Summer@IMSA Blog – Aurora

Summer@IMSA in Aurora

Follow along with our student adventures in learning!

3rd – 4th Grade Programs

Makey Lab
  • 7.28.23 – Makey Lab July 28, 2023 - Today our inventors finished their toy creations! Each camper now has a completed, one-of-a-kind toy to bring home and show off. They worked hard all week designing, building, testing, and… Continue Reading
  • 7.27.23 – Makey Lab July 27, 2023 - Let’s light up the night! Today campers began designing and decorating their own night lights, to finish and bring home at the end of the week. Campers applied their knowledge… Continue Reading
  • 7.26.23 – Makey Lab July 26, 2023 - Wireless communication is something that we use every day. But years ago, Morse Code was used to send messages. This form of communication was based on a series of dots… Continue Reading
  • 7.25.23 – Makey Lab July 25, 2023 - Shall we swing right to the stars? Today our playground engineers continued their work on building out their playground and were challenged to design a swing that could carry different… Continue Reading
  • 7.24.23 – Makey Lab July 24, 2023 - The fairytale realm is being bombarded by natural disasters, and they need our campers to help build homes to withstand the new dangers! Today our campers experimented with different materials… Continue Reading
  • 7.14.23 – Makey Lab July 14, 2023 - Today our inventors finished their toy creations! Each camper now has a completed, one-of-a-kind toy to bring home and show off. They worked hard all week designing, building, testing, and… Continue Reading
  • 7.13.23 – Makey Lab July 13, 2023 - Let’s light up the night! Today campers began designing and decorating their own night lights, to finish and bring home at the end of the week. Campers applied their knowledge… Continue Reading
  • 7.12.23 – Makey Lab July 12, 2023 - Wireless communication is something that we use every day. But years ago, Morse Code was used to send messages. This form of communication was based on a series of dots… Continue Reading
  • 7.11.23 – Makey Lab July 11, 2023 - Shall we swing right to the stars? Today our playground engineers continued their work on building out their playground and were challenged to design a swing that could carry different… Continue Reading
  • 7.10.23 – Makey Lab July 10, 2023 - The fairytale realm is being bombarded by natural disasters, and they need our campers to help build homes to withstand the new dangers! Today our campers experimented with different materials… Continue Reading
  • 7.28.23 – Makey Lab July 28, 2023 - Today our inventors finished their toy creations! Each camper now has a completed, one-of-a-kind toy to bring home and show off. They worked hard all week designing, building, testing, and… Continue Reading
  • 7.27.23 – Makey Lab July 27, 2023 - Let’s light up the night! Today campers began designing and decorating their own night lights, to finish and bring home at the end of the week. Campers applied their knowledge… Continue Reading
  • 7.26.23 – Makey Lab July 26, 2023 - Wireless communication is something that we use every day. But years ago, Morse Code was used to send messages. This form of communication was based on a series of dots… Continue Reading
  • 7.25.23 – Makey Lab July 25, 2023 - Shall we swing right to the stars? Today our playground engineers continued their work on building out their playground and were challenged to design a swing that could carry different… Continue Reading
  • 7.24.23 – Makey Lab July 24, 2023 - The fairytale realm is being bombarded by natural disasters, and they need our campers to help build homes to withstand the new dangers! Today our campers experimented with different materials… Continue Reading
  • 6.23.23 – Makey Lab June 23, 2023 - Today our inventors finished their toy creations! Each camper has a completed, one-of-a-kind toy to bring home and show off. They worked hard designing, building, testing, and finalizing their finished… Continue Reading
  • 6.22.23 – Makey Lab June 22, 2023 - Let’s light up the night! Today campers began designing and decorating their own night lights to finish and bring home at the end of the week. Campers applied their knowledge… Continue Reading
  • 6.21.23 – Makey Lab June 21, 2023 - Shall we swing right to the stars? Today our playground engineers continued their work on building their playground and were challenged to design a swing that could carry different loads.… Continue Reading
  • 6.20.23 – Makey Lab June 20, 2023 - Natural disasters are bombarding the fairytale realm, and they need our campers to help build homes to withstand the new dangers! Today our campers experimented with different materials to see… Continue Reading

5th – 6th Grade Programs

CSImsa | Engineering Explorations
  • 7.28.23 – CSIMSA July 28, 2023 - It’s vital for doctors to help people with life-saving surgeries, and help them heal wounds from injuries. As doctors-in-training, one of our tasks is to show evidence that we can… Continue Reading
  • 7.27.23 – CSIMSA July 27, 2023 - In CSIMSA we had an exciting day doing DNA profiling of our suspects and DNA found at the crime scene! We practiced pipetting before loading our gels and performing gel… Continue Reading
  • 7.26.23 – CSIMSA July 26, 2023 - A ransom note was sent to Fifi LeRoux’s owner last night and so today at “CSIM-stitute”, our doggedly determined CSIMSA trainees learned more about ink chromatography and handwriting analysis (a.k.a.… Continue Reading
  • 7.25.23 – CSIMSA July 25, 2023 - Our 5 suspects in the case of the missing Fifi LeRoux have reported to the police department to submit some of their key biometric information and to get fingerprinted. Today,… Continue Reading
  • 7.24.23 – CSIMSA July 24, 2023 - Today in CSImsa, the campers dug into the details of the crime: The dognapping of Fifi LeRoux, a prized 3-time Westminster dog show defending champion! They built Foldscopes, which are… Continue Reading
  • 7.21.23 – Engineering Explorations July 21, 2023 - It was off to the boat races! After a week of perfecting their designs, our engineers finally had the chance to test out their boats. There were two races -… Continue Reading
  • 7.20.23 – Engineering Explorations July 20, 2023 - Our engineers have been working hard the last two days to create a boat that floats and holds weight with a working propeller. The next step was to design an… Continue Reading
  • 7.19.23 – Engineering Explorations July 19, 2023 - Halfway through our engineering extravaganza week, our enterprising engineers should be feeling very excited and proud as their Rube Goldberg projects are starting to take shape. Today students planned their… Continue Reading
  • 7.18.23 – Engineering Explorations July 18, 2023 - After getting “circuit certified” the previous day and learning about some of the key science and strategies needed to create working electrical circuits, today students were able to start ideating/brainstorming… Continue Reading
  • 7.17.23 – Engineering Explorations July 17, 2023 - Our biomedical engineers have just arrived at Summer@IMSA and they are ready for a challenging task! Today, in Engineering Explorations, the students learned about the anatomy of the heart and… Continue Reading
  • 7.28.23 – CSIMSA July 28, 2023 - It’s vital for doctors to help people with life-saving surgeries, and help them heal wounds from injuries. As doctors-in-training, one of our tasks is to show evidence that we can… Continue Reading
  • 7.27.23 – CSIMSA July 27, 2023 - In CSIMSA we had an exciting day doing DNA profiling of our suspects and DNA found at the crime scene! We practiced pipetting before loading our gels and performing gel… Continue Reading
  • 7.26.23 – CSIMSA July 26, 2023 - A ransom note was sent to Fifi LeRoux’s owner last night and so today at “CSIM-stitute”, our doggedly determined CSIMSA trainees learned more about ink chromatography and handwriting analysis (a.k.a.… Continue Reading
  • 7.25.23 – CSIMSA July 25, 2023 - Our 5 suspects in the case of the missing Fifi LeRoux have reported to the police department to submit some of their key biometric information and to get fingerprinted. Today,… Continue Reading
  • 7.24.23 – CSIMSA July 24, 2023 - Today in CSImsa, the campers dug into the details of the crime: The dognapping of Fifi LeRoux, a prized 3-time Westminster dog show defending champion! They built Foldscopes, which are… Continue Reading
  • 6.16.23 – CSImsa June 16, 2023 - After all of our CSIMSA investigators’ hard work this week, it is finally time to try and convict the guilty suspect who dognapped Fifi LeRoux! The students spent the day… Continue Reading
  • 6.15.23 – CSImsa June 15, 2023 - In CSIMSA we had an exciting day doing DNA profiling of our suspects and DNA found at the crime scene! We practiced pipetting before loading our gels and performing gel… Continue Reading
  • 6.14.23 – CSImsa June 14, 2023 - A ransom note was sent to Fifi LeRoux’s owner last night and so today at “CSIM-stitute”, our doggedly determined CSIMSA trainees learned more about ink chromatography and handwriting analysis (a.k.a.… Continue Reading
  • 6.13.23 – CSImsa June 13, 2023 - Our 5 suspects in the case of the missing Fifi LeRoux have reported to the police department to submit some of their key biometric information and to get fingerprinted. Today,… Continue Reading
  • 6.12.23 – CSImsa June 12, 2023 - Today in CSImsa, the campers dug into the details of the crime - a dognapping! They built Foldscopes, which are paper microscopes used to explore some of the evidence collected… Continue Reading

7th – 8th Grade Programs

Gold Metal STEM | Vital Signs
  • 7.28.23 – Vital Signs July 28, 2023 - It’s vital for doctors to help people with life-saving surgeries, and help them heal wounds from injuries. As doctors-in-training, one of our tasks is to show evidence that we can… Continue Reading
  • 7.27.23 – Vital Signs July 27, 2023 - Common summertime injuries that can happen to kids while they’re playing outside on play sets, running up hills, falling off bikes… Today our doctors dove into the study of orthopedics… Continue Reading
  • 7.26.23 – Vital Signs July 26, 2023 - Today in vital signs we continued our Pharmaceutical project with a titration leading to a neutralization reaction! Students will use the data collected in this titration to calculate how much… Continue Reading
  • 7.25.23 – Vital Signs July 25, 2023 - Today in Vital Signs our 7th & 8th graders finished their laparoscopic surgery simulation using endoscopy cameras! We also explored ABO//Rh human  blood types by conducting simulated blood typing of… Continue Reading
  • 7.24.23 – Vital Signs July 24, 2023 - In Vital Signs, the 7th and 8th grade students started out their week learning about heart rate and blood pressure, and the factors that may affect them! We also explored… Continue Reading
  • 7.21.23 – Gold Medal STEM July 21, 2023 - If one were to really synthesize what the Olympic festivities are all about, it is possible to make the case that a vast majority of Olympic sporting events ultimately boils… Continue Reading
  • 7.20.23 – Gold Medal STEM July 20, 2023 - Katniss & Hawkeye aren’t the only ones in town who know how to handle a bow & arrow! Today, our aspiring archers designed and tested their own bows & “arrows”… Continue Reading
  • 7.19.23 – Gold Medal STEM July 19, 2023 - Our Gold Medal engineers will be working hard all week long to build a model mechanical swimmer (from scratch) that can outperform all others! They will be in charge up… Continue Reading
  • 7.18.23 – Gold Medal STEM July 18, 2023 - We have a need for speed! Olympian cyclists are able to average 41.5 kilometers/hr (26 mph) during their races and in order to achieve those speeds, the gears on their… Continue Reading
  • 7.17.23 – Gold Medal STEM July 17, 2023 - The summer Olympics include several types of cycling races – BMX, mountain bike, road, and track. Each race involves different surfaces and different obstacles that cyclers must figure out how… Continue Reading
  • 7.21.23 – Gold Medal STEM July 21, 2023 - If one were to really synthesize what the Olympic festivities are all about, it is possible to make the case that a vast majority of Olympic sporting events ultimately boils… Continue Reading
  • 7.20.23 – Gold Medal STEM July 20, 2023 - Katniss & Hawkeye aren’t the only ones in town who know how to handle a bow & arrow! Today, our aspiring archers designed and tested their own bows & “arrows”… Continue Reading
  • 7.19.23 – Gold Medal STEM July 19, 2023 - Our Gold Medal engineers will be working hard all week long to build a model mechanical swimmer (from scratch) that can outperform all others! They will be in charge up… Continue Reading
  • 7.18.23 – Gold Medal STEM July 18, 2023 - We have a need for speed! Olympian cyclists are able to average 41.5 kilometers/hr (26 mph) during their races and in order to achieve those speeds, the gears on their… Continue Reading
  • 7.17.23 – Gold Medal STEM July 17, 2023 - The summer Olympics include several types of cycling races – BMX, mountain bike, road, and track. Each race involves different surfaces and different obstacles that cyclers must figure out how… Continue Reading
  • 6.23.23 – Gold Medal STEM June 23, 2023 - If one were to really synthesize what the Olympic festivities are all about, it is possible to make the case that a vast majority of Olympic sporting events ultimately boils… Continue Reading
  • 6.22.23 – Gold Medal STEM June 22, 2023 - Katniss & Hawkeye aren’t the only ones in town who know how to handle a bow & arrow! Today, our aspiring archers designed and tested their own bows & “arrows”… Continue Reading
  • 6.21.23 – Gold Medal STEM June 21, 2023 - Our Gold Medal engineers will work hard all week to build a model mechanical swimmer (from scratch) that can outperform others! They will be in charge of building up that… Continue Reading
  • 6.20.23 – Gold Medal STEM June 20, 2023 - We have a need for speed! Olympian cyclers are able to average 41.5 kilometers/hr (26 mph) during their races, and in order to achieve those speeds, the gears on their… Continue Reading
  • 7.28.23 – Vital Signs July 28, 2023 - It’s vital for doctors to help people with life-saving surgeries, and help them heal wounds from injuries. As doctors-in-training, one of our tasks is to show evidence that we can… Continue Reading
  • 7.27.23 – Vital Signs July 27, 2023 - Common summertime injuries that can happen to kids while they’re playing outside on play sets, running up hills, falling off bikes… Today our doctors dove into the study of orthopedics… Continue Reading
  • 7.26.23 – Vital Signs July 26, 2023 - Today in vital signs we continued our Pharmaceutical project with a titration leading to a neutralization reaction! Students will use the data collected in this titration to calculate how much… Continue Reading
  • 7.25.23 – Vital Signs July 25, 2023 - Today in Vital Signs our 7th & 8th graders finished their laparoscopic surgery simulation using endoscopy cameras! We also explored ABO//Rh human  blood types by conducting simulated blood typing of… Continue Reading
  • 7.24.23 – Vital Signs July 24, 2023 - In Vital Signs, the 7th and 8th grade students started out their week learning about heart rate and blood pressure, and the factors that may affect them! We also explored… Continue Reading
  • 6.16.23 – Vital Signs June 16, 2023 - It’s vital for doctors to help people with live-saving surgeries, and help them heal wounds from injuries. As doctors-in-training, one of our tasks is to show evidence that we can… Continue Reading
  • 6.15.23 – Vital Signs June 15, 2023 - Common summertime injuries that can happen to kids while they’re playing outside on play sets, running up hills, falling off bikes… Today our doctors dove into the study of orthopedics… Continue Reading
  • 6.14.23 – Vital Signs June 14, 2023 - Today in vital signs we continued our Pharmaceutical project with a titration leading to a neutralization reaction! Students will use the data collected in this titration to calculate how much… Continue Reading
  • 6.13.23 – Vital Signs June 13, 2023 - Today in Vital Signs our 7th & 8th graders finished their laparoscopic surgery simulation using endoscopy cameras! We also explored ABO//Rh human  blood types by conducting simulated blood typing of… Continue Reading
  • 6.12.23 – Vital Signs June 12, 2023 - In Vital Signs, the 7th and 8th grade students started out their week learning about heart rate and blood pressure, and the factors that may affect them! We also explored… Continue Reading