• Five-day, Monday to Friday program:
9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. each day
• Optional extended care:
8:00 – 9:00 a.m. $45 per week and/or
4:00 – 6:00 p.m. $90 per week
• Optional lunch: N/A
• Apply for our Counselor in Training (CIT) program:
Rising 10th-12th grade students call (315) 773-5673
• Limited to 10 children, rising 5th to 9th grade
• $25 sibling or multi-session discount applies
• Call for your personal referral coupon code and save!
• Instructor & assistant to child ratio is 5:1 or less
• Your instructor, Majoring in engineering, Brett Zaorski
We start by learning about the parts of a rocket and discover what makes it fly. With a buddy, your child then designs, builds, and tests a rocket, under the supervision of the lead instructor. Teams also make water rockets out of two-liter soda bottles and fly them in different configurations. Campers will examine a cool model of the Nike Smoke sounding rocket, and then run computer simulations to check optimal solid fuel quantities.
At the end of the week campers will launch their rockets for family and friends. No previous model building experience is necessary; returning campers or ones with model rocket experience may build a two-stage rocket.
“Our daughter had a terrific week and was full of stories and enthusiasm each day when she came home.”
– the Workman Family
“Oh gosh. It just sounded like fun. My son was thrilled. He had a blast. And he got home and called his grandfather, who is an engineer actually. And they started talking. I heard them in the other room using words… altitude, calculations and that was after the first day. He was just happy!”
– Elizabeth Merritt, mom
“Our daughter had a terrific week at the Summer Rocket Blast Off. It looks like we will be setting aside shop area for rocket building!”
– Westford, MA parent
“This was a great experience for my child. The instructor was a fantastic teacher who instilled practical information and excited the students imagination. Thanks for a great experience!”
– parent
YOUR INSTRUCTOR
Majoring in Biomedical Engineering at Case Western Reserve University
While Brett is currently studying biomedical engineering and has taken advanced physics courses, he has been fascinated by weather and science since middle school. What better way to explore the intersection of these interests than with the launching of a rocket? 2020 saw America’s return to space flight with the Falcon 9 launch. Brett is looking forward to leading our own launch adventure, “Summer Rocket Blast Off!”
Your child is challenged to satisfy mission objectives, by modifying components like lightweight cardboard tubes and balsa fins, or adding a payload bay to launch with a small cargo. The engineering of real-world rocket science comes to life, as your child uses the same software professional engineers use. They will develop flight simulations and predictions, and learn to work collaboratively with other team members.
Your child will experience the hands-on challenges of real-world rocket science! Campers use rocket design simulation software to test different designs, motors, and flight conditions. And few things compare to the excitement of launching a rocket, that you have made.
By using the rocket flight simulator, campers learn the importance of accurate data entry, estimating, and troubleshooting when the simulation results are off. Under the supervision of an engineer, your child builds their rocket piece by piece, thinking, modifying, and testing. This forms an understanding of the engineering design process, in a way that they own. Fun and satisfying.