Science

Science, Robotics, Engineering

Summer

slimetopia 4: once upon a slime morning camp

7-11 Yr Olds

Step into a storybook world of slime in this enchanting STEAM adventure! Each day brings a new literary twist, from building Camp Half-Blood cabins to engineering Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Ride. Campers will create magical slimes like Evil Hot Dog, Butter Beer, and Chocolate Engineer while diving into favorite tales like Harry Potter, Dog Man, Percy Jackson, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. It’s messy, magical, and made for imagination!

  • Register Here
  • Cost: $229r/$244nr
  • Registration Deadline: July 21 (or when full)
  • Instructors: Rachel Franklin & Challenge Island Staff
  • Date: Aug 4-7
  • Time: 8:00am-12:00pm

  • Location: Cityside MS - Cafeteria

amusement park island mini camp

7-11 Yr Olds

Welcome to Amusement Park Island STEAM Camp, where the only limit is your imagination! At Roller Coaster Cliff, you will dive into the exhilarating world of physics by designing roller coasters that defy gravity and create unforgettable thrills. Zipline Zone offers a heart-pounding adventure, where you’ll learn about aerodynamics and teamwork while soaring through the sky! And in the magical Bubble Springs, creativity bubbles over as you’ll explore the science of water and design their very own bubbly creations!

  • Register Here
  • Cost: $46r/$61nr
  • Registration Deadline: July 23 (or when full)
  • Instructors: Rachel Franklin & Challenge Island Staff
  • Date: Wed, Aug 6
  • Time: 5:30pm-8:30pm

  • Location: Cityside MS - ELA Room

space explorer camp

7-11 Yr Olds

Get ready for a journey through time and space as we meet the great explorers. From Copernicus to Galileo, to the Wright Brothers to Amelia Earhart. From Neil Armstrong to Mae Jemison to wherever your imagination will take you!

  • Registration: Closed on June 23
  • Instructors: Rachel Franklin & Challenge Island Staff
  • Date: July 21-24
  • Time: 8:00am-12:00pm

  • Location: Cityside MS - ELA Room

Fall & Winter

lego robotics team

4th-5th Gr

Join our Lego Robotics Team! In the FIRST LEGO® League, youth dive into hands-on STEM exploration—building and programming LEGO® robots to solve real-world challenges in an exciting, friendly competition. Participants develop critical thinking, confidence, and teamwork while learning engineering and coding fundamentals. It’s a thrilling way to grow STEM skills and habits of learning together! This program includes two practices per week (Mon & Thur) along with 1-2 Saturday morning practices in order to prepare for a Nov 22 competition at Grandville Robotics Center. More details on that competition will be released at a later date. There are two teams available, each with 10 spots available. Please only register for one of the two teams. 

  • Register Here (Online Registration Opens Mon, Aug 4 @ 5am)
  • Registration Instructions: There are two teams available, each with 10 spots available. Please only register for one of the two teams. 
  • Cost: $100r/$115nr
  • Instructors: Matt Michielsen, DuAnne Masselink, Hilda Westrate, ZHS Robotics team
  • Practices: Sept 8-Nov 20 | M & TH |  4:00-5:00 PM | Additional 1-2 Sat AM practices
  • Competition: Sat, Nov 22 | Grandville Robotics Center | More info released at later date

  • Location: Creekside MS - Quack Shack

halloween science madness

5 Yr Olds-8th Gr

Join us for this one-day Halloween Science Madness, where costumes meet chemistry! Come dressed in your favorite costume and prepare for a thrilling, hands-on adventure in spooky science. We’ll dive into spooky, spectacular science experiments with our very own mad scientist, Mr. Brad Stevens. It’ll be a frightfully fun, educational experience that promises laughter, learning, and a little bit of Halloween magic!

  • Register Here (Online Registration Opens Mon, Aug 4 @ 5am)
  • Cost: $25r/$40nr
  • Instructor: Brad Stevens (ZPS Science Teacher)
  • 5 Yr Olds-1st Gr: Sat, Oct 25 | 8:00-9:00 AM
  • 2nd-3rd Gr: Sat, Oct 25 | 9:30-11:00 AM
  • 4th-5th Gr: Sat, Oct 25 | 11:30 AM-1:00 PM 
  • 6th-8th Gr: Sat, Oct 25 | 1:30-3:00 PM

  • Location: Zeeland West HS - Room J125

THANKS-STEAM-ING

7-11 Yr Olds

Get ready for a STEAM-filled celebration of all things Thanksgiving! This festive workshop is packed with hands-on fun, seasonal silliness, and gratitude-powered creativity. From slimy creations to engineering challenges, kids will gobble up the fun as they design and test their own Mayflower Float, march into action with a Thanksgiving Day Parade challenge, mix up ooey-gooey Pumpkin Slime, and laugh their tail feathers off in a Turkey Pardon game.

  • Register Here (Online Registration Opens Mon, Aug 4 @ 5am)
  • Cost: $45r/$60nr
  • Instructors: Rachel Franklin & Challenge Island Staff
  • Date: Sat, Nov 22
  • Time: 9:00 AM-12:00 PM

  • Location: Cityside MS - Cafeteria

steam-ing through the holidays

7-11 Yr Olds

Step into a winter wonderland of creativity with this holiday workshop designed to keep young minds active! Participants will embark on a series of hands-on STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) activities that blend learning with holiday fun. They'll take on Santa’s Sleigh Ride Engineering Challenge, where they can explore principles of aerodynamics and design by constructing their own sleighs. The excitement continues as they craft their own Spinning Snowmen, combining art and physics to create delightful, twirling decorations. To top it all off, kids will dive into the world of chemistry by making stretchy, sparkly Festive Slime, adding a touch of glittery joy to their scientific exploration. This workshop promises a season filled with laughter, learning, and holiday magic.

  • Register Here (Online Registration Opens Mon, Aug 4 @ 5am)
  • Cost: $45r/$60nr
  • Instructors: Rachel Franklin & Challenge Island Staff
  • Date: Sat, Dec 13
  • Time: 5:00 - 8:00 PM

  • Location: Cityside MS - Cafeteria

total slime takeover (slime & Engineering camp)

7-11 Yr Olds

Pack your slime passport for a messy, magical STEAM adventure where participants will embark on an imaginative journey through sky-high thrills, volcanic zones, and spooky European legends. Throughout this screen-free experience, young explorers will mix up a world of creative slimes—everything from fluffy, cloud-like concoctions to bubbling fruity blends and eerie Transylvania Blood. They’ll also engineer epic builds such as flying forts, lava jumps, and a thrilling Hydra Head Launcher. With themed days—including High Flying Slime Day, Awesome Asia, and Yay Yay Europe—campers will combine hands-on science and engineering challenges with cultural adventure, creating memories (and slime) that are as educational as they are unforgettable.

  • Register Here (Online Registration Opens Mon, Aug 4 @ 5am)
  • Cost: $45r/$60nr
  • Instructors: Rachel Franklin & Challenge Island Staff
  • Date: Dec 29-31
  • Time: 8:30 AM-12:00 PM

  • Location: Cityside MS - Cafeteria

under the sea steam splash

7-11 Yr Olds

Embark on a splashtacular, science-filled underwater escapade! Inspired by your favorite ocean explorers, this STEAM-powered event is packed with hands-on activities, quirky challenges, and oceanic surprises.Kids will craft their own Under the Sea Slime, blending colors and textures to create a squishy ocean masterpiece. They'll engineer a seaworthy Pirate Ship, testing buoyancy and design in a fun STEM challenge. Additionally, they'll race in the Plankton’s Slow Race, designing and testing their own plankton models to see who can sink the slowest. Dive into this ocean of fun, where learning meets laughter beneath the waves!

  • Register Here (Online Registration Opens Mon, Aug 4 @ 5am)
  • Cost: $45r/$60nr
  • Instructors: Rachel Franklin & Challenge Island Staff
  • Date: Sat, Jan 24
  • Time: 1:00-4:00 PM

  • Location: Cityside MS - Cafeteria

glow crazy steam night

7-11 Yr Olds

Get ready to ignite your imagination with an electrifying glow-in-the-dark adventure! This hands-on program delves into the fascinating science behind luminescence, offering a series of engaging activities that combine creativity, learning, and fun. Participants will have the opportunity to design and race their own glowing Glow Coaster, construct a blinking, bouncing Alien Arcade Game, and concoct their very own stretchy, shimmering Glow Slime. Each challenge is crafted to encourage exploration and laughter, ensuring that everything glows—and everything goes—in this illuminating experience.

  • Register Here (Online Registration Opens Mon, Aug 4 @ 5am)
  • Cost: $45r/$60nr
  • Instructors: Rachel Franklin & Challenge Island Staff
  • Date: Sat, Feb 28
  • Time: 5:00 - 8:00 PM

  • Location: Cityside MS - Cafeteria