Skip to main content

Day Camp Programs for Rising K – 5th Grade Students

Summer Day Camps for Elementary School Students

Campers have fun learning in collaborative groups how engineers help society while experiencing engineering through hands-on, creative investigations and design challenges. New activities are introduced each year, all of which give a unique perspective on the Engineering Design Process. Previous activities have involved designing extreme water slides, solar cities, heart valves, jellyfish, rockets, and many, many more exciting challenges!

Elementary school camper in newspaper furniture camp.

2024 Camp Information

Rising 3rd–5th Graders

Imagine Engineering Camp I: Rising 3rd-5th graders, July 22–26, 2024
Imagine Engineering Camp II: Rising 3rd-5th graders, July 29–August 2, 2024

The fun, hands-on collaborative camp curriculum for 3rd–5th graders is designed to provide campers with an understanding about the many different types of challenges engineers must solve. Camp agendas are new every year!  Rising 3rd through 5th graders may attend either week of Imagine Engineering camp, but not both as the curriculum is the same for both weeks. However, you are able to attend a week of Imagine Engineering Camp and Computer Science Camp, if selected.

Computer Science: Snap It, Craft It, Play It: Rising 3rd-5th graders, July 8–12, 2024

A vibrant and inclusive week-long coding camp designed to captivate the imagination of rising 3rd through 5th graders. Throughout this exciting journey, young participants will explore the magic of programming through hands-on activities tailored to unleash their creativity. From snapping together code blocks to crafting delightful projects and diving into the world of coding languages, this camp offers a dynamic and engaging experience in a supportive and collaborative setting. Led by inspiring computer science mentors, students will not only develop essential coding skills but also foster teamwork, problem-solving, and confidence in their abilities. By the end of this empowering week, these budding tech enthusiasts will have discovered the thrill of coding and unlocked their potential as future innovators in the digital world.

Rising Kindergarten–2nd Graders

Imagine Engineering Camp: Rising K–2nd graders, August 5–9, 2024

Campers get a chance to spend time in small groups exploring new STEM concepts then creatively applying the concept to solving engineering challenges. The K-2nd grade camp curriculum is new every year. 

Come join us!

Camp details below.

NC State Engineering Summer Camp
NC State Engineering Summer Camp, Two Students Brainstorming

Camp Logistics

Camp Hours

Campers can be dropped off between 8:30 and 8:45 a.m.and are picked up between 3:30 and 3:45 p.m.

Camp Location

Detailed drop-off and pick-up locations will be provided upon acceptance. Activities take place on NC State’s College of Engineering campuses. Students may take brief field trips to other campus facilities or nearby locations.

Food

Lunch and snacks will be provided each day. Dietary needs will be accommodated.

Camp Staff

Camp will be staffed by classroom teachers, engineering students and NC State engineering staff members.  The staff-to-student ratio is approximately 1:6.

A Typical Day at Camp

At 9 a.m. students begin the morning by receiving a new engineering challenge. Students then split into small teams, working together to investigate the problem and find a solution. Students have plenty of break time and outside time to balance the challenging and fun design work they are completing. There is never a dull moment at engineering camp. At the end of the day, all students gather to present their tested and improved designs.

Camp Fees

  • Total Cost: $500 for a week of camp (including daily lunch)
  • Total amount: Due May 3, 2024
  • Financial Aid: A limited amount of financial aid may be available for families who demonstrate financial need. To be considered, you must submit a financial aid application included in the application website.

Applying to Camp

Eligibility

All students entering Kindergarten through 5th grade in Fall 2023 are welcome to apply, including home-schooled, out-of-state or out-of-country students.

Applying Online

The only way to apply is by logging in to our Summer Programs Portal. Please bookmark the site so you can return to it to complete your application and to check your application status.

Application Components

Your son or daughter is required to submit short personal answers to these two questions:

  • What are two goals that you would like to achieve at camp?
  • What problem would you like to solve?

The submission is typed into the online application. If your child does not know how to type, please have him or her draft a response by hand, and you can type the answer into the application yourself.

Application Timeline

January 22 – March 29, 2024: Applications Open

April 29, 2024: Application status emailed

May 3, 2024: Payments Due

Admission Decisions

Admissions decisions will be based on student interest as determined by age-appropriate short statements. Acceptance is not first-come, first-served — preference will not be given to early applicants.  In recent years, we have not had enough room for all of the students who were interested in attending camp.  If you applied to camp last year, and we were unable to find a spot for you, we will make an extra effort to find a place for you this year.