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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Why Choose an All-Girls STEM Camp?
If your girl is enthused about STEM, there’s no doubt summer camp is a great place to build her skills and knowledge alongside like-minded peers in a fun setting. But just as women are under-represented in technology and other areas of STEM, so too, girls tend to be under-represented at STEM camps. Being one of only a handful of girls in a larger program might not be a concern for you or your daughter, but some girls will speak up, participate and take the lead more in a single-sex environment. This not only has to do with a given girl’s comfort level but also how skilled a counselor is at giving all campers a chance to share their voice and excel.
2019 Guide to Chicagoland STEM Camps for Girls
Alexa Café This summer, encourage the awesome in your daughter. At Alexa Café, girls ages 10-15 discover technology in a unique environment that celebrates creativity, philanthropy, and entrepreneurship. Girls learn engineering principles, code games, design websites, model and print 3D objects, and more. These week-long summer programs are held at prestigious campuses nationwide, including Lake Forest.
App Camp for Girls A one-week session for girls entering 8th and 9th grade a which they will build an app with the help of a team of Chicago women in tech. The 2019 camp did not run, so they may not be around in 2020.
Black Girls Code (Chicago) This two-week camp provides hands-on, project-based instruction, where young ladies ages 13-17 engage in tech instruction. The camp meets from 9AM-4PM with lunch, breaks, community building, field trips and of course coding.
DePaul University inSTEM Camp for girls provides free STEM experiences for girls in grades 6-9.
Digital Youth Divas They haven’t announced a 2019 camp (yet). Bookmark them for fun, informal STEM ed during the school year.
Double Daring Camp for Girls Held at the Burpee Museum of Natural History in Rockford, this camp encourages girls to try new physical activities, learn to create beautiful things, use STEAM concepts to generate new solutions, and build quality relationships all while celebrating our girl power.
GADgET Girls (Girls Adventuring in Design, Engineering & Technology) is a summer program designed to introduce female youth between the ages of 10 and 14 to the world of manufacturing through hands-on projects, and site visits to manufacturing facilities. CAD, entrepreneurship skills, academic requirements for 21st-century manufacturing careers, as well as teamwork skills are covered. Triton College (River Grove)
WYSE: Worldwidew Youth in Science and Engineering Click and scroll to the bottom of the page for “women-focused” camps for 9-12th graders. Held at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, there are several specialty week-long residential engineering camps for girls in high school and a couple of day camp options for middle school girls. Topics include robotics, materials science and seven other topics.
Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana Click and then scroll to the bottom of the page to review or download their summer camp guide. Explore nature, science and more.
Made By Girls Full day summer camps for girls ages 9-12 in topics such as programming, game design, and wearable technology. University of Chicago
Northern Illinois University STEM Summer Camps The four-day STEM Divas program for girls in grades 2-5 will only be offered for three sessions in 2019.
Pollen Power Down in Champaign-Urbana, but worth the trip for this day camp for girls who will be in grades 6 – 8 in the fall and are interested in an up-close look at biological sciences.
Triton College Summer camps for tweens and teens GADgET Girls introduces girls 10-14 to the world of high-tech manufacturing with field trips, CAD skills, and hands-on projects.
We hope you found our guide to STEM Camps for Girls in Chicago helpful! If none of these camps meets your needs, check out the co-ed camps in our general Chicago STEM Camp Guide.
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