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STEM and Maker Fun in Chicago for Tweens and Teens

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STEM Summer Camps in Chicago 2021

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We’re excited to bring you our biggest guide to the best STEM camps in and near Chicago. There are loads of great options for elementary school students up to high school students to build and apply their science, math, technology, and engineering skills in informal, creative environments this summer. These camps help students up through high school grow valuable 21st-century skills while having fun. Your child can grow engineering expertise and observational skills, enhance critical thinking and creativity while coding apps and computer games. They can develop increased coordination while learning to pilot drones, or maybe they’ll invent the Next Big Thing.

Sign up for our newsletter to keep tabs on STEM fun throughout Chicagoland. Click to see our Spring Break STEM Camp Guide, our Guide to Coding Classes, or our Guide to STEM Enrichment Programs.

Summer Camps can contact themakermom (at) hotmail.com for information on enhanced listings in our guide.

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Spring Break STEM Camps in Chicago

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Spring Break can be tricky. It’s not like Winter Break where you can count on everyone to be out of school on the same days. In the Chicago area, Spring Break can mean any time from mid-March through late April. But whenever your child’s Spring Break is, we’ve got you covered thanks to this year’s sponsor, Codeverse.  And whether your STEM kid wants to learn coding or chemistry in Chicago, web development in Wilmette, or digital design in Deerfield, there are STEM and STEAM camp options to keep your kids busy and their minds active over while school is out. We’ve partnered with Chicago’s STEM and STEAM leaders to bring you this guide. [Read more…]

What to Do in Chicago in April: STEM & STEAM Fun

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Ah, Chicago in April. There’s still a bit of, um, precipitation, falling from the sky, but spring is in the air! Which is great because Earth Day is best enjoyed outside. In addition to Earth Day, April is host to National Robotics Week and other special STEM days. Read on for our suggestions of what and where to celebrate STEM and STEAM around Chicago this month. [Read more…]

Private Schools in the Chicago Area

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We know that STEM Kids Chicago readers care deeply about education, especially when it comes to science and tech learning. You might be lucky enough to have a public school that suits your needs in your neighborhood. Or Not. In which case, we’re here to help with a guide to the best private schools in the Chicago area.

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Chicago Summer STEM Camps for Girls 2020

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Yes, we already have an awesome Chicago STEM Summer Camp Guide, but we’re aware that some parents prefer an all-girls environment for their daughters. As Chicago’s leading STEM and STEAM resource for families, we want to make it easy to find the right girls-only option. Hence, we present the Guide to Chicagoland STEM Camps for Girls thanks to our sponsor, Alexa Café. 

Happily, there are several great options, but most girls-only STEM camps are offered on a limited basis, so don’t wait to book your child’s sessions.

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Chicago Northside Mini Maker Faire Call for Makers

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Break out the knitting needles, the lock picks, lathes, and Arduinos. It’s time to apply for a free table at the Chicago Northside MakerFest, formerly known as the Chicago Northside Mini Maker Faire.

This 9th annual Chicago Northside MakerFest is going to be great, especially if you get involved! Whether you’re an uppercase “M” Maker, casual crafter or a part-time tinkerer consider sharing your talents at this fun, quirky local celebration, which will once again be held at Schurz High School.

Even if you don’t apply to be a Maker, be sure to pencil in the date, Saturday, May 2, 2020 from 10 am-4 pm.

APPLY NOW for the Chi Northside MakerFest! Applications accepted until March 30, 2020.

Think about it, you probably do, even if said “talent” makes your resident teenagers roll their eyes. (Or is that just me?)  It’s free to have a maker table. But you can also perform, do a demo, host a workshop, etc. The event itself is also free, but donations are appreciated.

We had a lot of fun making and sharing Moon Balls in 2013, Seed Balls in 2015, and who knows what’s in store for 2020? (hint: upsycle CDs will play a key role.) I’ve seen kids drive around in cupcake cars take robots on leashed walks. This year’s event will be a blast, too.

AAUW Tech Savvy for Girls and Expanding Your Horizons Coming to Chicago

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The AAUW, American Association of University Women, offers a program for girls called Tech Savvy and it’s coming to the Chicago area on March 21, 2020. Tech Savvy is a daylong science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) career conference designed to attract girls in sixth through ninth grade to these fields. The program also has a parent component that keeps families in the know when it comes to STEM education and careers. Teachers and mentors are welcome to attend the adult portion as well. [Read more…]

Chicago Girls Who Code Summer Program

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Apply now to the Girls Who Code Chicago Summer Immersion Program. The March 15 deadline is just around the corner. This selective, hands-on, seven-week summer program is open to current 10th and 11th graders. It will take place in 17 cities across the US, including six locations right here in Chicago. The Summer Immersion Program helps young women grow their tech skills and business skills as well as build personal networks in the field.

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