Code a Nintendo-themed game using Scratch’s colorful drag-and-drop blocks that snap together like Legos! Nintendo is a trademark of Nintendo of America Inc. and not affiliated with this camp. If you do not receive your Zoom link at least 5 days before class, please email virtual@techacademycamps.com. Home Technical Requirements: Computer: PC (Windows 10 or later) or Mac (OSX) with at least a 2GHz processor and 4GB of RAM Chromebooks, Tablets, and phones DO NOT Work. Internet: Broadband internet Webcam, Microphone and Speakers Zoom Installed on Computer, zoom link will be sent before class. Students should be comfortable using a PC, mouse, and keyboard. Additional Technical Requirements: Scratch Website Scratch Account (sign-up information will be provided before class)

Master basic and advanced building techniques, then tackle building challenges solo or with friends on our Tech Academy Minecraft server! Minecraft is a Mojang Studios trademark and not affiliated with this camp. If you do not receive your Zoom link at least 5 days before class, please email virtual@techacademycamps.com. Home Technical Requirements: Computer: PC (Windows 10 or later) or Mac (OSX) with at least a 2GHz processor and 4GB of RAM Chromebooks, Tablets, and phones DO NOT Work. Internet: Broadband internet Webcam, Microphone and Speakers Zoom Installed on Computer, zoom link will be sent before class. Students should be comfortable using a PC, mouse, and keyboard. Additional Technical Requirements: Minecraft Java Edition ($30; more information will be provided before class)

Build a Mario Kart-style racing game in Scratch, MIT’s drag-and-drop coding platform! Pick custom characters and tracks to make it your own. Nintendo is a trademark of Nintendo of America Inc. and not affiliated with this camp. If you do not receive your Zoom link at least 5 days before class, please email virtual@techacademycamps.com. Home Technical Requirements: Computer: PC (Windows 10 or later) or Mac (OSX) with at least a 2GHz processor and 4GB of RAM Chromebooks, Tablets, and phones DO NOT Work. Internet: Broadband internet Webcam, Microphone and Speakers Zoom Installed on Computer, zoom link will be sent before class. Students should be comfortable using a PC, mouse, and keyboard. Additional Technical Requirements: Scratch Website Scratch Account (sign-up information will be provided before class)

Build your own Super Smash Bros.-style platform fighter in Construct 3! Design characters, combat systems, items, and stages from scratch. Super Smash Bros. is a trademark of Nintendo of America Inc. and not affiliated with this camp. If you do not receive your Zoom link at least 5 days before class, please email virtual@techacademycamps.com. Home Technical Requirements: Computer: PC (Windows 10 or later) or Mac (OSX) with at least a 2GHz processor and 4GB of RAM Chromebooks, Tablets, and phones DO NOT Work. Internet: Broadband internet Webcam, Microphone and Speakers Zoom Installed on Computer, zoom link will be sent before class. Students should be comfortable using a PC, mouse, and keyboard. Additional Technical Requirements: Construct 3 Website

Empower your child's STEAM learning with Young Engineers. In this dynamic session, they'll build six motorized models using unique, patented kits, mastering concepts like centrifugal force, vibration, and angular momentum. Young Engineers, a program recognized by Harvard and Carnegie Mellon and taught in 50+ countries, makes learning fun and accessible through builds like a motorized Ferris wheel and drum machine.

The future of coding is here! Use AI-powered tools to build real projects faster than ever. Learn to give clear instructions to AI assistants, review and improve generated code, and combine creativity with technology. Basic typing skills needed. If you do not receive your Zoom link at least 5 days before class, please email virtual@techacademycamps.com. Home Technical Requirements: Computer: PC (Windows 10 or later) or Mac (OSX) with at least a 2GHz processor and 4GB of RAM Chromebooks, Tablets, and phones DO NOT Work. Internet: Broadband internet Webcam, Microphone and Speakers Zoom Installed on Computer, zoom link will be sent before class. Students should be comfortable using a PC, mouse, and keyboard.

Team up to build an entire city in Minecraft! Beginners and pros welcome. Students take home the completed world files. Minecraft is a Mojang Studios trademark and not affiliated with this camp. If you do not receive your Zoom link at least 5 days before class, please email virtual@techacademycamps.com. Home Technical Requirements: Computer: PC (Windows 10 or later) or Mac (OSX) with at least a 2GHz processor and 4GB of RAM Chromebooks, Tablets, and phones DO NOT Work. Internet: Broadband internet Webcam, Microphone and Speakers Zoom Installed on Computer, zoom link will be sent before class. Students should be comfortable using a PC, mouse, and keyboard. Additional Technical Requirements: Minecraft Java Edition ($30; more information will be provided before class)

Let's play On-Line Chess! Saturday Chess is for those students who want to practice with fellow competitive chess players. Each session will include an advanced chess lesson, as well as competitive matchups against students from all over the Twin Cities. Participation on the South Washington Chess Team is not required to join Saturday On-Line Chess.

Create your own YouTube content! Shoot video, capture sound, and learn real filmmaking techniques. Students produce an unboxing or product review video complete with transitions, special effects, and a soundtrack. If you do not receive your Zoom link at least 5 days before class, please email virtual@techacademycamps.com. Home Technical Requirements: Computer: PC (Windows 10 or later) or Mac (OSX) with at least a 2GHz processor and 4GB of RAM Chromebooks, Tablets, and phones DO NOT Work. Internet: Broadband internet Webcam, Microphone and Speakers Zoom Installed on Computer, zoom link will be sent before class. Students should be comfortable using a PC, mouse, and keyboard. Additional Technical Requirements: USB drive (at least 8 GB) for saving projects Wondershare Filmora (free trial; download instructions provided before class)

Learn the basics of Dungeons & Dragons with our modified version, then jump into a mini campaign! Build your character, roll some dice, and go on an adventure with your party. Dungeons & Dragons is a trademark of Wizards of the Coast and not affiliated with this camp If you do not receive your Zoom link at least 5 days before class, please email virtual@techacademycamps.com. Home Technical Requirements: Computer: PC (Windows 10 or later) or Mac (OSX) with at least a 2GHz processor and 4GB of RAM Chromebooks, Tablets, and phones DO NOT Work. Internet: Broadband internet Webcam, Microphone and Speakers Zoom Installed on Computer, zoom link will be sent before class. Students should be comfortable using a PC, mouse, and keyboard.

Give your child a head start in Robotics and STEM! Join e2 Young Engineers, a Harvard and EU-recognized program, and experience hands-on Robotics and engineering. Students will build and program up to four motorized models, learning essential concepts like sensor technology and movement principles and build a Military Tank, Street Sweeper, Concrete mixer, Moon Rover and more! Inspire creativity and build future-ready skills

Stimulate your child's creativity by designing and building epic, solar-powered cars, robots, and machines from easy-to assemble parts. In addition, your young tikes will build solar powered cranes, lift bridges, and many other designs. Let your little engineers explore the world of solar energy while learning how to problem solve and stretch the imagination.

Don’t just PLAY games - CREATE them! Build and customize arcade-style games in Scratch, MIT’s coding platform. Basic keyboarding and mouse skills needed. Minecraft is a Mojang Studios trademark and not affiliated with this camp. If you do not receive your Zoom link at least 5 days before class, please email virtual@techacademycamps.com. Home Technical Requirements: Computer: PC (Windows 10 or later) or Mac (OSX) with at least a 2GHz processor and 4GB of RAM Chromebooks, Tablets, and phones DO NOT Work. Internet: Broadband internet Webcam, Microphone and Speakers Zoom Installed on Computer, zoom link will be sent before class. Students should be comfortable using a PC, mouse, and keyboard. Additional Technical Requirements: Scratch Website Scratch Account (sign-up information will be provided before class)

Gopher Steam is back for the 2026-2027 with 24 brand new STEM classes for kindergarten and up. Come sign up for some serious STEM fun with Gopher STEAM this fall! Topics we will explore include: Rocket Science Let’s launch into rocket science! We will learn about the forces of flight and engineering that go into rocket science by building our own flying model rocket. Explore how Newton’s third law allows rockets to fly. What goes up comes down. We will learn about the various recovery systems model rockets use to land safely. The rocket your Jr. Rocket Scientist will build is a custom 3D printed design specifically adapted for first time builders. Blast off! Are you ready to rocket? In this class we will give your Jr. Rocket Scientist a crash course in model rocketry. We will head outside and learn how to safely launch the model rockets we build. Each student will get a chance to launch their own rocket. Digging Dinosaurs Become a junior paleontologist as we explore the features and characteristics that make dinosaurs fascinating. Learn about how we know what we know as you get hands on with a collection of interesting fossils. Go on your own tabletop dinosaur dig and learn how paleontologists share their fossils as we make a cast of a T-rex tooth to take home. Bugs! Everywhere we go we are surrounded by a miniature world creeping and crawling with bugs. We will explore the amazing arthropods that make up the bugs we find all around us. Learn how insects, arachnids, myriapods and isopods are the same and different. We will discover how bugs use camouflage to hide in plain sight and mimicry to confuse predators. How do bugs around us help us and the environment? What bugs do we find here in Minnesota, other than mosquitoes? We will use what we learn to build our own bug to take home. Bubbles! Let's explore the chemistry and physics of bubbles. What is the chemistry that makes bubbles possible? How do bubbles make all those beguiling colors? What shapes can bubbles make? Students will make their own bubble wand to take home and older children can make a 3D bubble wand. We even bring our own special device that will put you in a bubble. Under the Sea We will explore the ocean from the sunlight zone to the depths of the midnight zone. What amazing animals we find as we go deeper. We will compare the features and habitats of whales, sharks, sea turtles and much more. Explore the ecosystems that cover 70% of our planet. As we explore the oceans, we will build our own ocean in a bottle. Our Solar System: Take a tour of the planets, moons, asteroids and other amazing objects that make up our solar system. Discover why Pluto is classified as a dwarf planet and discover the other dwarf planets in our system. We will explore the relative sizes and distances as we build a kid solar system using a roll of TP. Your amateur astronomer will make their own planet to take home. Shocking Science What you will learn about static electricity will shock you. We will examine how electrons move to make electricity and how static electricity is different. Students will learn how to create static electricity and how to store their charge as they build a leyden jar to take home. If weather conditions cooperate you might even make your hair stand on end and play with 50000 volts with our Van De Graaff generator.

Create a top 10 or favorites list video using pro filmmaking tricks! Edit your video, add transitions and a soundtrack, then share it with the world. If you do not receive your Zoom link at least 5 days before class, please email virtual@techacademycamps.com. Home Technical Requirements: Computer: PC (Windows 10 or later) or Mac (OSX) with at least a 2GHz processor and 4GB of RAM Chromebooks, Tablets, and phones DO NOT Work. Internet: Broadband internet Webcam, Microphone and Speakers Zoom Installed on Computer, zoom link will be sent before class. Students should be comfortable using a PC, mouse, and keyboard. Additional Technical Requirements: Cell phone, video camera, or external webcam Wondershare Filmora (download instructions and sign-up information is provided before class)

Design and print your own toys and puzzles! Students will use TinkerCAD to create custom 3D creations like fidget spinners, maze puzzles, and more. Learn the fundamentals of 3D modeling while watching your digital designs come to life on a 3D printer. One print will be mailed home. If you do not receive your Zoom link at least 5 days before class, please email virtual@techacademycamps.com. Home Technical Requirements: Computer: PC (Windows 10 or later) or Mac (OSX) with at least a 2GHz processor and 4GB of RAM Chromebooks, Tablets, and phones DO NOT Work. Internet: Broadband internet Webcam, Microphone and Speakers Zoom Installed on Computer, zoom link will be sent before class. Students should be comfortable using a PC, mouse, and keyboard. Additional Technical Requirements: TinkerCAD Website (Free, login information is provided during class)