Woodlands Academy offers unique summer camps for girls
Woodlands Academy of the Sacred Heart is offering area girls entering grades 4-7 this fall a unique, new summer day camp experience. Taught by members of Woodlands Academy's faculty, GrowGirl offers a one-of-a-kind, interdisciplinary approach to exploration, growth and fun.
This highly creative approach to academics gives campers the opportunity to combine STEM with arts and movement activities.
Located in Lake Forest, Woodlands Academy is an independent, Catholic day-and-boarding, college-preparatory school for young women of all faiths in grades 9-12.
According to 2022 rankings by Niche, an independent research company, Woodlands Academy was the Best All-girls High School in Illinois and the Best Catholic High School in Illinois.
The Lake school was recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as a National Blue Ribbon School for 2020. This award is based on a school's overall academic performance.
Spanning four weeks, GrowGirl sessions at Woodlands Academy meet from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Families can choose to participate in as many camp sessions as they'd like:
• June 13-16 - Roller Coaster Design
• June 20-23 - Investigating Mysteries: Forensics & Fiction
• July 11-14 - Earth Works: Clay & Photo Nature Art
• July 18-21 - Space Exploration & Robotics
An additional Friday adventure camp is also offered. Participants can sign up for fun field trips every Friday that GrowGirl is in session.
During the first week's camp, Roller Coaster Design, students will learn some of the science that goes into amusement park rides. This includes how forces and energy are used in merry-go-rounds, swinging ships and roller coasters. Activities include lab-based science experiments and engineering projects.
Next is Investigating Mysteries: Forensics & Fiction, a combination writing workshop and hands-on STEM course. Participants will write their own unique mystery story while learning real detective skills, including fingerprint and DNA analysis, undercover investigation techniques, and disguise creation. This allows budding authors and scientists alike to be creative while experiencing an active adventure.
Earth Works: Clay & Photo Nature Art starts by exploring the cultural and art historical context of nature-based artworks. Then there's a field trip to collect a variety of eye-catching natural forms such as flowers, textured leaves, rocks and feathers.
Next, students will roll small slabs of clay and emboss the natural forms they collected to create relief prints on the clay plate. Participants also will make distinctive Prussian Blue monochromatic cyanotype photograms with the same objects.
During the final week's session, Space Exploration & Robotics, campers will learn how space probes and rovers use robotics to collect and analyze data, with a focus on NASA's Osiris Rex spacecraft and Mars rovers.
Activities include a field trip to the Adler Planetarium, building and coding workshops, and an engineering challenge. Students will also construct and launch model rockets.
To register or for more information, visit www.woodlandsacademy.org/growgirl.