A math summer camp is a perfect way to spark a passion for math in students.
The Benefits of Math Summer Camps
Let’s face it – summer vacation lasts a long time and many students spend it sitting in front of a phone or TV screen. This creates the perfect opportunity for their brain to drain all the things they learned during the school year – including math.
Math enhances students’ problem solving, analytical, and research skills, and students who fall behind during the summer have a hard time catching up once the school year begins again.A summer camp is one of the best ways to prevent this from happening.
The perfect summer math camp can introduce students to like-minded peers, teach them life skills, and trigger a life-long interest in mathematics.
Having Fun at Math Summer Camps
Taking math outside of the classroom provides many opportunities for making math fun. Engineering activities and science games teach students that math applies to many real-world topics.
Students at math camps solve puzzles, observe mathematical patterns in nature, and form teams to do group math projects.
The varied and interactive games and activities give students a window into STEM careers.
An added bonus? Instead of sitting at a desk for hours at a time, students take part in events that encourage physical activity. Getting students moving while learning math concepts helps them make lasting connections to the topic.
Learning Responsibilities at Math Summer Camps
Math summer camps can be one of the first times a student is away from their parents for a long period of time.
Not only are the students learning math and meeting new peers, but students are also gaining valuable life experiences.
Who will make their beds? Who will remind them to clean up after themselves? No-one. They have to take responsibility for themselves and their space.
And who knows? Maybe they’ll bring those habits back home!
Summer camps also teach students resilience. They are thrown into a new situation, with new people, and asked to accomplish new tasks. Students can’t always solve the problems they are faced with right away, and they have to learn how to cope with these challenges.
Making Friends at Math Summer Camps
Learning how to make friends is an essential life-skill and a math summer camp is a great place for students to learn how.
One of the best things about math summer camps is that they bring together students who share similar interests. Meeting like-minded students broadens students’ horizons and encourages their confidence.
With the guidance of counselors, students learn how to handle social situations, collaborate with their peers, and resolve conflicts. They gain leadership skills and learn to work with a team.
Students who were strangers at the beginning of the camp can form life-long bonds with each other.
