Welcome to Spy School, Design Hive style.
In this hands-on engineering camp, campers step into the role of junior agents, building clever spy gadgets, cracking codes, and completing daily missions using genuine maker skills: designing, testing, refining, and collaborating as a team.
Over five days, students assemble a complete spy toolkit, including cipher devices, invisible ink messages, a string-and-mirror laser security maze, and a working alarm circuit. Along the way, they sharpen observation, logic, and creative problem-solving, because in Spy School, the first solution is rarely the final one.
The week concludes with a Spy Challenge where teams put their gadgets to work, decode clues, and navigate security systems to accomplish the ultimate mission.
Notes:
- We teach proper tool usage and expect that all campers use the tools we provide. We use real hammers, nails, screws, and screwdrivers, as well as real HOT glue guns. We do not use cool-touch or low-heat guns, and we do not use protective hand-wear with our tools. Occasionally, campers get small burns or little bruises. This is part of the learning and making process.
What To Know Before Registering:
- We are a small, process art and STEM studio without outdoor space, though we incorporate stretching, movement, and dance during the camp day. Our physical space shapes our scheduling, which is why camp hours differ from a full school day and why we offer only a limited extended care window. Because we do not have separate rooms for campers to work in, students of all ages work together on projects. As veteran classroom teachers with more than 30 years of combined experience, we see enormous value in this cross-age collaboration. If this arrangement does not suit your child or you are seeking programming for a very specific age range, please consider that carefully before registering, as we do not issue refunds for camps.
What You Will Learn:
- This camp blends project-based work with exploratory activities spanning art, craft, engineering, and technology.
Sample Daily Schedule (subject to change):
- 10:00 to 10:30 STEAM Project Workshop
- 10:30 to 10:45 Snack and Break
- 10:45 to 11:30 Process Art Activity
- 11:30 to 12:30 Outdoor Lunch Break and Movement
- 12:30 to 1:00 STEAM Workshop (continued)
- 1:00 to 2:00 Engineering and Exploration
- 2:00 to 2:30 Pick Up
