Mini Camps for Winter 2015 at Engineering for Kids

Come join Engineering For Kids for fun and educational Classes, Clubs and Mini Camps!

Register before December 15th and save $10 Use code: WINTER15 at checkout

Our winter mini camps will be held from 8:30am-5:30pm on the following dates at our Lake Ridge Center. *Lunch is NOT provided. Children are encouraged to bring a bag lunch and snacks.  (Please NO peanut products) Winter Mini Camp Schedule: Ages: 5-14  Cost: $60 per mini camp December 21st: MinecraftEDU - Traveling into the Future December 22nd- Robotics 101 December 23rd- Frosty Framework December 28th: MinecraftEDU - Traveling into the Future December 29th: Electronic Game Design: Bug Invasion Games December 30th: Electrical Engineering - Electrified December Club Schedule: Junior Engineering Clubs (Ages 4-6) $60 monthly per club Jr. Discovery Engineering- December 2nd, 9th, 16th, 23rd, and 30th (5pm-5:45pm) Jr. Tinkerlab- December 5th, 12th, 19th, and 26th (9:30am-10:15am) Apprentice/Master Engineering Clubs (ages 7-14) $75 monthly per club Robotics Club: Robo Battles- December 7th, 14th, 21st, and 28th (6pm-7:30pm) Coding Club:Hardware Engineering-Makey Makey- December 2nd, 9th, 16th, 23rd and 30th  (6pm-7:30pm) Girls Only Coding Club: Robotics 101- December 5th, 12th, 19th, and 26th (9am-10:30am)  Mini Camp Descriptions: MinecraftEDU- Traveling into the Future Join us in an apocalyptic future, one where the earth has been ravaged by a series of natural disasters. Each day, students rely on the engineering design process to solve a series of challenges such as building a city on a series of islands, escaping from a bunker on Mt. Everest and even building a rocket to land on the moon! Through the application of engineering principles, students solve numerous challenges as they make their virtual world of Minecraft a safe place for humanity once again. Robotics101-   During Robotics 101 program, students will learn the basics of designing, programming, and controlling a fully functional robot. Using LEGO® MINDSTORMS®, mathematical concepts, and engineering principles students will brainstorm, plan, test, and modify sequences of instructions to accomplish a given task. Students will also learn the sequence of communication between the robot, and the programmer by collecting and analyzing data using the robot's sensors. Frosty Framework-  Students will construct a gingerbread house in order to gain an understanding of structural properties in architecture, as well as the properties of different materials used in building construction. Electronic Game Design: Bug Invasion Games  Eek! The bugs are after our birthday cake!! In Electronic Game Design: Bug Invasion, we will create our own version of an invader defense game that is set in a home where we have to defend our birthday cake from an infestation of ravenous bugs! We will use the Engineering Design Process to create a storyboard to outline the rules of play and characters for our game. Then, we will use Clickteam Fusion 2.5® to bring our storyboard to life with programming. At the end of the class, everyone takes home a working Windows-compatible game (Clickteam Fusion 2.5® does not support Mac or Android operating systems). Electrical Engineering- Electrified During the Electrical Engineering classes, students use the Engineering Design Process to design, create, test, and refine basic electronics and circuits. Students experiment with Snap Circuits® to discover the capabilities of major electronic components. In addition, students build their own flashlights and explore the world of magnetic energy by building their own Magnetic Levitation vehicle.

EFK Summer Camps (And a coupon!)

Manassas Airshow 2015

Manassas Airshow

May 2, 2015

10:00 am – 4:00 pm

Many of the finest local aerobatic performers are coming to the Annual Air Show and Open House at Manassas Regional Airport in 2015. You’ll see some of the top aerobatic pilots and teams! Everyone with the Manassas Airshow is passionate about aviation and airshow entertainment. Our goal is to inspire you and the future aviators of tomorrow with safe, top quality, family friendly entertainment. The Manassas Airshow and Open House will present a wide variety of Displays and Attractions for the entire family to enjoy including the Freedom Museum based at the airport!

The thrust of the exhibit is the 20th Century – the American century. What you will see is a time line on which the stories of our local heroes are told. Many of the exhibits are artifacts and source documents donated by our local citizens. You will see the Norton Bomb Sight, military art, and the story of combat as told by the participants. Don’t miss the Local Heroes Memorial recognizing all of the men and women from Manassas, Manassas Park and Prince William County who died in all of the wars from WW I to present. You will come away with a new feeling of profound respect and admiration, for the sacrifice of families in our community.

Aircraft Displays
American Aviation
American Helicopters
Virginia Airborne Search and Rescue Squad
Aviation Adventures
Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA)
Flying Circus Airplanes
L-39 Gurardi
Commemorative Air Force
Dulles Aviation
B-25 Ponchito
WWII Tanks and Jeeps

EAA Chapter 186 – Aircraft Display
As part of the airshow, EAA Chapter 186 will be displaying a variety of member-owned aircraft. These aircraft will consist of Certified airplanes (such as Cessna, Piper, Beech) as well as homebuilt airplanes. Some of the homebuilt airplanes were built by their owners and some were purchased from the builder. One owner will be bringing his partially completed RV12 kit built aircraft. Kit-built or Experimental aircraft are similar to plastic model airplanes you built when you were young. Only when you are done with these kits, you can fly in them!

People unfamiliar with amateur-built aircraft are sometimes put off by the term “experimental”, as it can conjure up an image of something less than a “real” aircraft, or something that’s unproven. But that is not the case– “experimental” merely mean that the aircraft isn’t mass-produced in a factory. In addition, all experimental aircraft must be registered with the FAA and pass a stringent airworthiness inspection conducted either by the FAA. The plane MUST pass this inspection before it can be issued an airworthiness certificate and legally fly.

All aircraft owners will be around their airplanes and able to answer questions about them as well as letting you sit in them and see how the flight controls work. Come see the wide variety of aircraft that your neighbors own.

Military Re-enacters and Displays
Re-enactor volunteers representing different times of war will be attending show. Many authentic items will be on display including: Vehicles, Uniforms, Machine Guns, Mortars, Anti Aircraft, weapons of all kind, camps with supplies and various gear of war.

On display will be U.S., British, German, French, Russian, Spanish, Canadian. You will be able to touch a real MG, climb into a vintage tent and talk with subject expert Re-enactors.

Guest Post: BumbleABC

Thanks to Katrina for sharing about BumbleABC with us! If you'd like to guest post, just shoot me an email! 

BumbleABC is a wonderful little place inside of Engineering for Kids located in Lake Ridge, Virginia. Bumble ABC offers workshops, classes, and programs for infants – 6 year olds. They also offer field trips and birthday parties.

BumbleABC was founded and created by two local moms,  Lisa Dillard and Dori Roberts. How cool is that?!

We went and checked out their Open Play for the first time the other day. I’m not sure what I was expecting going in, I mean I knew it would be good, but this place is so awesome. My kids are still talking about it days later!

When you first walk into the building there is a waiting area and a customer service desk! Off to the side is a little spot for coffee, tea, and water.

So once you get your kiddos name tags and get all squared away with the awesome people at the desk, you can go into the play area.

OHHHHhhhhh the play area! There are HUGE foam blocks for building, a Lego wall, an area with magnaforms, potato heads, etc., a wind tunnel, a car track, a room for infants (a ROOM for INFANTS y’all!), and oh so much more.

The kids had so much fun. They painted, they ran, they jumped, they used their little noggins, and got all that built up energy out!

The things that stuck out to me the most were how KIND and ACCEPTING the employees were of all the children, and the layout. I love that I can see my children pretty much wherever they went.

Quote from the 2 year old “I loved crawling through the tunnel!”

You can check out there upcoming Open Plays ( and other programs) HERE. (Link for that is http://bumbleabc.com/registration/)

Hope you enjoy them as much as we did!

 ___________________________________________________________ 

Katrina is a Stay At Home Mom to three, one girl and two boys, and wife to her high school sweetheart. She is passionate about her faith, family, natural living, the outdoors, and all things creative. If you liked this post you can find more at Sunflowers On The Hill, where she blogs about life as a SAHM, her faith, and as well as everything in between. You can also follow her on Facebook and Pinterest.

Holiday Camps at Engineering for Kids 2014

Engineering For Kids®   Holiday Mini-Camps      Spots still open in Woodbridge & Stafford!  Discovery Center - Woodbridge Set Sail! December 22nd 8:30am - 3:30pm; Ages 7 - 14; $60/child.    During this one day camp, student will learn the principles of boat design, buoyancy, friction, and motors by working on various marine projects from Cartesian diver in a bottle to a motorized power boat. At the conclusion of the camp students will get to take home all of their creations.    Junior: Wind-Up Robot! December 22nd 10:00am - Noon; Ages 4 - 6; $20/child Step inside our workshop and build and design your own robot. Learn what goes on in side a wind-up toy and how it works - without batteries! Become a mechanical engineer and design your very own wind-up robot. Junior: Software Engineering Scratch - Go to the Moon! December 22nd 1:00pm - 3:00pm; Ages 4 - 6; $20/child. Learn the basics of computer programming while helping an astronaut complete his journey to the moon. Students will create their own custom character and write a script it to fly to the moon. All students will leave with a functioning program that they can run at home.    Rambling Roller Coasters!   December 23rd 8:30am - 3:30pm; ages 7-14; $60/child. During this one day workshop students will work in teams to build the tallest, fastest and craziest roller coaster that Engineering For Kids has ever seen and explore the concepts of gravity, friction, centripetal force, and various kinds of energy. Join Engineering For Kids for this exciting and educational workshop.   Create a Video Game! Platform Games December 29th 8:30am - 3:30pm; ages 7-14; $60/child.     During this one day camp, students get a chance to explore the work of video game design, students will use Multimedia Fusion 2® to create their own video game. A platform game is a side-scrolling, Mario-type game where students program characters and a two-dimensional obstacle course. They attempt to avoid or overcome enemies and reach an end goal on multiple levels. At the end of the camp, students take home a copy of the game they create. Chemical Engineering: Crazy Concoctions! December 30th 8:30am - 3:30pm; ages 7-14; $60/child.     During this one day camp, students use the Engineering Design Process to design, create, test, and refine various mixtures and solutions with different chemical properties. They develop solutions to clean up an oil spill, synthesize their own rocket fuel, and investigate the secrets behind color pigmentation.   Mechanical Mayhem! January 2nd 8:30am - 3:30pm; ages 7-14; $60/child.     During this one day camp students will become Mechanical Engineers by learning about the different forces and energy such as gravity, inertia, kinetic energy, and potential energy through fun, hands on activities such as creating sail boats, balloon powered cars, and roller coasters.     Engineering For Kids - Stafford    Create a Video Game! Platform Games December 22nd 8:30am - 3:30pm; ages 7-14; $60/child. During this one day camp, students get a chance to explore the work of video game design, students will use Multimedia Fusion 2® to create their own video game. A platform game is a side-scrolling, Mario-type game where students program characters and a two-dimensional obstacle course. They attempt to avoid or overcome enemies and reach an end goal on multiple levels. At the end of the camp, students take home a copy of the game they create.   Minecraft Madness! December 23rd 8:30am - 3:30pm; ages 7-14; $60/child. In this brand new camp, students will tackle a wide range of engineering challenges, all within the virtual world of Minecraft.  Students move through time into an apocalyptic future, one where the earth has been ravaged by a series of natural disasters.  At each point in the camp, students will need to rely on the engineering design process to solve a series of increasingly difficult challenges such as surviving on limited resources, building a city on a series of islands, escaping from a bunker on Mt. Everest, and even building a rocket to land on the moon!  The fate of the human race relies on the classes imagination and engineering know-how.  Through application of engineering principles, students will solve numerous challenges as they make their virtual world of Minecraft a safe place for humanity once again.       Create a Video Game! Racing Games December 29th 8:30am - 3:30pm; ages 7-14; $60/child. During this one day camp, students get a chance to explore the work of video game design, students will use Multimedia Fusion 2® to create their own video game. Students design a racetrack, race cars and an environment in which their cars compete. At the end of the camp, students take home a copy of the game they create.    Minecraft Madness! January 2nd 8:30am - 3:30pm; ages 7-14; $60/child.    In this brand new camp, students will tackle a wide range of engineering challenges, all within the virtual world of Minecraft.  Students move through time into an apocalyptic future, one where the earth has been ravaged by a series of natural disasters.  At each point in the camp, students will need to rely on the engineering design process to solve a series of increasingly difficult challenges such as surviving on limited resources, building a city on a series of islands, escaping from a bunker on Mt. Everest, and even building a rocket to land on the moon!  The fate of the human race relies on the classes imagination and engineering know-how.  Through application of engineering principles, students will solve numerous challenges as they make their virtual world of Minecraft a safe place for humanity once again.   Click Here for Mini-Camp Registration *Registration is required for all of these programs*       Don't Forget to "Like" us on Facebook!

Visit our website to register www.EngineeringForKids.com