Is it possible that all those hours your child spends on their computer will lead to a lucrative career? With the right guidance, all that screen time may pay off! To help that process, we’re presenting Chicagoland’s most comprehensive guide to STEM and STEAM camps. Whether they are in elementary school, middle school, or high school, these camps can ignite your child’s passion for science and technology or fan the flames that are already burning.
Summer Camps can contact themakermom (at) hotmail.com for information on enhanced listings in our guide.
2022 Chicago Summer STEM Camp Guide
Presenting STEM Camp Guide Sponsor
Galileo Innovation Camps At Camp Galileo, pre-K – rising 10th graders engage
in hands-on, STEAM-based learning that helps them create a bright future. Supported by the best staff around, kids get inspired to turn their big ideas into reality—and have the fun-filled summer of their lives. Enroll by February 28 to save $50/week! Optional
extended care. Now with 11 Chicago-area locations!
STEM Camps Around Chicago
Would you prefer a girls-only STEM camp? It’s just a click away!
Adler Planetarium Sadly, this camp is on hiatus in 2022 as the staff works toward fully opening the planetarium for guests.
Alexa Café Weeklong day and overnight camps for girls teach doing, app development, and AI skills to young women ages 10-15. Lake Forest
Argonne National Lab Coding Camp is one week only and limited to 30 high school students. Learn to code from some of the best and brightest computer scientists in the nation. In this free five-day enrichment experience, students learn Python, connect with Argonne scientists and program a robot via a Raspberry Pi.
Bit Space Week-long, project-based learning for kids ages 9-13 at Chicago’s premier maker lab for kids. Campers use power tools, laser cutters, 3D printers, electronics, and computers to design and create something new each week. Lincoln Square
Camp Invention National program that serves kids in kindergarten- grade 6 with weeklong camps at several sites around the Chicago metro area as well as around the country.
Camp Galileo see Galileo Innovation Camps below.
Center for Gifted Offers a wide range of exciting STEM and STEAM programs for students in grades 1-8 with half and full-day programs available. Not all sites or sessions serve all ages. Elmhurst, Glenview, Long Grove
Center for Talent Development Run through Northwestern University in Evanston. Enrichment and academic programs for students in grades 6-12 at Northwestern with residential options available. Academic sull and half-day summer days camps for kids preK – grade 6 in Chicago.
Chicago Architecture Center (CAC) Weeklong camps for children ages 8-14. Chicago.
Chicago Botanic Garden Options from pre-K through early high school. Week-long camps with themes that include botany in the kitchen, field science, nature survival skills, multimedia, and more. Glencoe
Chicago Industrial Arts and Design Center
Chicago Maritime Arts Center Boat-building camps and marine ecology programs for kids ages 11-17 at various locations in Chicago.
College of Lake County (CLC) 2022 program TBD In previous years they’ve hosted program options for elementary schoolers through high school seniors. Topics: rocket science, math, sound design, digital film making, fire science, lasers, and more. They also offer fast-paced summer classes for gifted students. Camps are half-day, Monday-Thursday. Grayslake and Southlake
Cook County Forest Preserves 2022 TBD From gardening to outdoor survival skills, the Forest Preserves of Cook County offer a range of weeklong summer camps. Age groups and locations vary, so click for details.
Digital Adventures In the Ultimate Adventure camp, we teach kids how to construct robots, model structures in 3D, build mobile applications and websites, create virtual reality worlds, design video games, hack Minecraft and make movies/animations. Lincoln Park, Wilmette, Oak Park
Dominican University The Summer Gifted and Talented Program provides a range of STEM programs for kids in grades 2-8. Coding, genetics, chess, and astrophysics are among the topics they hope to offer in 2022. River Forest
Eco Apachi 3rd-7th graders explore life science through hands-on activities and experiments in this three-week, full-day camp. Chicago- Northside College Prep
Field Museum Weeklong summer camps for students in K-8. Chicago (Museum Campus)
Frank Lloyd Wright Trust 2022 programs TBD
GADgET Girls – Girls Adventuring in Design, Engineering, and Technology This two-week camp introduces girls ages 11-13 to design and manufacturing processes. Students complete their own projects through guided instruction, explore career paths in manufacturing and engage with women currently working in the field. This program includes at least one field trip. College of DuPage – Glen Ellyn
Galileo Innovation Camps Camp Galileo engages kids in hands-on, STEAM-based learning that helps them create a bright future. Supported by an inclusive environment and the boundless talent of the best staff.
2022 Chicago-area Galileo Locations:
Chicago, Lincoln Park: Newberry Math & Science Academy
Chicago, Lincoln Square: Waters Elementary School
Chicago, West Loop: Whitney Young High School
Chicago, Wicker Park: Pritzker Elementary School
Arlington Heights: Our Lady of the Wayside School
Deerfield: Rochelle Zell Jewish High School
Evanston: St. Athanasius School
La Grange: Ogden Avenue School
Libertyville: Oak Grove School
Naperville: Alleluia! Lutheran Church
Winnetka: Sacred Heart School
Gen-Cyber Camps Cybersecurity camps for students in K-12 as well as teachers. Glen Ellyn
Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana Click to read more about their girls-only day camps, like Eco-Engineers, Roller Coaster Excitement, Get Ready to Experiment, and Explore Nature (GREEN Girls), and residential camps, like Outdoor STEM Lab and the Engineering Design Challenge.
Governors State University STEAM Camps for middle and high school students ages 11-16 years old include current topics in science, arts, career development, and life on a dynamic and modern college campus. University Park
Harper College Click on the “InZone” e-catalog to find an impressive range of tech classes, including many with a manufacturing angle. Stay tuned for 2022 program options. See more like this in the Nuts and Bolts Foundation Guide. Palatine
iD Tech Camp The world leader in summer STEM education, with over 400,000 alumni since 1999. Programs for ages 7-19 are held at 150 prestigious campuses including Northwestern, Loyola, Stanford, NYU, and others. Students build in-demand skills in coding, game development, robotics, and design.
Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT, Illinois Tech) Several programs for high school students who are interested in technology, business, architecture, science, engineering, or computers. Some programs can lead to college credit while others are just for fun. Online, in-person day camps as well as residential camp options.
IMSA, Illinois Math and Science Academy Summer@IMSA offers week-long summer science and technology programs for rising 3rd-9th graders in Aurora (at IMSA), Chicago, Belleville and Springfield. They offer additional residential programs in Aurora for 8th and 9th graders. Note that some programs have competitive entry.
Kids Science Labs Science camps serving kids ages 4-12. Half and full-day options. Chicago- Roscoe Village and South Loop, Northbrook, Wheaton
Kids STEM Studio Week-long full-day STEM camps. Chicago (downtown Lincoln Park), Schaumburg, Skokie
Moraine Valley Community College The Valley Learning Center in Palos Hills provides a variety of STEM offerings, some for kids up to age 18.
Morton Arboretum Science-themed camps for pre-K-8th graders.
Museum of Science and Industry (MSI) Summer camp in the Fab(rication) Lab: 3D printing, laser cutting, vinyl cutting, computer-controlled milling, digital embroidery and more for students in 5th-9th grade.
National Society for Black Engineers, SEEK Engineering Explorer Summer Camp Week-long program introduces campers to various disciplines of engineering through hands-on projects and meeting with professionals. Runs from 9 am-3:30 pm each day. Lunch is provided. Chicago (click link for exact location)
Noggin Builders EXPLORE! BUILD! CREATE! Noggin Builders one-week camps are filled with fun, hands-on STEM! Curious explorers (preK & K-8th) build creative problem solving and STEM skills with different themes each week. Northbrook
Northern Illinois University STEM Summer Camps An exciting variety of day and residential (overnight) STEM camps at Northern’s DeKalb campus, including options just for girls.
Nuts and Bolts and Thingamajings National manufacturing camp for students ages 11-14. The camp gives kids a taste of modern manufacturing. The program may include tours of manufacturing facilities, Computer-Aided Design (CAD) experience, entrepreneurship, and more. Chicago-area options: Elk Grove (Manufacturing Camp), Collage of DuPage -GlenEllyn (Dream It, Build It),
Oak Park Educational Foundation BASE Camp kids in elementary school through 8th grade. Topics include textile engineering, origami, architecture, robotics, aeronautics, and more. Oak Park
Oakton Community College Students ages 8-12 can apply their STEAM skills in fun-filled camps. Currently only offering virtual programs, but there may be in-person options available in Des Plaines and Skokie
Project SYNCERE Supporting Youth’s Needs with Core Engineering Research Experiments seeks to prepare the minds and create pathways for underrepresented and disadvantaged students to pursue STEM. They offer a free High School STEM Summer Camp and six, one-week, full-day paid Middle School Summer Camp (financial assistance is available) both programs take place at Holy Angels Catholic School.
Science and Arts Academy This K-8 private school for gifted children offers a variety of camps with extended day options. Des Plaines
Shedd Aquarium Summer Camp for middle school students (grades 6-8) is typically offered only twice during the summer. The week-long program designed to investigate natural environments and culminates with an overnight stay at the aquarium.
Steve and Kate’s Camp This national camp, more STEAM than STEM, has three Chicagoland locations. Pre-K – 7th graders. Chicago- Lakeview, Lincoln Park, West Loop
Triton College Summer camps for ages 7-12 with a few options for kids up to 15.
UIC Engineering Camps One- and two-week sessions for middle and high school students. Details TBD. UIC Campus
