A Summer of STEM: 9 Ways to Stay Immersed in STEM/Coding this Summer

Looking for ways to stay engaged in STEM this summer? Here at Endless, we’re all about avoiding the “summer slide” by honing those coding skills, building new games, and diving into new STEM concepts. Here are some of the fun virtual coding and STEM programs happening this summer.

Photo Credit: Maria Symchych-Navrotska

For Students:

Terminal Two First Fridays (July 2, Aug 6; all ages): At Endless, we believe there’s no better way to learn to code than by hacking video games. This summer, join Terminal Two’s free online events where gamers of all levels will come together to hack games, master new skills, and experience the joys of learning through play while going on epic video game Quests. 

Find Coding Classes Through Code.org (Various dates; all ages): Looking to engage your kids or students in coding classes but not sure where to start? Code.org has you covered - use this tool to find local (and virtual) computer science classes for K-12 and beyond. Plus, with hundreds of other games, courses, and exciting videos, Code.org has ways for everyone to engage in at-home learning.

Camp Wonderopolis (On your time; all ages): This free online summer-learning destination is full of fun, interactive STEM and literacy-building topics boosted by Maker experiments! Created by the National Center for Families Learning (NCFL), Camp Wonderopolis keeps kids and their families learning together throughout the summer by helping to build vocabulary, background knowledge in science, reading comprehension, critical thinking, and other literacy skills along the way.

Virtual 4-H (On your time; grades 3-12): Did you know you can access free 4-H programs online … and that 4-H offers coding education? Check out their hands-on activities—which include learning how to code a computer game about clovers, practicing digging for artifacts, and designing your own constellation on a starry night!

Girls Who Code: Code At Home (On your time; all ages): Have you ever been curious about how a web developer designs and plans a website? How to use Scratch to impact the world positively? These free online activities (some available offline) bring beginner and intermediate computer scientists exciting ways to engage in different forms of coding.

For Educators/Parents: 

2021 Games for Change Festival (July 12-14): Join a global community of developers, educators, students, and researchers for a two-day festival centered around the power of games and immersive media to help us realize the potential of the years ahead and address our collective challenges: achieving equity and social justice, ensuring a thriving planet, and regaining a sense of security. The 2020 Games for Change Festival connected almost 7,000 people from across 81 countries, and G4C2021 will aim to connect even more!

Global Game Jam NEXT: An annual event operated by the Global Game Jam®, GGJ NEXT is an international game jam designed to serve younger people (12-17 years old) who are interested in learning the creation of video games. Educators and other facilitators can apply to host a jam this summer and will receive engaging lesson plans and projects that teach the basics in game design.

Other:

TED-Ed’s Think Like a Coder: Tag along with Ethic and her robot companion Hedge as they attempt to save the world in this TED-Ed video series that teaches coding concepts over a 10-episode narrative arc. Join them as they embark on a quest to collect artifacts and solve their way through a series of programming puzzles.

TED’s Summer Playlist: Looking for more ways to stay involved with science during the summer? Check out these STEM videos curated by TED to keep the brain sharp all year.