Child 1 Age 8 - 11 (Male)
Program(s) focused in STEM, Basketball
Child 2 Age 10 - 13 (Male)
Program(s) focused in STEM, Basketball
(4.5) Overall experience
Both my children love sports and science. They were at science and sports camp, so it was a treat for them to be able to combine both of those passions. After the camp, I noticed more questions about science topics. To me, that means that they were stimulated by something other than mindless YouTube clips. My youngest is going again this year, while my oldest will be a monitor to give back. They are going back simply because they are excited to see the staff again and connect with campers.
(4.5) Reason for choosing the camp
Originally, it was the STEM aspect. As an engineer, science was more of a job and had a negative bias, so I'm happy that my kids can see it for what it is: an integral part of our world with a direct impact on our lives, as opposed to a boring, theoretical topic. The experience is absolutely worth it with the hidden cost that they wanted to buy more science-based toys! :)
(4.5) Program quality and activities
My kids went for several weeks, and indeed, they had a preference for the robotics and the basketball. The multi-sports was fun for them but not as exciting. They had a content creation class, which was also less interesting than the robotics one they did their first time. The quality of the offering is really predicated on the energy of the staff. Maybe it's a generational bias, but finding motivated and upbeat university-level monitors seems less attainable.
(5) Social dynamics and experience
The kids are excited to see new friends. Coming from Montreal, I appreciated my kids being around a diverse group of children who also loved STEM as opposed to science being more from one set of the population. With my kids being mixed race, inclusion as an action was not needed because of that wonderfully varied group. I have not heard of any instances of bullying or issues.
(4.5) Skills and growth
It is not a skill as much as an appreciation and curiosity of how things work. How come a bridge can hold so much weight? How do you create content like all the YouTubers? How do you create a robot? There was a robotics class where they had to program that was interesting. You just can't tell it what to do. They had to decompose each action and really think about the sequence.
(5) Staff/Instructors/Counsellors
I think what stood out was the quality of the instructors. Most were university-level and highly accomplished in sports and/or academics. Thus, the kids had real-life role models that 'looked' like them. I got the chance to interact with them during drop-off and pick-up, and they also seemed genuinely happy to be there instead of having their nose glued to their phone!
(4) Advice and tips
I think the best advice is to take the time to get to know the counselors. By interacting with them, I felt more at ease, which lessened my anxiety at leaving my kids there the whole time and just trusting their approach. The only thing is that sports vary by week, so depending on your kid's interest, their interest may waver on the choice of the week.
I am very grateful for the Active Scholars program. To my knowledge, there is no other fulsome program that equally engages in Sports and STEM and finds opportunities to intertwine the two. It invites...
Both of my nieces had an amazing time at Active Scholars. It's a great mix of STEM and sports, which kept them engaged and excited throughout the week. They really enjoyed the building challenges and ...
