Philadelphia is a leading hub for higher education, business, and academic research. Parents in this forward-thinking metropolitan area can find many opportunities to further their children’s understanding of STEM.
Local universities and museums offer exciting programs to area youth where they can learn to code robots, understand how science influences our world, and how to build a better future.
If your child loves creating, building, and tinkering, local Philadelphia STEM camps offer excellent ways to explore the world and learn more about it.
1. Arena Stem PA
Arena Stem PA offers camps at its Experience Arena in Southampton. During each session, 6 to 12 year-olds develop STEM skills with other friendly campers and enthusiastic instructors.
Campers team up according to age and skills. Each day features different activities, like designing prototypes, practicing coding, exploring chemistry, or getting into arts and crafts. Robotics training, space discovery, and 3D printing are additional daily themes.
All camp sessions are offered from 8:30 AM – 5:00 PM, with partial and half-days available. Every afternoon, campers can burn off steam and have fun in the entertainment arena. Daily snacks, drinks, and Friday pizza lunches are provided.
2. Science Education Academy (SEA)
Science Education Academy teaches area 2nd-5th graders to get excited about life, physical, and earth sciences. The Academy’s programs are free and available at the SEA Philly center at 53rd & Chestnut.
SEA Weekly Saturday Programs are in-person, letting students go hands-on to understand science. The six-week sessions are from 9:30 AM to 11:30 AM, with snacks provided. Your child learns everything from how a caterpillar turns into a butterfly to how sound waves work to Scratch coding.
Saturday morning virtual (Zoom) science classes include presentations by area experts and fun DIY science activities to do at home.
SEA also offers a Community Science Carnival for students K-6. The dynamic, action-packed day features science workshops, hands-on experiments, and thrilling demonstrations. Lunch and treats are included at this family event.
3. The Academy of Natural Sciences (Drexel University)
This summer kids can join the fun at The Academy of Natural Sciences, a popular natural science museum. Camps take place between June 23 and August 28 at 1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway.
Mini Academy (ages 5-6) runs from 9 AM to 4 PM, each weekday. Weekly themes are Dino Dance-Off (music/dance), Creatures Create (arts/ crafts), Buggin’ Out (insect science), and include a weekly field trip.
Junior Academy Explorers (7-9) enjoy weekly themes at the museum and on field trips. Fun activities include digging for rock fossils, watching sci-fi movies, birdwatching around Philly, museum-inspired art projects, and creating a bug city.
Academy Explorers (10-12) will meet with scientists at the museum to study environmental issues and explore solutions, perform experiments, and go on field trips. All campers should bring lunch, a water bottle, and snacks daily.
4. Briar Bush Nature Center
The Briar Bush Nature Center is a forest oasis at Edge Hill Road and Tyson Avenue in Philadelphia, where kids have fun learning about the natural world in the months of mid-June through August.
The center hosts half-day morning or afternoon camps for ages 4-6, and full-day camps for ages 6-9. Younger kids stay at the reserve exploring ponds, discovering animals in the forest, searching for mythical creatures, and investigating “cool critters.”
Older children study animals and tracks at the reserve and go on field trips to the Elmwood Park Zoo. They might learn about plants, create magical potions, or make wands and spell books.
The center offers additional camps, like the overnight outdoor survival camps for 11 to 15 year olds.
5. Penn Museum
The Penn Museum offers Anthropology Camps for kids 6 to 13. These fun-filled Monday to Friday and week-long sessions allow kids to dive into creative projects, participate in hands-on workshops, and see the museum’s incredible collections.
Camp is from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM, and weekly themes feature mythical creatures, ancient civilizations and their medicinal practices, and exploring traditional Egyptian life along the Nile.
Other weeks cover archaeological studies, matching current superheroes with their ancient counterparts, or constructing models of a historic city. All campers can bring their lunch or pre-order lunch from the Museum’s onsite cafe.
6. Boys and Girls Club of Philadelphia (BGCP)
The Boys and Girls Club of Philadelphia sponsors a popular STEM Learning Labs program for the area youth, K-12, at 20+ Philadelphia locations.
The DIY STEM Program introduces children to five science categories through direct activities and scientific theory studies. Module topics include: Food Science, Energy/Electricity, Science of Sports (football), and Engineering Design.
The Center also offers small-group mentoring outside regular school hours. Intriguing topics like Endangered Species Adventure, JR FLL Robotics, and Quickball Math are covered.
BGCP sponsors My Future—a kid-friendly social platform where children learn about new programs at BGCP, improve their STEM skills, and make new friends.
7. Penn Engineering (University of Pennsylvania)
From June 23 to June 27, the University of Pennsylvania will offer Penn GEMS, an engineering, math, and science day camp for middle school students.
During this intensive one-week program, students dive into exciting subjects like nanotechnology, game animation, robotics, mechanical engineering, and glow-in-the-dark cellular science.
Campers get to meet Penn students, professional mentors, and role models while engaged in challenging, hands-on activities. They’ll tackle real-world issues and learn to function as a team. Check the Penn GEMS website for application details and qualifications.
8. Germantown Friends School
Germantown Friends School offers STEAM camps for students in grades K-12, organized according to their age groups. Your child can choose from several immersive topics and focus on their favorite activity during their exciting sessions!
This includes Robotics and Coding, Gaming, Chess, Eco-Explorers Science Camp, “Wizardry,” and next-year preparatory classes. The programs cover creative theater arts, painting, drawing, and making charms and spell books in Wizardry Camp.
The camps are held at the Germantown Friends School main campus. Check online application forms for full and half-day timings. Kids can order meals in the campus dining hall. The school also has additional adventure and sports camps that are held off-campus.
9. Temple University College of Engineering
Temple University’s College of Engineering hosts youth programs at Temple University.
Sixth and seventh graders can attend for one week from July 7th to 11th to explore science, math, and engineering. They can engage in design thinking, lab demonstrations and tours, problem-solving, and creative teamwork.
The Temple Formula Racing Camp is for high school students into engineering. They will build a scaled formula-style cockpit racing car with mentoring from college students and professors.
For sophomore to senior high school students, their robotics option dives into computer and electrical engineering. Students get to program an autonomous mobile robot to do amazing things! The project-based learning includes Python and Makecode programming and working with Microbit controllers.
For options in neighboring states, find more choices with our Baltimore camps page.