HOLA Friends Summer STEAM Camp

July 2025

If you are looking for a fun and educational camp for your child this summer, Cedar Crest College has you covered! Our hands-on STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, & mathematics) camp offers three distinctive sessions: Electrical Tinkers, Coding Galore, and Green Screen Mania. Each session has a $250 fee. Designed for children entering grades three through five, our HOLA Friends program runs Monday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Please bring your lunch.

Session 1: Electrical Tinkers!

June 30, July 1, 2, & 3

Several children's hands working on a science project

Join us for a thrilling adventure in electrical engineering! Unleash your creativity by creating dynamic illustrations with mini DC motors and LED lights. Explore the magic of magnetism as you use reeds to electrify your illustrations, and discover the art of interactivity with Makey Makey, crafting dynamic diagrams that respond to your touch. Prepare to collaborate, communicate, and think critically as you embark on this electrifying innovation journey!

Session 2: Coding Galore

July 7-11

a smiley face lit up in some led lights on a computer chip

Calling all coder enthusiasts! If you are interested in learning how to code or if you have little experience, no worries, prepare to be swept away in a whirlwind of coding galore as you embark on an epic journey to create games and interactive experiences. Utilize the dynamic capabilities of Dash robots, Indie robots, LEGO, and Makey Makey to bring your coding dreams to life. Work collaboratively to design captivating challenges, communicate your ideas effectively, and think critically to debug and refine your creations. Get ready to unlock the potential of pixels and embark on a coding adventure like never before!

Session 3: Green Screen Mania

July 14-18

Get ready to unleash your creativity and innovation! This week, you’ll become engineers and architects, combining creativity with problem-solving skills to design and build your very own community—using nothing but recyclable materials in innovative ways and exploring how technology can enhance your designs! But that’s not all… By the end of the week, you’ll have gained valuable hands-on experience in sustainability, teamwork, and Green Screen tech integration. Teamwork will help you solve challenges and create a world that’s both sustainable and cutting-edge. There’s no limit to what you can build when imagination and tech come together. Ready to build the future? Your adventure starts here!”

A Day at Camp

9:30 a.m.

Drop Off and Open Makerspace: Exploring and creating!

9:45 a.m.

Circle Meeting: Explore the morning challenge and the building project with special emphasis on how it is built, the STEM concept, and where we will see this in the real world. Plus, we’ll break for snacks.

Noon

Break for lunch and physical play that includes games, water balloons, and more.

1 p.m.

Afternoon project/challenge. Creating and collaborating with peers.

2:30 p.m.

Circle Debrief: We reflect upon creativity and collaboration.

3 – 3:30 p.m.

Parent/ Guardian Observation and Open Makerspace: Parents may observe while picking up. Pick-up is at 3:00 p.m. By 3:30 p.m. all campers have been picked-up.

OUR ANCHORS

The HOLA Friends program and the curriculum are designed for two purposes: provide career awareness and empower the leaders of tomorrow. The program is built on the following anchors:

STEAM

HOLA Friends connects social learning and the engineer design process to solve STEM/ STEAM challenges. Intertwining skills, such as effective communication, collaboration, critical thinking, creative thinking, problem-solving, cultural awareness, and effective use of technology with STEM/ STEAM activities promotes cognitive and interpersonal skills.

21st Century Skills

21st Century skills such as effective communication, collaboration, critical thinking, problem-solving, cultural awareness, and effective use of technology will be gained, but also resiliency, determination, perseverance, and intrinsic motivation.

Cognitive Skills

STEAM activities develop cognitive competencies such as critical thinking, effective communication skills, logical reasoning, active listening, and clear interpretation of thoughts, and interpersonal competencies such as collaboration, cooperation, leadership, responsibility, social influence, and assertive communication.

Hands-On Learning (HOLA)

Children working in STEAM activities will combine creative and critical thinking skills with the use of the engineer design process model, which enhances collaboration skills, promotes problem-solving and evaluative skills through a series of steps to design unique prototypes.

Growth Mindset

HOLA Friends promotes a Growth Mindset by creating a learning space that promotes self-efficacy, self-esteem, and self-concept when engaging in STEAM activities. Children learn to view challenges as opportunities to enhance learning and develop the understanding that skills improve and thinking can change.

Social-Emotional Learning

Children develop language skills, social interactions, and behavioral actions to communicate ideas. We promote a learning space where children work together to achieve an outcome. 