OUT of state Summer Programs
Please note that PAGE does not endorse any particular programs listed here. These links are provided for informational purposes only. If you have any programs to suggest (that either serve the gifted community specifically or are programs that might be of particular interest to the gifted community), please contact us at [email protected]
Oregon
Saturday Academy Classes & Camps (several locations in the greater Portland area) — for students grades 4 – 12. Affiliated with the University of Portland. Special camps include EcoChallenge Camp and TAG [Talented and Gifted] Challenge Camp.
Oregon Museum of Science & History (OMSI) (Portland and destination camps in CA, OR, WA & Canada) — programs for students grades K – 12, as well as family programs for all ages. OMSI offers some of the most comprehensive summer science camps and classes programs on the west coast.
Oregon Museum of Science & History (OMSI) (Portland and destination camps in CA, OR, WA & Canada) — programs for students grades K – 12, as well as family programs for all ages. OMSI offers some of the most comprehensive summer science camps and classes programs on the west coast.
national
There are many summer programs for the gifted all over the country, several affiliated with major universities. One good resource that lists most of them is the Davidson Institute’s national database, under summer programs and articles. (In addition, many universities have challenging and engaging summer programs that are not specifically affiliated with their gifted program.) Some of the more well-known programs include:
- Johns Hopkins University, Center for Talented Youth (CTY) (several locations)
- Stanford University, Pre-Collegiate Summer Institutes (Stanford, CA)
- Duke University, Talent Identification Program (TIP) (several locations)
- Northwestern University, Center for Talent Development (Illinois)
- Western Kentucky University, The Center for Gifted Studies (Bowling Green, KY)
- Purdue University, Gifted Education Research Institute (West Lafayette, IN)
- Yale / Wellesley / Wheaton Universities, EXPLO (CT, MA, IL)
- Davidson THINK Summer Institute (Reno, NV)
- The National Society for the Gifted & Talented, Summer Institute for the Gifted (SIG) (several locations)
- Center for Excellence in Education, Research Science Institute (Cambridge, MA @ MIT)
- Institute for Educational Advancement (CA, CO, MI)
Additional programs:
- Epsilon Camp / Delta Camp (different location each year) — Epsilon Camp for children ages 9 – 11. Delta Camp for children ages 6.5 – 8. A residential camp serving promising young mathematicians and their families through an intensive student program and parent workshop. This program is for children who are not only very competent at math, but are passionate about it.
- MathPath (different location each year) — for students ages 11 – 14. Advanced Summer Camp for students who show high promise and love mathematics.
- SigmaCamp (Northeast U.S.) — for students ages 12 – 16. A week-long math and science sleepaway camp, SigmaCamp gives campers a unique opportunity to learn math and science from professional scientists. Faculty include leading specialists from Stony Brook University, Brookhaven National Lab and Harvard Medical School.
- Space Camp (Huntsville, AL) — programs for students grades 4 – 12, as well as family programs for ages 7+. Choose from three different programs: Space Camp incorporates real-world applications of science, technology, engineering and math education. Trainees prepare to become the new generation of lunar explorers, with hands-on activities that place them in the role of spacecraft designers/mission controllers and astronauts; Aviation Challenge Camp is a fast-paced, military-style program that uses simulated, realistic combat scenarios. Trainees are immersed in the fascinating realms of flight while learning about wilderness survival and the military lifestyle; Robotics Camp incorporates real-world applications of STEM. Trainees learn what it’s like to engineer and design robotics on land, in the air, and underwater and are also immersed in teamwork and leadership skills in a simulated business environment where winning proposal teams design and build robots.
- World Peace Game Camp (different locations each year) — for students entering grades 4 – 7. The World Peace Game Camp is an opportunity for boys and girls to experience a 5-day intensive version of John Hunter’s World Peace Game, a four-tiered structure that puts the problems of the world within reach of the students. Students are organized into country teams with Prime Ministers, Secretaries of Defense, and Cabinet staff. Other important roles in the game are the Secretary of the United Nations, President of the World Bank, Arms Dealers, Weather Goddess, and the Saboteur. This game exposes children to systems thinking, critical and creative problem-solving, leadership responsibilities, decision making, negotiation, and much more.
- Concordia Language Villages (Minnesota) — programs for children and youth ages 7 – 18, as well as family programs for all ages. Foreign language immersion programs in 15 languages, for every age and level of ability. An approach to language teaching that puts villagers into a grand simulation of a trip abroad and into a culturally authentic setting—similar to what you might find in that foreign country—but filled with carefully designed learning opportunities and well-trained language teachers who help villagers understand what they hear, learn how to respond and converse, and practice new skills all day, every day.
