This summer, let your kids experiment and try exciting challenges. At Neuron Garage camps, kids come alive as they engage in fun open-ended learning activities such as designing a marble rollercoaster or building cars out of recycled materials. Formerly known as Summer Spark (new name, same program), this camp was voted the “Readers’ Favorite of 2018” by Austin Family Magazine, “Best Camp of 2018” by Happicamper and is a currently Top Rated Camp on Yelp. Neuron Garage Camps are designed to help kids find solutions to engaging problems in a fun, collaborative atmosphere.
When your children can think creatively, work collaboratively, and respond resiliently, they can do anything. Neuron Garage staff guides kids to work with peers on engaging problems. Through these experiences, children have the opportunity to develop confidence and work through success.

Photo by Todd White

Schedule: Neuron Garage Summer Camp is offered weekly for children ages 5 -12 from 8 a.m. – 3 p.m. with the option to extend the day until 6 p.m. Campers are divided into groups based on age and activities are tailored appropriately. Some campers come for just one week, while others experience the benefits of the program all summer long, with session from June 3rd – August 9th.

Locations: Choose from the 5 following locations:

  • South Austin (S. 1st & Oltorf)
  • Hyde Park (45th & Red River)
  • North Shoal Creek (Mopac & W. Anderson Ln)
  • Cedar Park (Anderson Mill Rd & 620)
  • Round Rock (Round Rock Ave & N. Mays St)

2019 Sessions:

  • Stop the Plop: June 3rd – June 7th,  Design, build, and test containers to avoid the plop, or rather splatter, of a raw egg hitting a hard surface.
  • Marble Roller Coasters: June 10th – June 14th, Design, build, and refine marble runs. How long can you make them? Can the marble do a loop? Two?
  • Medieval Construction: June 17th – June 21st, Can you build a castle with a working drawbridge? Can you design a catapult the fires accurately enough to defend against intruders? Campers use two simple machines — pulleys and levers — along with lots of imagination, to build defense systems for their castles.
  • Car-dboard Mechanics: June 24th – June 28th, Can you build a car out of recycled materials? How about a track to race it on?
  • Trash-ion: July 1st – July 3rd & July 5th, Can you make clothing from trash? Whether you want something unique to wear for a 4th of July parade, or just want to see how creative you can be, this short week is sure to please all designers and builders.
  • Invention Convention: July 8th – July 12th, Can you design and build a machine that will pop a balloon? Set off an alarm? Knock over a cup? How many steps can you build into your design?
  • Mission Possible: July 15th – 19th, Can you build a case to protect a super-delicate secret package from bumps and drops? Can you build an airplane to carry that package safely and land smoothly? What about a boat to cross a raging sea?
  • Structural Integrity: July 22nd – July 26th, How high can your tower go? If you could only use two materials to build it, what would they be? How about for a bridge? How much weight could it hold?
  • Cardboard Arcade: July 29th – August 2nd, Turn recycled materials into a functioning arcade and celebrate by playing each others’ games.
  • Space Survival: August 5th – August 9th, Race against the clock to create self-propelled spaceships and shelters for outer space survival.

Photo by Todd White

Registration & More Info: Click here to register online. For more information about Neuron Garage, you can visit their website, read their FAQs, and also visit their Facebook page for plenty of photos from previous camp sessions.