the upcoming dates 🤩
1 Spot Open for VR this Saturday
Author: Dr JP
February & April Break Camps Open
🌟 Discover the incredible ALL-NEW programming we have lined up for your students this year! Each year, we evolve alongside your students, providing fresh and thrilling learning opportunities that ignite their passion for learning! 💖🧠 Our carefully designed projects build on one another week after week, delivering an unparalleled learning experience that will keep your students engaged and excited. Don’t miss out on the chance to sign up for February and April weeks and enjoy a fantastic $50 savings! 🥳 Boost your students’ growth and excitement—enroll today!
Minecraft STEM Summer Camp Open
Hi Parents!
Registration is now open for our Minecraft STEM Summer Camps 🥳
We have expanded our capacity to account for last year’s demand. Still, we anticipate being at max capacity again this year. Our best advice is not to hesitate to avoid the dreaded waitlist 😏(which will be on a first-come, first-serve basis). If you have any questions, please contact us with any questions you may have. This is the early notification for our STEAMwhiz families. We will begin advertising in a few days 🤩
Full-Day and Half-Day Options
Full-day camps run from 8 am to 4 pm, during which students go to Tawasentha Recreation Camp in the mornings and take a bus ride to STEAMwhiz STEM camp in the afternoons. Check the product page FAQs for more details.
Half-day camps are offered Mornings (9 am -12 pm) or Afternoons (1 pm – 4 pm) option. Check the product page FAQs for more details.
Early Bird Discounts
The discount is per camper, so multiple kids can sign up for multiple weeks, and get multiple discounts 🥳 Check FAQs on the product page for codes. Early bird runs through February.
- 2+ Weeks Save $25
- 4+ Weeks Save $50
- 6 Weeks Save $100
Intermediate – Advanced
Recommended Ages 9-13
Beginner
Recommended Ages 6-8
What’s New for Summer?
We heard your feedback last year and are now concurrently offering Beginners (6-8 yrs old) and Intermediate/Advanced (9-13 yrs old) STEM Camp each week. This will make it easier for our families to drop off their kids at one place 🤓
Many parents wished our Beginner’s summer program ran longer than the first two weeks in August. So, we have expanded their summer program for the entire 6 weeks June 30th – Aug 8th, in parallel with the Int/Adv Classes 🙌
As always, all projects are new for our returning campers each summer. We are adding fun new labs like programming DRONES to complete an obstacle course and crazy fun Minecraft Modding using Origins.
STEAMwhiz T-shirts, woohoo! All our campers will receive a STEAMwhiz t-shirt 👕 Please ensure you fill out the lab participation form after checkout to ensure your student receives one.
February & April Break STEM Camps
February & April Camps are Open!
Minecraft SciTech Summer Camp 2025
Hi Parents – Happy 2025!
Summer camp registration will open soon 🤓📣 We wanted to provide the schedule so you can start penciling in dates 👍 Below are some updates
- Our Beginner Class will now run the entire 6 weeks, just like the Intermediate and Advanced Classes ✨
- Full Day Camps are On! Tawasentha Recreational Camp in the morning -> Bus ride to STEAMwhiz -> SW Minecraft Camp in the afternoon. You do not have to be a resident to register for the Tawasentha Camp, it’s open to all students.
- There will be Early Bird Registration discounts😀
- If you have any quick questions feel free to send us a text at 518-512-9595 or email [email protected]
Check out some of the All-New Projects for 2025
W1 Minecraft Makers: 3D Printing Adventure Camp (BEG & INT/ADV)
Challenge: Build your imaginative creation in Minecraft and then bring it to life through 3D printing! Start by constructing a detailed design in the Minecraft universe, and then translate your virtual creation into a physical model using Computer-Aided Design (CAD) software. Explore the principles of design, creativity, and physical construction.
W4 Robotic Catapults & TNT Cannons (INT/ADV)
Challenge: How can you bridge the virtual and physical worlds by designing and constructing a robotic catapult and TNT cannons? Your challenge is to create a functional robotic catapult using LEGO Technic bricks, motors, and input sensors, while also building TNT cannons in the Minecraft universe. This interdisciplinary adventure will draw upon your skills in engineering, physics, and programming. How can you ensure that your catapult and TNT cannons are effective in both the virtual and physical realms, and how will you program your catapult to launch projectiles accurately?
W6 Flight Engineers: Drones & Minecraft Flying Machines (INT/ADV)
Challenge: How can you design and program a drone to navigate through an obstacle course in real life and then create flying machines in Minecraft? Your challenge is to explore the exciting world of drone technology and Minecraft modding. Starting from concept to creation, how will you integrate motors for flight and sensors for obstacle detection into your drone design? This adventure invites you to be both an engineer and a coder. How can you ensure your drone not only flies smoothly but also responds intelligently to its surroundings? Dive into the realm of electronics, mechanics, and coding as you embark on the journey to create a drone that brings your innovative ideas to life and then translate those ideas into the Minecraft universe.
The NSF Game Maker Awards: A Unique Opportunity
As part of its 75th anniversary celebrations, NSF has launched the Game Maker Awards, a competition designed to inspire K-12 students to envision “Life in 2100” through video game design. This initiative is a fantastic opportunity for students to showcase their creativity, technical skills, and innovative thinking.
About the Challenge
The NSF Game Maker Awards aim to make STEM subjects engaging and accessible. By encouraging students to imagine the future, the competition highlights the role of science and technology in shaping our world. Students aged 5-18 who are U.S. citizens, nationals, or permanent residents can enter the competition. The deadline for submissions is January 31, 2025, at 5 p.m. EST. Participants can win up to $8,500 in various prize categories, including Best Educational Game, Best STEM Discovery, and Best Art and Design1.
Why Participate?
Participating in the NSF Game Maker Awards offers students a unique opportunity to gain recognition, win prizes, and connect with other innovators and industry leaders in gaming. It’s a fantastic way to explore the fascinating world of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics while having fun and being creative1.
Benefits for Students
Participating in the NSF Game Maker Awards offers numerous benefits:
- Skill Development: Students will enhance their coding, design, and problem-solving skills.
- Creativity and Innovation: The competition encourages students to think creatively about the future and how science and technology can shape it.
- Recognition and Prizes: Winners will gain recognition and valuable prizes, boosting their confidence and motivation.
What is the NSF?
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent federal agency established in 1950 to promote the progress of science, advance national health, prosperity, and welfare, and secure national defense. NSF supports fundamental research and education in all non-medical fields of science and engineering, playing a crucial role in fostering innovation and discovery across the United States.
Why NSF Matters
NSF’s mission is to ensure that the United States remains at the forefront of scientific and technological innovation. By funding research and educational initiatives, NSF helps to cultivate the next generation of scientists, engineers, and educators. This support is vital for maintaining the country’s competitive edge in a rapidly evolving global landscape.
I have served on NSF review boards and received prestigious awards and funding from NSF throughout my scientific career. They are a significant driving force for science in the United States of America, and it would be an incredible achievement for any student to be honored for their accomplishments by NSF!
How STEAMwhiz Can Help
At STEAMwhiz, we are dedicated to preparing students for the future through our comprehensive project-based STEM curricula. Our STEAM Enrichment Program (SEP) theme this year is GAMING and is specifically designed to support students in developing the skills needed for the NSF Game Maker Awards.
Program Highlights
STEAM Enrichment Program (SEP)
- Ages 6-14: Our premier program introduces young students to interdisciplinary problem-solving with a focus on AI and new STEM themes each year.
- Game Coding: Using Construct 3, Scratch, Scratch Jr., etc., students will dive into game development, focusing on game mechanics, interactivity, and fun gameplay.
- Animation and AI: Our more advanced students will create game story animations using professional tools, including Reallusion’s Cartoon Animator and AI, developing engaging storylines and characters.
- Networking: Students will have the chance to connect with other young innovators through gaming and STEM fields.
Join Us!
We encourage all parents to sign up their children for the NSF Game Maker Awards. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact us. If you want to join one of our teams, our dedicated staff will prepare students and create teams to participate in the NSF Game Maker Awards, providing them with the skills and support they need to succeed. For more information about our programs, click the button below.
April Newsletter 2024
Hope everyone is having a wonderful Spring! Check out the news for this month
- Last week of Summer Camp Sale
- We have Officially Moved!
- New Location
- Renovations
- Bigger and Better Things Ahead…
- Robotics Competitions this year
- Open lab hours
- Once a month STEM program
- Robotics Enrichment program
Last Week of Summer Camp Sale
It’s been a crazy busy 2024 🤪 If you haven’t found the time to sign up or have some questions, reach out to us ASAP so we can get you all signed up before the discount ends.
We have Officially Moved!
All Classes at the New SW HQ
All classes going forward will be held at our new HQ. The remainder of the Spring Session 2024, all Summer Camps 2024, and all our offerings going forward will be held at 1 Charles Blvd, Guilderland, NY 12084 🥳
Renovations
We met with our renovation team, and they will be able to work around us while we are there! We won’t see anyone, but please pardon our mess while the space is being updated. Below, you can see the final plan for the new HQ. New floors, new paint, windows, and walls removed are all part of the reno. It should be all done in time for summer 🔥Some awesome additions will be our dedicated VeX Robotics Arena for e-sport competitions, Virtual Reality, dedicated art/creative space, dedicated workshop/maker space, and Movement-based gaming to have them move their bodies and have fun during breaks!
Bigger and Better Things Ahead
The new SW HQ is going to allow us to offer more amazing opportunities for our local students. We will be providing more details over the coming months, but we wanted to highlight a few ideas 🤓
- VeX Robotics Competition Program – The new space will allow us to support a VeX Robotics Competition Program. This is a prestigious, competitive e-sport event sponsored by top science & tech companies in the US. It provides many of the benefits of competitive sports while also developing the critical career skills needed in an AI future, such as academic resilience, analytical thinking, and logical reasoning. Learn more about the SW VeX Competition Program and our first orientation on May 3rd here.
- Open Lab Hours & Bussing 🚌 – Thus far, our STEM Enrichment Program (SEP) has been a teacher-driven weekly, 1.15-guided lab. Each year, we develop a new technical curriculum based on a STEAM (Sci-Tech Eng Art Math) theme to expose students to new ideas, challenge them to develop grit, and learn a growth mindset through hands-on project-based learning. We are working towards student-driven open lab hours starting in the Fall for kids enrolled in our enrichment programs. Students can be dropped off at the lab for 1-2 hours a day, have access to all our lab resources, and continue working on their projects, robotics, and other STEM activities. We are in talks with our local school districts to have students bussed 🚌 directly to SW HQ😃 If you are interested, contact us right away!
- Monthly STEM Enrichment Program (SEP) – We want to make our programs more accessible to our families who really want to join but have distance and time constraints. Our new HQ will allow us to offer our amazing SEP monthly for 3 hours, most likely on Saturdays, starting this Fall 🙌Each semester, students will get a total of 12 hours to work on our incredible project-based curriculum, which goes way beyond any standards in the US education system. Our Weekly SEP will be the preferred option for our local families as it will offer more hours, flexible scheduling, and the option for Drop-In Open Lab Hours.
- Robotics Enrichment Program (REP) – This Fall, we will launch our first-ever REP. The REP will focus on using Lego Robotics to teach students the fundamentals of robotics. Each semester, we will focus on a new robot build and have some fun & friendly competitions 🔥This will be a great way to introduce students to the world of robotics. This is an excellent complement to our STEAM Enrichment Program (SEP): The SEP is breath-focused, connecting interdisciplinary cross-domain knowledge to develop creative problem-solving skills critical for careers in an AI job landscape, while REP will be more depth-focused for those engineers who love robotics and want to build!
Support STEAMwhiz 🙏
If you love what we do, pls consider taking a few minutes of your time to have a GIGANTIC impact on our programs! Just click on the links below and share the 💓with our local community!!
Google Review
Facebook Review
STEAMwhiz VeX IQ Robotics Competition Orientation
We are holding an in-person orientation for STEAMwhiz VeX IQ Robotic Teams on Friday evening, May 3rd 🥳 It’s a fantastic opportunity for students going into 4-8 grade to dive into the world of robotics! It’s a big commitment, so pls take a look at the slides. If interested, use the link below to fill out the form. Feel free to ask any questions in the comments section.
For our younger students who are interested in robotics, we are planning a Robotics Enrichment Program (REP) for this Fall that will prepare them for Vex Robotics Competitions once they enter 4th grade. More info coming soon!!
Orientation Sign-up Form
https://forms.office.com/r/AunmH5NiPe?origin=lprLink
(Will send meeting details via email)
SLIDES
Parents learn more about VeX at there website here
This was last year’s competition, which is currently in the World Finals!
We volunteered at the VeX State Finals this year in Queensbury NY. This was an awesome all-girls local team that did really well 🔥🚀
New Wed Evening Lab!!
All our labs are filled which is awesome! Good news is we have opened a Wednesday LAB at 5:30pm 
6 seats available. Can’t wait to get our students learning about #AI and hacking some harmony 
Using New Tools to Teach Advanced Concepts – Minecraft Create!!
What is Minecraft & How Can it Teach 21st Century Skills?
Don’t let the blocky design fool you into thinking this game is basic!! There are ‘deep layers‘ to Minecraft (pun intended for my Block Heads 🤣). For parents trying to figure out what Minecraft is and if it’s safe I understand! Answer: Yes, it is safe. I learned to play the game in order to figure that out myself. Now it’s an immersive family activity where we all can have fun together. It does have some exciting & maybe even scary characters for little ones like zombies and endermen. Word of caution, it does introduce the concept of ‘killing’ whether it’s to defend yourself from attack or via farming. There are weapons such as swords, bow & arrows, etc. but no guns.
Minecraft is an open world in which you gather materials to eat, build, and create. The gameplay/mechanics can be as deep as you want them to be. In Creative Mode you have all the materials available to you so that you can just focus on creating without having to worry about being attacked by a mob or how to gather/’mine’ materials. In Survival Mode you must hunt and gather just like you would in the real world. I suggest you go chop down a tree to start ‘crafting’ items like a door and create a shelter to protect yourself from attacking mobs at night time 😬 There are some great resources online a simple google search will pull up to learn more. I also suggest checking out Youtube to see some of the amazing things done in Minecraft.
Ok you may be asking, “Dr J how does this relate to learning?!?” To help answer this question, let’s dive into the Top 3 Questions on How STEAMwhiz Uses Minecraft as an Educational Tool!
- How Can Minecraft be used to Teach Problem Solving?
- How Does Minecraft Allow Students to Develop their Creativity?
- What Modern Skills can our Students Learn from Minecraft?
How Minecraft can be used for Education
1. Problem Solving
The default game in Minecraft is called Survival Mode. It’s an open world where the main objective is to survive. You need to build shelter, figure out food to sustain yourself, and if you are crafty, you can figure out how to mine for diamonds and hunt the Ender Dragon. The are so many layers of problem-solving for example: how do you build a house, create doors, can you farm animals, which animals are okay to eat, is it better to build near water or in a forest, where are the best places to mine, how can you craft new items? Players can test theories, ideas, try new things, and experience failure in a safe way and then repeat.
But what about “cheat” videos, where kids go on Youtube and learn how to do things on their own by copying what others post? Often kids won’t find exactly what they want so they research partial solutions and create entirely new solutions, awesome. This is not very different than finding solutions in the real world, whether they dive into a physics books, scientific research papers, or even a Youtube video. Kids will quickly learn about good and bad sources once they try to copy builds off Youtube.
2. Exercising the Creative Muscle
Minecraft is a true sand-box game. What does that mean? A sandbox game is a video game with a gameplay element that provides the player a great degree of creativity to interact with, usually without any predetermined goal, or in other words, with a goal that the player sets for themself.
The first shelter I ever created was a hole in the side of a mountain to hide from mobs XD But that was a limitation of my imagination. Players have recreated beautiful works of art, medieval castles, the statue of liberty, and even entire cities…block-by-block. The possibilities are endless! Creative Mode is an excellent way to unleash this creativity, especially for younger children. All the resources are available to them, they don’t have to worry about being attacked, and they can fly in the air as they build. All they have to do is imagine what they want to build and develop some GRIT as they start to build block-by-block. They can even custom design their avatar to look like a ninja or supergirl.
Learning electrical circuits and logical gates in Minecraft. a) Shows the circuit diagram of a 4-input AND gate b) Is the circuit built in Minecraft using Redstone. The torch will only turn on if all 4 wood plates are being pressed down =D
An even deeper layer – let’s take it to the next level! Minecraft has a system of making machines. Redstone is a resource that you can mine deep in the earth and is the equivalent of copper wires and electricity. You can build complex machines to automate tasks that take forever to do manually. Students can learn about electricity flow, repeaters, logical gates, and building cool machines all using Redstone. The outlets for self-expression are amazing!!
3. Modern Skills Development
The benefits keep adding up! Minecraft helped my kids learn to read, apply math fundamentals, and develop critical computer skills early. The game also encourages kids to develop logical reasoning. For example, mastering Redstone requires rigorous logical thinking. It teaches the essentials of computer programming, including debugging circuits to find solutions. At STEAMwhiz we also use Minecraft to develop challenges that require teamwork which provides students with a safe environment in order to develop communication skills, conflict resolution, plan development, and leadership. All critical skills are needed in the real world.
Furthermore, we take it to next level yet again by teaching students how to write code to HACK into the Minecraft world using the world’s most powerful coding languages like Python and Java. We really blow their minds when we bridge the physical world by connecting LEDs, buzzers, and buttons that they can code to bridge the Minecraft virtual world to the real physical world by making sounds, teleporting at the push of a button, or creating a diamond detector that lights up an LED when near a diamond resource! This area of study is known as Physical Computing and I have used it throughout my physics career; whether to look at individual atoms on a multi-million dollar Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) at Brookhaven National Lab or to probe the magnetic moment of elements at the billion-dollar Advance Light Source synchrotron at Lawrence Berkley National Lab. I learned these skills during college — What will these young innovators come up with when they are starting as early as 6 years old?!
Get Started
Our SciTech Summer Camp is a great place to begin. It is Minecraft centric and goes deep into STEM!
Minecraft is available across most major platforms. We encourage you try it out for yourself. To download it and get started click here . This is a great starting tutorial for Survival Mode. If you have any questions don’t hesitate to reach out and we will try to get you pointed in the right direction 😉
June 2022 STEAMwhiz News & Events
The Countdown to STEAMwhiz’s Summer Camp is On…
Opening day is July 5th!
What will your kids be doing this summer? Create, Solve, and Innovate with Science, Design, Coding, & Robotics @ STEAMwhiz’s Minecraft Sci-Tech Summer Camp – Physical to Virtual
> Limited Space Available
> Full and Half Day Options
Friday, June 17 @ 6:30 PM - dUSK | tAWSENTHA pARK
STEAMwhiz End-of-Year Celebration & Reunion
Where: Tawasentha Park Playground
188 NY-146, Altamont, NY 12009
All current, former Students & Families, as well as upcoming Summer Campers…
Let’s gather together to celebrate the accomplishments of our SW Kids and meet new friends!
Bring a picnic dinner, blanket, and/or chairs, and enjoy a sweet treat provided by the STEAM-Team.
Meet, Eat, and be Merry with the STEAMwhiz Crew in Guilderland’s Tawasentha Park.
Hope to see you there, weather permitting!*
Email us at [email protected] to RSVP
Self-Automated Watering System
STEAMwhiz’s Robo Ecology – Spring Semester 2022 is almost one for the books! The final week of labs is June 13-17th. This past semester SW students took their design, coding, and robotic skills to the next level by creating a self-automated watering system by utilizing CAD & vector art software, Python coding, and advanced physical computing elements & devices. Developing analytical thinkers – the ability to tackle a complex problem by breaking it into specific, workable components – is a core value here at STEAMwhiz. Our Input vs Output: Sensor Squish Lab lab was one of the many hands-on, inquiry labs preparing students for such a large, complex problem. Check out Kiera (below) explaining how robots and automated systems take in information from the physical world and do something in the virtual one!
steamwhiz @ Home | avalilable now!
Flower Box Electronics Add-On
Keep Tinkering & Doing @ home by ordering the Automated Flower Box Electronics.
The STEAMwhiz Flower Box Electronics Kit Add-On will allow your SW student to continue to investigate and experiment with their own Python coded Self-Automated Watering System and grow their plants using code, robotics, and automation. Wanna know the best part? This package includes a re-programmable Raspberry Pi Pico microcontroller, which can then be reprogrammed to be used for other projects in the future!
save your spot
Early Fall Registration
By popular demand, our Fall 2022 Semester is OPEN for early registration.
STEAMwhiz’s 2022-2023 Academic Year will be using Nature as a Design Partner as we explore and investigate Math, Art, and Coding with Physical Computing.
It’s never too EARLY to prepare your student for THEIR future!
A New Experience
STEAMwhiz, Physical Computing, & Raspberry Pi's, Oh My!!
What is physical computing, why is it important, and how is STEAMwhiz empowering the next generation of thinkers & doers?
We are working towards this goal by creating both in-person labs and digital courses (coming Fall/Winter 2022). This means that we are not developing one-off projects but a deep curriculum for students rooted in (S)cience (T)ech (E)ngineering (A)rt (M)ath to provide the fundamental and technical acumen to become the innovative problem solvers of tomorrow.
Read More and discover how the STEAMwhiz is supporting this great endeavor!
REGISTER TODAY
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