Register your kids now for UTSA spring break science and engineering camps

By KC Scharnberg
Public Affairs Specialist

(Feb. 6, 2013) -- Parents from the San Antonio area are invited to enroll their kindergarten through eighth grade children in one or more science, engineering and robotics camps that will be offered next month by the UTSA Interactive Technology Experience Center (iTEC).

Kindergarten through fifth graders have the option to attend five daylong camps from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday-Friday, March 11-15 on the UTSA Main Campus. The cost for a single day camp is $65.

Sixth through eighth graders can attend a weeklong robotics camp from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday-Friday, March 11-15 on the UTSA Main Campus. The cost for the week is $250.

The iTEC spring break camps are a great way to get children interested in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math through hands-on activities. The instructors at iTEC go beyond the classroom and understand that kids learn more when they are excited about the topics being discovered. Space is limited so early registration is encouraged.

The iTEC mission is to inspire youth by creating an environment where they can understand how engineering, science and technology shape our lives and the future of the world. Its focus areas include robotics, telecommunications, scanning electron microscope applications and design for manufacturing.

>> To register for the UTSA iTEC Spring Break camps, visit the UTSA iTEC website.

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iTEC Spring Break Camp schedule

Kindergarten – second grade

March 11 -- Flying Wings: Learn about what it takes to soar in the sky. Campers will learn about the history of aviation, early aircrafts, principles of flight and lift including Bernoulli's principle and aircraft design to build hot air balloons, kites, helicopters and rockets of their own.

March 12 -- Messing with Mixtures: Campers will explore different chemical reactions and why they happen, while learning about the periodic table and chemical elements as well as making your own polymers.

March 13 – Grossology: Learn about the fascinating (and disgusting) way that the human body works with iTEC's grossology and human biology day camp. Uncover the biology of organs systems, body functions such as digestion, and model the human body by making edible skin and blood.

March 14 -- Wacky Weather: Become a meteorologist by making a wind vane, a rainbow and a cloud of your own. Campers will learn about types of clouds, weather systems, light and temperature and have fun doing activities focused on the environment around us.

March 15 -- Magical Science: Explore the science behind some neat magic tricks using chemistry and physics concepts such as chemical reactions, Newtonian fluids and electricity.

Third – Fifth grades

March 11 -- The Flight Stuff: Get airborne learning about the history of aviation, early aircrafts, principles of flight and lift including Bernoulli's principle and aircraft design. Campers also will gain hands-on experience with flying, practicing flight with simulation software and using a radio-controlled model helicopter.

March 12 -- Chemistry Sparks! Discover the chemistry behind pyrotechnics such as the colors that common chemical compounds produce and different types of fireworks. Campers will enjoy making their own mini-fireworks such as black snakes and sparklers while learning about safety and chemistry.

March 13 -- My-crobiobial Friend: Gain a better understanding of what we're made of, or rather what we're covered with at the iTEC microbiology day camp. Campers will learn about bacteria, viruses and parasites. Conduct fun experiments and feel like a scientist.

March 14 -- What's the Weather? Campers will learn about unusual and severe extreme weather conditions such as tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, tsunamis, and thunder and lightning, while exploring what causes them such as temperature and pressure.

March 15 -- Magical Science: Discover science concepts such as buoyancy, density, energy, pressure, electricity and chemical reactions by doing fascinating experiments that look like magic. Learn that what many might believe is "magic" can be explained with science.

Sixth – Eighth grades

March 11-15 -- Green City Challenge: The Green City is a beautiful and prosperous city with many ideas for creating a perfect environment for families and businesses. Years of hard work have gone into developing the Green City waste disposal system and sources of renewable energy to secure a sustainable future. The students' mission will be to build and program a NXT robot that can collect as many of the dilithium crystals as possible and use them to energize the Green City.