I’m counting the years until my children are old enough for summer camp at KANEKO. Have you seen their class list? Video game design, 3D design, architecture and robotics? Very cool stuff.

The Omaha creative nonprofit reached out to me recently because my readers (you guys!) are very much the kind of parents who’d enroll their kids into a creative, fun summer camp. KANEKO has two-, four- and eight-day camps for children ages 12 to 15.

I asked Michael Hollins, director of programming, if campers needed some background experience in, say, robotics, but nope, no experience is necessary.

“We are able to accept and challenge all skill levels due to the quality of instructors,” said Hollins.

 

KANEKO Summer Camps

Three camps are returning this summer – Architecture Design, Video Game Design, and 3D Design and Fabrication – and there’s one new camp on Robotics. Please note that some of the sessions listed below may be sold out already.

Here are the details on the camps:

Architecture Camp – Students will participate in visual literacy exercises, walking tours of architecture in Omaha’s Old Market District, 3D modeling and emerging digital technologies, visits to local design firms, physical model prototyping, and architectural communication.

Dates (four-day camp): June 20 – 23; June 27 – 30; and July 25 – 28; 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Cost: $225 ($200 for KANEKO Members) and includes all materials and lunches, as well as a KANEKO Camp T-shirt and notebook.

 

Video Game Design Camp – Students will be introduced to the history of game theory, learn about rule-based systems and interactive narrative design, practice creating games collaboratively and explore what it means to engage in meaningful play. Campers will also be exposed to analog game forms, the Unity 3D development environment, as well as Blender and Adobe Photoshop software applications.

Dates (four-day camp): June 6 – 9 and June 13 – 16; 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Cost: $225 ($200 for KANEKO Members) and includes all materials and lunches, as well as a KANEKO Camp T-shirt and notebook.

 

Robotics Camp {new!} – Students will learn about the different types of industrial robots, their real world applications, and programming them for problem solving. Includes field trips to Iowa Western’s Robotics Lab and ACIETA Robot Integrator. Students will also learn to program a robotic arm via simulation software and will build a simple manipulator arm that they may take home at the end of the camp.

Dates (two-day camp): May 31 – June 1 and June 2 – 3; 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Cost: $150 ($125 for KANEKO Members) and includes all materials and lunches, as well as a KANEKO Camp T-shirt and notebook.

 

3D Design and Fabrication Camp – This eight-day camp will focus on Computer-Aided Design (CAD), 3D modeling, 3D printing, and fabrication. Campers will get a firm understanding of advanced science and technology concepts related to rapid-prototyping and learn first-hand how the technology is being used in art, design, medicine, and manufacturing. Students will learn to design their own 3D models using programs like 123D Design and Sketchup.

Date (eight-day camp runs over two weeks): July 11 – 14 & July 18-21; 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Cost: $325 ($300 for KANEKO Members) and includes all materials and lunches, as well as a KANEKO Camp T-shirt and notebook.

 

Registering For Camp

Hollins said there are spots available in all disciplines, but some individual camps are full. So, pretty much, if there’s a camp you kid wants to do, don’t wait much longer to enroll! Scholarships are available. Begin the registration at Kaneko.org.

 

Where is KANEKO?

KANEKO is in the Old Market at 1111 Jones St.

 

Disclosure: I was compensated for writing this post. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own.