Live-Virtual Options
Kaleidoscopes, Rainbows and Shadows
July 12-13 | 9am – 12pm
Limit 24 | $30/student
Investigate some properties of light and color using flashlights, mirrors and prisms. Create a kaleidoscope, capture shadows and separate colors using chromatography
Blast Off
July 14-16 | 9am–12pm
Limit 24 | $45/student
Set your eyes to the skies and get to know the mysteries of outer space. Explore the worlds of our solar system, discover Mars, investigate zero gravity, and launch a rocket that will make any astronaut proud!
In-Person Options
Blast Off
June 21-23 | 9am-12pm
Limit 24 people (12 kids/12 adults) | $85/child
Set your eyes to the skies and get to know the mysteries of outer space. Explore the worlds of our solar system, discover Mars, investigate zero gravity, and launch a rocket that will make any astronaut proud!
Eco-Explorers
June 24-25 | 9am-12pm
Limit 24 people (12 kids/12 adults) | $60/child
Get ready to get dirty! Explorers will collect and examine plants and animals from around Air Zoo property, see how they live and survive, and learn how to care for the environment. Games, nature crafts, and outdoor expeditions are planned for each day!
Build It
Aug. 9-10 | 9am-12pm
Limit 24 people (12 kids/12 adults) | $60/child
This camp is a blueprint for fun! Young builders will discover shapes and patterns while constructing different types of structures found in cities around the world and engineering new cities.
I Dig Dinos
Aug. 11-13 | 9am-12pm
Limit 24 people (12 kids/12 adults) | $85/student
Meet the meat-eaters, play with the plant-eaters, and dig up fun that campers will be wild about! Follow us as we track the smallest to largest dinosaurs that roamed our prehistoric planet.
Live-Virtual Options
Aerospace Expedition
Aug. 23-27 | 1-4pm
Limit 24 | $75/camper
Join us as we fly away on an unique aerospace adventure! Whether pitching up and down in an airplane, or blasting off in a rocket, get ready for an exciting week of exploration. Begin the journey on Earth discovering how planes fly and end the week by designing a rover to explore a newly discovered planet!
In-Person Options
Secret Agent Spy School
June 28-July 2 | 1-4pm
Limit 24 | $120/camper
This camp, should you choose to accept it, will hone your code cracking, disguise making, and enemy dodging abilities in order to become a highly trained secret agent. This message will self-destruct in 5 seconds.
Space Voyage
Aug. 9-13 | 1-4pm
Limit 24 | $120/camper
Become an astronaut in training and launch into space! Explore the solar system and see the planets and stars in the STARLAB planetarium. Discover the moon’s ancient past by making craters. Design a paper rocket and launch a variety of rockets into the sky. 3…2…1…Blast off!
Earn Your Wings
July 12-16 | 9am-12pm
Limit 24 | $120/camper
Take to the skies and enjoy flight science! Young pilots will fly hot air balloons, airplanes, gliders, and other fun flying things as they learn about the forces of flight that defy gravity. Up, up, and away!
Live-Virtual Options
Full STEAM Ahead
Aug. 16-20 | 9am-12pm
Limit 24 | $75/camper
Explore each letter in STEAM with a variety of art, science, and engineering projects, activities, and challenges! Construct a boat out of household materials, discover how strong spaghetti is, find out what happens when you mix colors, create a marble maze, and much much more in this week of creative, innovative fun!
Mission Possible
Aug. 9-13 | 1-4pm
Limit 24 | $95/camper
Monday: Space Science Adventurer
Get ready to explore outer space! Meet Earth’s neighbors and create a pocket solar system, explore the stars and make a constellation viewer, learn about the phases of the moon with a fun craft, and more in this day of out of this world fun!
Tuesday: Good Vibrations
Let’s make some noise! We will create some beautiful music together while we investigate the science of sound. Experience the vibrations that cause sound waves with tuning forks, rubber bands, thunder tubes, and more. Practice your pitch, volume, and rhythm with musical water glasses and drums. Then put what you’ve learned to great “effect” by replacing some of the sound effects in a musical movie
Wednesday: When Science Meets Art
What happens when you combine science and creativity? Find out as you explore ink chromatography, grow a crystal, marbleize paper, and more in this day of artistic and experimental exploration!
Thursday: Eco-explorers
Plants and animals and insects, oh my! Campers will enjoy a variety of nature themed crafts, activities, and games in this day of exploring our natural world.
Friday: Candy Chemistry
What makes Pop Rocks “pop” and sodas “fizz”? Experiment with floating chocolate bars, growing gummy bears, and exploding soda geysers in this sweet camp full of delicious fun.
In-Person Options
Science Wizards
June 28-July 2 | 9am-12pm
Limit 24 | $120
It’s not magic, it’s science! Discover the science behind invisible ink, magic marbles, self-moving play cars, and so much more! This entertaining program concludes with a spectacular Air Zoo magic show!
Young Engineers
July 26-30 | 1-4pm
Limit 24 | $120/camper
Test your imagination and creativity as you use the design process to engineer roller coasters, catapults, vehicles, and much more. Take things apart and tinker new things into existence. Leonardo da Vinci never had this much fun!
Chemical Concoctions
July 5-9 | 9am-12pm
Limit 24 | $120/camper
This camp is a messy kid’s dream, full of blending, mixing and measuring! Play with slimy substances, grow a crystal, ignite explosions, and more as you learn why some potions bubble and others turn to goo!
Secret Agent Spy School
July 19-23 | 1-4pm
Limit 24 | $120/camper
This camp, should you choose to accept it, will hone your code cracking, disguise making, and enemy dodging abilities in order to become a highly trained secret agent. This message will self-destruct in 5 seconds.
Test Pilots
Aug. 2-6 | 9am–4pm
Limit 24 | $195/camper
Train like a real test pilot while exploring aviation design, stealth capability, and drone technology through a series of exciting engineering challenges! Learn about the latest drone technology from the Kalamazoo Carbon Flyers while experiencing the excitement of high-speed racing. Into the wild blue yonder!
Live-Virtual Options
Exploration Space
July 12-16 | 1–4 pm
Limit 24 | $75/camper
Ignite your love of science with cutting-edge experiences using the Air Zoo’s Starry Night astronomy program, rocket building and launching, and astronaut training! Make a model of our Sun, explore the surface of Mars, and follow NASA and Space X as they return American astronauts to the International Space Station and the moon!
Kitchen Chemistry
August 2-6 | 1–4pm
Limit 24 | $75/campre
What happens when you mix a little bit of this with a whole lot of that? Find out in this fun and potentially messy camp! Experiment with the properties of matter and test various ingredients to create cool chemical reactions.
In-Person Options
FabLab
July 19-23 | 9am-4pm
Limit 24 | $195/camper
Embark on a week full of exciting inventions, past, present, and future. Participate in a week full of STEM challenges while discovering the materials, circuits, and motors that make-up machines. Engineer a variety of contraptions and build a robot using simple materials, 3D printing, and the Design Process. Will you accept the challenge?
Explore the A in STEAM
July 26-30 | 9am-4pm
Limit 12 | $240
Join the Air Zoo and several of the art studios in the Park Trades Center in downtown Kalamazoo to explore the A in STEAM! Each day will be a new experience in creating different types of art and discovering the importance of art and creativity in our world!
Monday: Introduction to Art
What is art? Why is it important? Get in touch with your creative side and explore the elements of art including color, line, texture, and shape. Campers will also begin a 3-dimensional project they will work on all week! This day takes place at the Air Zoo.
Tuesday: Glass Art and Papermaking- at Park Trades Center
Campers will spend the morning with Glass Art Kalamazoo to learn the art of glass blowing and create their own fused glass decorative pieces and beads. The afternoon will be spent at the Kalamazoo Book Arts Center where campers will make paper to begin their own journal making project. This day takes place at the Park Trades Center.
Wednesday: Art & Nature
Take inspiration from Mother Nature and use a variety of natural materials to make art! Mix your own paint with pigment from fruit and spices, use nature to create a series of unique prints, learn about ephemeral art, and more! This day takes place at the Air Zoo.
Thursday: Glass Art, Jewlry Making, and Printmaking- at Park Trades Center
Campers will continue their Glass Arts creations, then incorporate their glass beads into beautiful beaded designs. In the afternoon they will return to Kalamazoo Book Arts Center to discover printmaking and continue their homemade journal. This day takes place at the Park Trades Center.
Friday: Dimensional Art
Explore the world of 3-dimensional art! Create a variety of sculptural pieces out of common household materials. Campers will also complete their handmade journal from Kalamazoo Book Arts! This day takes place at the Air Zoo.
Notes:
Registration full
Lego Robotics
June 21-25 | 1-5pm
Limit 12 | $150/camper
Design, build, and program a Lego EV3 robot to complete daily challenges. Use your creativity in modifying your robot design to navigate a maze, play a song, and push your opponent off a challenge mat! Invite your family to be spectators at the final showdown on Friday afternoon! Note: Campers DO NOT keep the LEGO robot.
Intermediate Lego Robotics
Aug 16-20 | 1-5pm
Limit 12 | $150
Design, build and program a Lego Mindstorms EV3 robot to complete challenges based on First Lego League’s Trash Trek Challenge. The Trash Trek Challenge is about what happens to things when we think we’re done with them and imagining how we might be able to innovate our way toward ZERO WASTE one day! Campers will program their robots to complete complex tasks such as sorting, transporting, and recycling materials, cleaning up contaminated sites and much more. Invite your family to be spectators at the final challenge on Friday afternoon! An introductory Lego Robotics experience is a prerequisite. Note: Campers DO NOT keep the LEGO robot.
Live-Virtual Options
Mission Possible
July 26-30 | 1-4pm
Limit 24 | $95/camper
Monday: Mythbusters
Can you really walk on egg shells? Is a pirate eye patch a fashion decision or a savvy vision hack? Become a Mythbuster as you blow apart urban legends and popular beliefs. Use science and technology to test myths and decide: are they plausible or BUSTED?
Tuesday: Rocketry
Gain a working knowledge of physical forces and Newton’s Laws of Motion through racing the force of gravity, creating real-life action/reaction scenarios, and building and launching your own re-usable baking soda and vinegar rocket!
Wednesday: Electric Laboratory
Experience working with electric circuits by learning how a telegraph uses electromagnets. Create your own telegraph design and practice Morse code. Discover how electric generators and motors work using magnets, and then make your own at home!
Thursday: Materials Science
This is your chance to design and discover new materials and test how they are affected by electricity, temperature and stress. Experiment with polymers, ceramics, metals and composites under unique conditions, and manipulate Nitinol memory wire.
Friday: Aviation Design
Explore the science of aviation while testing and building new wing designs. Discover the secrets behind the SR-71 Blackbird that made it the first stealth aircraft and the fastest, highest airplane ever to fly!
In-Person Options
Lego Robotics
July 5-9 | 1-5pm
Limit 12 | $150/camper
Design, build, and program a Lego EV3 robot to complete daily challenges. Use your creativity in modifying your robot design to navigate a maze, play a song, and push your opponent off a challenge mat! Invite your family to be spectators at the final showdown on Friday afternoon! Note: Campers do not get to keep the Lego robot.
Advanced Lego Robotics
Aug. 2-6 | 1-5pm
Limit 12 | $150/camper
Work with teammates to complete challenges in this Advanced Lego Robotics camp based on the FIRST Lego League. An introductory Lego Robotics experience is required as a prerequisite, as this camp will focus on more sophisticated programming and complex problem-solving. Invite your family to be spectators at the final showdown on Friday afternoon! Note: Campers do not get to keep the Lego robot.
Mission Possible
Aug. 23-27 | 9am-4pm
Limit 24 | $195/camper
Monday: Tinkerer’s Workshop
Tinkerers take machines apart to see how they tick, experiment with materials and ideas to understand their capacities, and build things to the limits of their imaginations. Then, with access to a wide variety of materials and tools, campers will forge creations of their own designs.
Tuesday: Chemistry
What happens when you mix a little bit of this with a whole lot of that? Find out in this fun and potentially messy camp! Behold the power of pennies, separate substances using science and explore things that glow. Seek out the element of surprise and learn why chemists have all the solutions!
Wednesday: Rocketry
Gain a working knowledge of physical forces and Newton’s Laws of Motion through racing the force of gravity, creating real-life action/reaction scenarios, and building and launching your own re-usable Estes model rocket!
Thursday: Digging up Michigan
Have a “rocking” good time as you excavate fossils, recreate Michigan terrain with a 5-foot stream table, and break apart geodes. Take a virtual field trip to the WMU Geology Department to explore their museum and Michigan geological samples.
Friday: Green STEAM
Do you have what it takes to be green? Learn about energy alternatives, mine for fossil fuels, harness the power of the sun’s solar rays, and test your knowledge in a game of trash vs. recycle jeopardy. Campers will also calculate their carbon footprint and challenge themselves to make a real-life change after camp ends.
In-Person Option Only
Aviation Restoration
Aug. 18-19 | 1-4pm
Limit 24 | $70/camper
Work with the professional restoration crew at the Air Zoo to help bring one of the World War II aircraft that was recently raised from the bottom of Lake Michigan closer to exhibit condition. Learn skills such as riveting and cable swaging and take a behind-the-scenes tour of the Flight Discovery Center.