Every summer, we are pleased to open our doors to students moving into 4th, 5th, and 6th grade for weeklong NOVA experiences. Our priorities: learning, connection, and fun!

We place an emphasis on creating our school culture within the week's experience, with classes that offer exciting learning but also careful attention to kindness and compassion. Every year, the offerings are different, but the purpose remains the same: to inspire students' wonder and curiosity, to share our approach with the wider community, and to allow families with younger students to get to know NOVA. 

2019 Dates

Session One: July 29 – August 2
Session Two: August 5 – 9

 
Morning Programs are from 9am to 12pm. Afternoon Programs are from 1pm to 4pm. 
 
If your child is attending a morning and afternoon program during the same session, we provide supervision between programs. Your child will need to bring a lunch.
 
Morning and afternoon programs are $160 each, and the full day program is $320.

As programs fill, we offer the option to be on a waitlist. We will contact people on this list if a spot becomes available. You will have 24 hours to either accept the spot or decline, after which we will offer it to the next person on the list.

Class descriptions are below. Register here >>>>

Session One: July 29 – August 2
Morning Program

Pick one program for the entire week. Choose between:

Animation (Hurry! Only a few spots left)
Become the director of your own cartoon animations. Let’s create handmade animated films with and without computers. We’ll learn to animate by using both 16mm film and iPad stop motion animation. This will be an action-packed animation camp with lots of hands-on activities to keep our bodies and minds busy. (No previous animation experience needed.)

Bringing Science Alive
Spend a week of inquiry-based, hands-on science! The scientific method will be examined through a series of possible questions:  “What is DNA and how can we extract it?”, “Can We Encapsulate Yeast to Explore Diffusion and Enzymes?”, “Why do we need Yeast to Make Bread Rise?”, “How Does Diffusion Actually Work?”, “How do Plants Bring in Carbon Dioxide?” and “Can we learn about photosynthesis by racing leaves?” Students will have an opportunity to design their own experiments and be fully engaged in the process of doing science.

Feature Creature
Create your own dynamic “feature creature” along with its own unique habitat. Be as creative and outrageous as your unlimited imagination will allow. Using self- drying clay, paints, found objects and any easy to attach foliage, your newly “discovered” creature will be the talk of the town. This workshop has been a big hit with kids who love where the wild things roam!

Papermaking
Make your own beautiful, botanical papers using recycled materials along with leaves, seeds, flower petals, and grasses we will collect around the NOVA School grounds. After constructing your own mold and deckle based on original, ancient methods, you will produce a variety of colorful, textural, handmade papers you can use for making gifts, cards, signs, books, and much more. This is a fun class that is sure to fascinate you!

Stock Market
Try your hand at the stock market with this look at business. Basic information about stocks will be implemented into a simulation that will run for the week. How to choose companies for investment, how to purchase stocks, how to sell your stocks, and how to monitor your portfolio will all be part of the big picture. Come build a portfolio!

Session One: July 29 – August 2
Afternoon Program

Pick one program for the entire week. Choose between:

Chess
Learn the strategy and classic maneuvers used by all the grand masters. This class will center on small group instruction with the ability to practice in a one-on-one environment complete with tournaments!

Comic Books
Make your very own comic books and share them with family and friends. We will fuse visual art with storytelling to create your own unique comics. You’ll also learn to draw other comic book styles including Anime, Manga, and graphic novels.

Freestyle Mosaics
Learn a variety of mosaic techniques in cutting, color, and composition, while working on your own piece in your own style and using selected materials such as glass, ceramic tiles, pebbles, and beads. In one week, you'll create a beautiful, original masterpiece you'll want to keep forever or give as a unique and special gift! All materials, tools and supplies are provided.

Glorious Gadgets
Make an out-of-this-world robot-like companion using only found objects. Your creation will include the basic humanoid or animal form with clever ways to animate it. This workshop requires innovation and lots of daring ideas in order to make the funniest gadgets imaginable. All inventors welcome!

Sew What?
Come explore the world of sewing! Have fun learning basic hand and machine sewing skills in a fun and supportive atmosphere. Whether you’ve never picked up a needle and thread, or you have experience sewing your own clothes, there will be fun projects for every level.

Video Game Design  - FULL. Wait list available.
In this computer lab-based class, you will design and create your own video games. Learn about visual programming using Microsoft KODU software to make and play your own 3D simulation video games and also play games made by other students. You’ll gain coding experience with online programs such as Code.org, Codecademy, and Microsoft Touch Develop. As well as basic programming skills, students will learn important mathematical and computational ideas, and practice problem solving, storytelling, and creative thinking.

Session Two: August 5 – 9
Morning Program

Pick one program for the entire week. Choose between:

Art Like the Masters
Dive into the lives of artists from around the world and then recreate art in their styles. Try your hand at different artistic styles!
 
Birding
Get out in the fresh air and start building your life list! This course is designed to help young birders develop their talent and passion for tracking and identifying species.
 
Creative Hand Lettering
Learn the creative and invaluable art of hand lettering! This class will cover the techniques, tools, and guidelines for creating interesting, hand-drawn fonts and graphics for signs, scrapbooks, cards, invitations, collages, and more. For your final project you will design your own, original, hand-drawn alphabet! All supplies and materials are provided.
 
Piccolario Rod Puppets
Design, build, and put your rod puppet through its acting paces. This class will focus on the creative aspects of rod puppet construction. Go from idea to final product in just five days!
 
Robotics - FULL. Wait list available.
Learn to construct and write code for a robot! Using Lego Mindstorm kits, we will be designing robots to carry out any task you can think of. With various motors and sensors at your disposal, there is a huge amount of possibility. No matter your level of coding experience, if you are interested in learning then we have a place for you in this class.
 
Sew What?
Come explore the world of sewing! Have fun learning basic hand and machine sewing skills in a fun and supportive atmosphere. Whether you’ve never picked up a needle and thread, or you have experience sewing your own clothes, there will be fun projects for every level. 

Session Two: August 5 – 9
Afternoon Program

Pick one program for the entire week. Choose between:

Board Game Design
Do you love to play board games? Did you ever wonder about the process for making many of the classic and current award-winning board games? You will be able to fuse creativity, style, and a love for rulemaking when you create your own board game. Who knows – it might even become a smash hit!
 
Chess
Learn the strategy and classic maneuvers used by all the grand masters. This class will center on small group instruction with the ability to practice in a one-on-one environment complete with tournaments!

Glorious Gadgets
Make an out-of-this-world robot-like companion using only found objects. Your creation will include the basic humanoid or animal form with clever ways to animate it. This workshop requires innovation and lots of daring ideas in order to make the funniest gadgets imaginable. All inventors welcome!

Latin American Cooking
What better way to learn Spanish than by getting hands-on making food that is popular in Spanish speaking countries? Que deliciosa!

Mixed Media Mosaics
Take your mosaic skills to the next level, or learn an all-new set of skills. In this class, we will bring the ancient art of mosaics up to the present day through a variety of unexpected materials including small toys, wood, metals, coins, costume jewelry, found objects, and seashells. We'll even make our own tiles to mosaic with. Your final project will be a meaningful piece of unique and original art! Most materials and supplies will be provided; students are also encouraged to use their own collections of interesting objects.

Robotics
Learn to construct and write code for a robot! Using Lego Mindstorm kits, we will be designing robots to carry out any task you can think of. With various motors and sensors at your disposal, there is a huge amount of possibility. No matter your level of coding experience, if you are interested in learning then we have a place for you in this class.

Register here >>>> 

Questions? Please email us at discoveries@novaschool.org or call us at (360) 491-7097.