What topics could your child explore through STEAM summer camps? Science, technology, engineering, art, math (a.k.a. STEAM) programs can help children to build crucial twenty-first-century skills, discover new concepts, and dive deep into subject matter that interests them. If you're ready to enroll your child in this type of summer camp, take a look at what you need to know about themes, topics, and more.

Do All Camps Offer the Same Themes?

Simply stated, no. Different STEAM and STEM summer learning camps offer different topics or themes. While the general content areas all focus on science, technology, engineering, art, and math, each individual program may have its own themes or types of camps. Along with differences in main topics, different programs may also combine multiple STEAM or STEM areas and offer camps that bridge several curricular areas.

What Topics Do STEAM Camps Focus On?

Again, each camp or program may focus on different topics. This means there are an almost endless number of themes available under the STEAM camp umbrella. The specific themes a camp program offers depend on a few factors. These include the age of the campers, the available educational and natural resources (such as a museum's collection or an outdoor garden space), the overall curriculum of the program, the program director or educators' choices, popularity of specific subjects, educational or academic needs, and the length of the program.

Each STEAM or STEM camp should focus on at least one science, technology, art, or math-related subject. These may cover broad curricular areas, such as biology, ecology, computer programming, architecture, art-making, or calculus. But the camps may also focus on specific sub-subjects, such as marine biology, the local ecosystem, recycling and reuse, C++, modern art, Italian architecture, or math for beginning engineering students. 

Many camps offer cross-curricular topics that bridge two, three, or more of the STEAM subject areas. These could include camps that focus on ideas such as math in architecture, drawing from nature, form, and function in architecture, computer graphics and design, or art-making with upcycled/recycled objects. 

How Can Parents Learn More About Local STEAM Camp Themes?

Now that you know more about potential STEAM camp topics, you're ready to take the next step and find out what local programs offer. Contact the camp or the organization that offers the camp to learn about specific themes or topics. Some camps change topics or themes annually. If the program your child would like to attend has a revolving list of topics, ask for current information on this summer's camps. 

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