For the past 24 summers, Aim for the Stars has hosted a hands-on, informal science- and math-oriented summer camp in the Omaha metro area. The camp is offered weekly starting each Monday from June 3-July 29, 2024. Camp sessions will meet at the University of Nebraska-Omaha.
Read the following camp descriptions by grade level to help you and your child choose the best science or math camps for them.
CAMPS FOR THIRD-FOURTH GRADERS Camps with off-campus field trips are marked with *.
Totally Cool Math and Science Combo
Cost: $260
Offered weeks of 6/3, 6/17, 7/8, 7/22
Experience being inside a bubble! Begin to explore the exciting worlds of Science and Math through sound, light and color! M&M Math, bubbles, pitch, mirrors and color top the list of activities. Make tessellation t-shirts! Solve puzzles and play with time. Play Egyptian Baseball! Make oobleck and get MESSY! This camp will also include a field trip to the Kiewit Luminarium.
*Dinosaurs!
Cost: $260
Offered weeks of 6/10, 6/24, 7/15, 7/29
Campers immerse themselves into the Mesozoic Era with this hands-on camp that’s all about dinosaurs! Learn about size, how they walked, and explore the world of fossils! Campers will take a field trip to Morrill Hall and visit the prehistoric animals that roamed Nebraska.
CAMPS FOR FOURTH-FIFTH GRADERS Camps with off-campus field trips are marked with *.
*Architecture & 3D Printing
Cost: $260
Offered weeks of 6/17, 7/15
Using science and technology, campers will become city planners and design the playground of their dreams! They will use 3D printers to bring their ideas to life, tour the park at the Gene Leahy Mall at the RiverFront, and hear from local architects about how to go pursue an architecture degree.
*Art in Science
Cost: $260
Offered week of 6/3
Scientists become great artists in Art in Science! Create and mount your own creations based on the works of several artists. Discover the science of shapes and structure in nature. Campers will visit Hotshops and see the many different artists that use science in their work!
Astronomical Adventures
Cost: $260
Offered weeks of 6/3, 7/22
Build and launch a rocket! Learn about planets, stars and moons in the NEWLY REMODELED Mallory Kountze Planetarium. Study solar activity with large telescopes on our rooftop observatory. Compete in the Great Balloon Race and much more!
*Earth Science - What Rocks Our Earth
Cost: $260
Offered weeks of 6/10, 7/8
If you like to dig for rocks and fossils, this is for you! You will visit Schramm Park for a fossil dig. Discover what geologists do and make a stratigraphic model. Learn how to identify minerals, create artesian wells and study river systems using the university’s stream table. Earth Science will really rock you!
*Eco-Excitement - Biology
Cost: $260
Offered weeks of 6/10, 7/15
Jump into Eco Excitement! Study plants, animals and their relationship with the environment. Learn about the predator/prey cycle, and why it is important to us. Study tiny water creatures at Heron Haven Wetland Sanctuary. Visit Glacier Creek and net some insects! Build a critter condominium for a tiny critter. Study living organisms in Eco Excitement Biology Camp!
Get Your Game On! Strategies of the Mind
Cost: $260
Offered weeks of 6/10, 7/8
Learn or extend your skills in Chess, Checkers, Stratego and other games as you strengthen your problem-solving skills. Play games all day and learn strategies to outwit worthy opponents. Learn how to THINK TO WIN!
*Physics with Toys
Cost: $260
Offered weeks of 6/24, 7/22
Learn all about spinning, pulling and pushing! Investigate Lake Manawa's Dreamland Park and your toy box. Science is everywhere! What do butter and simple machines have in common? A mighty tasty exploration!
*Understanding Electricity
Cost: $260
Offered week of 6/17
Harness wind, water and solar power using windmills, solar panels and turbines. Find out about giant wind turbines and geothermal energy. Visit an Omaha Public Power District facility! (Conditions permitting)
*STEM in Sports
Cost: $260
Offered weeks of 6/24, 7/29
Campers who love sports and engineering will love this camp! STEM in sports combines STEM concepts, sports FUNdamentals, and engineering practices. Learn about the physics behind basketball and then engineer a goal launcher!
VEX Robotics I
Cost: $260
Offered weeks of 7/8, 7/22
This camp is part engineering lab and part competition! Campers work together to code robots to compete in several robotic events throughout the week. Brainstorming creative solutions to engineering situations using rotation, light, ultrasonic and touch sensors, students practice collaboration and problem-solving skills. Campers will also visit the Creative Production Lab at UNO's Criss Library.
VEX Robotics II
Cost: $260
Offered weeks of 7/15, 7/29
Campers must have taken VEX Robotics I before enrolling in this camp. This camp is part engineering lab and part competition! Campers work together to code robots to compete in Robot Olympics. Brainstorming creative solutions to engineering situations using rotation, light, ultrasonic and touch sensors, students practice collaboration and problem-solving skills. Campers will also visit the Creative Production Lab at UNO's Criss Library. This camp builds on skills previously learned in the Vex I robotics camp.
*Weather — Forces of Nature
Cost: $260
Offered weeks of 6/17, 7/29
Forces of Nature can make kids mini meteorologists! Study meteorology and explore hurricanes, tornadoes, hail, rain, snow and on and on! Meet weather forecasters. Visit the National Weather Service office in Valley. This camp is for you whatever the weather!
*Zoology
Cost: $260
Offered weeks of 6/3, 6/24
In Zoology, we study extreme animals! What makes animals different and unique? Learn about adaptations, visit Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and Lee G. Simmons Wildlife Safari Park to observe animal adaptations at work, create an ocean habitat t-shirt, and more. Have fun with others who love animals!
CAMPS FOR SIXTH-EIGHTH GRADERS Camps with off-campus field trips are marked with *.
*Architecture & 3D Printing
Cost: $260
Offered weeks of 6/10, 6/24, 7/22
Using science and technology, campers will become structural engineers and design a tree house of their dreams! They will use 3D printers to bring their ideas to life, take a field trip to the Arbor Day Farm and Treetop Village, and hear from local architects about how to go pursue an architecture degree.
Astronomy
Cost: $260
Offered weeks of 6/17, 7/8
Explore electromagnetic energy in the NEWLY REMODELED Mallory Kountze Planetarium! Learn how gravity binds solar systems together or tears them apart. Spend an evening viewing the planets and deep-sky objects through full-size telescopes! Build and launch your own rocket.
Adventures in the Chem Lab
Cost: $260
Offered weeks of 6/3, 7/8, 7/22
Helium, hydrogen, oxygen…. Things blow up! Things freeze! Watch chemical changes and make a polymer. Campers experiment with kitchen chemistry, the chemistry of everyday things, and ice cream in an instant are mysteries to be solved with chemistry. This hands-on camp will introduce campers to the wonderful world of chemistry!
*Art in Science
Cost: $260
Offered week of 6/10
Scientists become great artists in Art in Science! Create and mount your own creations based on the works of several artists. Discover the science of shapes and structure in nature. Campers will visit Hotshops and see the many different artists that use science in their work!
Astrobiology
Cost: $260
Offered weeks of 6/10, 7/29
Join the quest for extraterrestrial life and learn about the effects of outer space on living organisms. Look for life under a microscope. Study UFOs! Discuss what life is. Search for life in space! Campers will visit the NEWLY REMODELED Mallory Kountze Planetarium!
Dynamic Earth
Cost: $260
Offered weeks of 6/24, 7/15
Investigate the earth and our interactions with it. Use maps and computers to learn about unique landscapes. Explore geography with activities such as an afternoon of GEOcaching, making sand candles and mosaic maps and creating your own island with contour lines. Visit Morrill Hall and participate in the rocks and minerals gallery program. And more!
*Math and the Arts
Cost: $260
Offered weeks of 6/17, 7/22
This camp is for kids who LOVE math and participating in different types of arts. Campers will use math in a performance arts activity, learn how math relates to music, express mathematical concepts in visual arts, and discover how math influences the arts community with a visit to Hotshops.
*Nebraska Ecology - Biology
Cost: $260
Offered weeks of 6/3, 7/15
Investigate the past and present history of ecology in Nebraska! Collect and examine specimens at Chalco Hills Recreation site. Explore the plants and animals that make up Nebraska’s unique biome! It's a biological and ecological adventure! Representatives of the Nebraska Raptor Recovery and Nebraska Wildlife Rehab will visit this camp along with animal ambassadors from their programs.
Forensic Science
Cost: $260
Offered weeks of 6/3, 7/8, 7/22
Forensic Science is all about criminal investigation! Use your observational skills and logical thinking to study codes and code breaking, osteology and entomology. Learn all about hair samples, blood spatters and fingerprints. Use software to create composite facial sketches. A forensic speaker from the Omaha Police Department will share real-life crime scene investigations and discuss career pathways.
Get Your Game On! Strategies of the Mind
Cost: $260
Offered weeks of 6/24, 7/15, 7/29
Learn or extend your skills in Chess, Checkers, Stratego and other games as you strengthen your problem-solving skills. Play games all day and learn strategies to outwit worthy opponents. Learn how to THINK TO WIN!
*Understanding Electricity
Cost: $260
Offered week of 7/29
This camp has the same information as the 4th-5th grade camp but taught at a higher level. Harness wind, water and solar power using windmills, solar panels and turbines. Find out about giant wind turbines and geothermal energy. Visit an Omaha Public Power District facility! (Conditions permitting)
VEX Robotics I
Cost: $260
Offered weeks of 6/3, 6/17
This camp has the same information as the 4th-5th grade camp but taught at a higher level. This camp is part engineering lab and part competition! Campers work together to code robots to compete in several robotic events throughout the week. Brainstorming creative solutions to engineering situations using rotation, light, ultrasonic and touch sensors, students practice collaboration and problem-solving skills. Campers will also visit the Creative Production Lab at UNO's Criss Library.
VEX Robotics II
Cost: $260
Offered weeks of 6/10, 6/24
This camp has the same information as the 4th-5th grade camp but taught at a higher level. Campers must have taken VEX Engineering I before enrolling in this camp. This camp is part engineering lab and part competition! Campers work together to code robots to compete in Robot Olympics. Brainstorming creative solutions to engineering situations using rotation, light, ultrasonic and touch sensors, students practice collaboration and problem-solving skills. Campers will also visit the Creative Production Lab at UNO's Criss Library. This camp builds on skills previously learned in the Vex I robotics camp.
*Zoology
Cost: $260
Offered weeks of 6/17, 7/8
This camp has a different curriculum than the Grade 4-5 camp. In Zoology, we study extreme animals! What makes animals different and unique? Learn about adaptations, visit Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and the Lee G. Simmons Wildlife Safari Park to observe animal adaptations at work, create a habitat shadow box, and more. Have fun with others who love animals!
CAMPS FOR EIGHTH-TENTH GRADERS Camps with off-campus field trips are marked with *.
*Biomedical Engineering
Cost: $260
Offered week of 7/15
Campers explore the numerous fields of Biomedical Engineering, including imaging and medical devices. Investigate the amazing devices engineers create. Campers practice engineering problem solving along with communication and collaboration skills that are vital in the field.
