Children everywhere are learning about the benefits of STEM education, and there are plenty of opportunities in Dallas for this. Learning STEM while young can help pave the way to a lucrative career in the field that has expected growth potential for decades to come.
Families will find that many STEM camps in Dallas are freely available every summer and year-round as a supplement to traditional in-class learning. Most camps do a good job of helping kids have fun while learning, which is important to maintain their interest levels.
Whether your child is an absolute beginner or has previous experience, many of these camps offer different themes and indoor and outdoor activities each week so your child can attend multiple sessions.
iD Tech University of Texas at Dallas
iD Tech camps are for kids between 7-17 interested in learning about coding and the practical application of these skills through game building. They’ll get to work in well-known and utilized environments like Python, Java, Unreal Engine, and Minecraft.
iD Tech offers its STEM camps on college campuses with day and overnight sessions. This camp is offered at the University of Texas at Dallas and can give children a glimpse into what it’s like to stay on a college campus through a real hands-on experience. Children with any level of knowledge in coding are welcome to attend.
In addition to all the fun in the classroom, children can enjoy traditional outdoor activities on the campus. Summer is a time for fun and learning doesn’t have to stop when school is out thanks to iD Tech.
Steve & Kate’s
Steve & Kate’s is one of the most convenient summer camp options you can find for kids 4-12 in Dallas. Each day, your child can choose what they want to do from a list that features coding, robotics, a tinker lab where they work on STEM projects, and a mixture of fun outdoor activities.
Lunch comes automatically included, and your child can stay anytime between the long camp hours of 8 am and 6 pm. Register them with a day pass or buy the full summer pass. Any day pass that isn’t used is refunded automatically.
Their campus at the Winston School also hosts a mentorship program where older campers 14-15 can developer leadership skills as camp counselors.
STEMTREE North Dallas
STEMTREE is located in the suburb of Farmers Branch close to families on the north side of Dallas. One-on-one instruction is the most important difference offered by STEMTREE and students can thrive with this level of attention.
Programs cover several topics in coding, science, robotics, electronics, and mathematics. Hands-on learning is paired with homework support and exam prep to help kids gain the most out of their time.
The self-paced, flexible scheduling allows your kids to learn in their free time, after school, and during scheduled breaks. STEMTREE also offers after-school programs and tutoring. Each camper is treated as an individual and can enjoy a program tailor-made to help them succeed.
Frontiers of Flight Museum
Located on the runways of Dallas Love Airfield, the Frontiers of Flight Museum offers week-long camps to students in 1st and 10th grades. While the main focus of these camps is STEM, there is a concentration on aerospace fields, giving your children the chance to learn all about flying.
Students are organized by grade and will experience a different curriculum based on their group. They’ll learn about the history of aviation, the principles of flight, and even what it takes to become a pilot.
In addition to the in-depth discussion of aviation, classes teach students about the world of micro-organisms, chase imaginary storms while learning about weather, and explore the universe from the comfort of their classroom on Earth. All campers get to visit the museum and planetarium, adding a layer of fun to their experience.
Read about other other camps in Austin.
UT Southwestern
The Summer STARS camp is hosted on the UT Southwestern Medical Center campus in the heart of downtown Dallas. Camps are open to those between 7th and 12th grade and themes are organized according to age.
Kids can learn about biology, chemistry, physics, anatomy, and biotechnology. This program has a limited number of seats available in each class and preference is given to students who have shown evidence of academic achievement.
Camps consist of a combination of lab work, classroom activities, and a series of lectures by trained professionals in the industry. It’s a chance for middle and high school students to get a head start on their STEM journey.
The STEM Center of Excellence
The STEM Center of Excellence is at Camp Whispering Cedars, a Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas institution. Girls between the ages of 6-14 are welcome to benefit from the teaching experience of the Girl Scouts, one of the oldest children’s organizations in the United States.
Students visiting the STEM Center of Excellence learn more than the basics, as topics covered feature entrepreneurship, financial literacy, and outdoor experiences. The goal is for girls to come out of the program with improved social skills, confidence, resiliency, and leadership capabilities.
The center is a force for good, helping young women gain traction in fields historically dominated by men. It gives girls a chance to thrive in a community of their peers and become future innovators.
University of Texas at Dallas
The University of Texas at Dallas hosts in-person and virtual coding camps at the central campus in Richardson. Camps consist of four week-long sessions, meeting daily from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. These are open to ages 8-18 and run from the beginning of June to August.
Instead of being a full-day intensive like most summer camps, these programs give students time to absorb the material with adequate time between sections.
Course topics include coding with C++, Java, and Python. There are additional courses about mathematics, drawing, and animation with Javascript, and advanced material in all of the above.
Perot Museum of Nature and Science
The Perot Museum of Nature and Science is a world-class museum in the heart of downtown Dallas that hosts its Discovery Camps for elementary and middle school students K-6. The camps all happen in the museum and include a stop at the many exhibits.
Camp sessions cover a variety of subjects. Each session has its own unique theme, centered on forensics, biology, food chemistry, and dinosaurs. All sessions last five full days from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM and are limited to a maximum of 20 students.
The Perot Museum of Nature and Science has partnered with St. Johns Episcopal School to offer the same programming at its campus. These include a field trip to the museum so kids don’t have to miss out. Parents just need to pack a lunch for their kids.
Dallas Arboretum Summer Camps
The Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden hosts week-long summer day camps for youth in grades 1 through 6th. The camps blend STEM with learning about nature and put kids up close and personal with real-world examples of the natural world in the form of the incredible variety of plants and wildlife on display.
Fun camp themes keep children involved and the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden have a new one every week. Kids can choose from innovation, storytelling, motion lab, farm-to-fork, and more. Check out the website for specifics about which week might suit your child best.
Families who are members of the Dallas Arboretum receive a discount on the weekly rate. Membership helps support the Arboretum and encourages children to be good stewards of nature.
HAKing Innovation Summer Programming
HAKing Innovations has partnered with two different academies to offer its programming to kids and teens ages 5-15 at five locations around Dallas. You will them in Mesquite, Grand Prairie, Duncanville, and Lancaster.
There are varying themes on 3D printing, video game design, drones, robotics, and aerospace. Each camp has a showcase at the end of the week where students present their findings to one another and their parents.
Camps are limited in the number of students so secure a spot before they run out. Half-day and full-day camps lasting five days a week are available.
St. Monica Catholic School
The summer camps at St. Monica Catholic School are open to Pre-K to 5th-grade students. Each STEM camp has a secondary focus on either sports or Spanish immersion depending on the child’s grade level and interests.
Camps last five days and run from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM, with breaks and free periods in between. A maximum of 15 children per session is allowed. The St. Monica Catholic School camps can help children develop useful skills, including critical thinking and the importance of teamwork.
These programs are hosted at the St. Monica Catholic School and church campus on the north side of Dallas.