STEPS camp at the University of St Thomas

Best Practices

What is STEPS?

•Hands on

•Girls only

•Engineering based

•Overnight – move away from day camp to life changing experience

•Theme – planes or rockets/sustainability

•Teachers – who and passion

•Small classes

•Small teams

•Age group – 6th grade – time of making choices – 9th graders…

•Random and mixed groups

•Same gender staff – teachers and counselors and directors – girl empowerment

•Staff that know kids and how to work with kids over content

•30/30/30 rule

Technical Developmental RecreationalAirplane Assembly LabAnimation LabChemistry LabElectricity LabFlight SimulationMachining LabMacGyverWiki DesignPhysics LabPlastics Lab

Counselor-led Evening “TAPS”Diversity Writing WorkshopEcologyFly Night (Radio ControlAirplane)History of Women in Science and EngineeringProblem-Solving RelayTeam BuildingHip-HopBiologySystems of the Body

Crazy OlympicsDutch AuctionGamesKaraokeMovie NightSkit CreationSnack PartySwimmingEco Runway

•FREE – makes it available to all SES

•Take home a big project – plane or rocket

•Random drawing to admit campers

•One camper at

a time!

•Staff – engineering students as counselors, professionals as teachers and speakers – campers are able to see all the steps to

becoming an engineer

•Wrap-up meeting at the end of each

summer

•Meet year round to keep making camp better for next year

•Keep it fun!! •We are not afraid to make changes and try new things every year!