Calgary Science Summer Camp 2026 for Kids Ages 6-12

Forces, Motion & Simple Machines Camp
Get ready for a fun-filled week of hands-on science and engineering. In this camp, students explore how forces affect motion and how simple machines help us do work more easily. Through experiments, design challenges, and interactive games, children investigate friction, energy, Newton’s laws of motion, pulleys, levers, and more while building creative projects and testing their ideas like real engineers.

Day 1 – Push, Pull & Friction
Students begin by learning about pushes, pulls, and friction through real-life examples and interactive demonstrations. They investigate how different surfaces affect motion by testing toy cars on ramps made with materials such as sandpaper, cardboard, and plastic. They also build and launch balloon rockets to explore action-and-reaction forces. The main engineering project for the day is a rubber band-powered car, where students experiment with design ideas to see which car travels the farthest. The day also includes science journaling and a movement-based force game.

Day 2 – Newton’s Laws of Motion
Campers explore Newton’s three laws of motion through engaging demonstrations and hands-on challenges. They perform an inertia experiment by flicking an index card and observing how a coin drops into a cup. They also take part in an egg drop challenge, designing protective structures to absorb impact. In the engineering portion of the day, students create a shock-absorbing vehicle to protect a marshmallow passenger while rolling down a ramp. Science journaling and a science bingo game help reinforce key vocabulary and concepts.

Day 3 – Simple Machines
Students discover how simple machines such as levers, pulleys, inclined planes, and wheels make work easier. They build and test a pulley lift system and investigate how changing the fulcrum affects the force needed in a lever. For the engineering project, students design and build a mini catapult using popsicle sticks and rubber bands, then test how far their launched objects can travel. The day ends with reflection activities and a team engineering tower challenge.

Day 4 – Energy & Motion
This day focuses on potential and kinetic energy and how energy changes form during motion. Students build marble roller coasters to observe how height affects speed, and they investigate pendulums by measuring swing time and comparing different string lengths. For the engineering project, campers create a chain reaction machine, where one action triggers another in a fun sequence. Science journaling and an energy relay game help students connect their experiments to real-world energy transfer.

Day 5 – Engineering Challenge Day
On the final day, students apply everything they have learned throughout the week in the Ultimate Racing Car Challenge. They redesign, test, and improve their rubber band-powered cars to make them move faster or farther. Investigation stations include race track testing and a design improvement lab where students adjust wheels, weight, and rubber band tension. The camp finishes with science journaling and a force obstacle course that reinforces pushing, pulling, and rolling in a fun and active way.

7.5 hours program | 
Drop-Off Time: 8.00 AM - 8.30 AM
Pick-Up Time: 4:00 PM - 4.30 PM