In addition to participating in games, ceremonies and other classic camp fun, 6th–8th graders spend their days focused on one amazing week long project. With help from inspiring instructors and sophisticated tools, they'll build incredible new skills as they transform their grand vision into a rideable, solvable or remote-controllable reality (see project specifics below).
Get behind the wheel of your very own go-kart. Learn how to handle handsaws, drills, rasps and files. Work with hand and power tools to assemble your kart’s wheels, axles, steering column, hood and seat. Dream up an original design, crafting functional features like doors or foot brakes and adding personalized styling with acrylic paints. Debut your kart at an end-of-week show, then roll home in your one-of-a-kind ride.
Break out of a Galileo-designed escape room, then use what you learn to design your own. Investigate a range of puzzle types and flows. Experiment with padlocks, hydraulics, simple circuitry, magnets and more as you build out custom features. Create a captivating theme, along with clues and interactive objects for your players to find. Invite your fellow designers to puzzle their way out of your uniquely mysterious room.
Kick it with your own remote-control robot. Invent an original character, then bring it to life with sculpted-foam features and custom attire. Switch gears as you work on your robot’s electronics, building a remote-control transmitter, wiring the motor and adding attachments to give your creation new athletic abilities. Put your bot to the test in a series of mini challenges, from ball games to obstacle courses.
Galileo projects are awesome. But while campers are making their go-karts and escape rooms, they’re also doing something more—they’re learning how to innovate. Fueled by a process inspired by the Stanford d.school, Galileo helps campers learn essential innovation skills, like how to creatively solve problems, fearlessly try new things and persist in the face of challenges.
The products are cool. But the byproducts—the newfound confidence, vision and grit you’ll start seeing in your kids after only a short time—are what make Galileo so much more than your average summer camp.