EKO Summer Holiday Clubs
This summer, on behalf of the DNE EKO organisation, we hosted two-week-long holiday clubs. One in Plymouth and one in Barrow-In-Furness.
The first club ran in Plymouth from July 28th to August 8th at Stoke Damerel College, and the second was based in Barrow-in-Furness, held at Victoria Academy from August 18th to August 29th.
We really wanted our Summer Clubs to be fun and engaging for the children who attended. So we offered a diverse range of activities, including Robotics, drone coding, 3D Design and Printing, AI and machine learning, Cybersecurity, science experiments and even electrical circuits. And to make sure the kids got outside too, we took along activities such as baseball, Tetris tumble and laser tag.
Over the full four weeks we met 134 children in total, ranging from ages 8-14 years old.
Below are a few of our highlights:
Science Experiments
Science Experiments being explained by our instructor Jack
The kids all took part in a Bicarbonate Soda Rocket experiment - where they were able to mix different elements to make a formula to enable a rocket to take off…
3D Design and printing
In this activity, the children were able to explore an app called tinker cad where, in teams, they could explore and design their own models to print. We challenged them to create a submarine design within the app and then we put their designs into virtual reality (which the students thoroughly enjoyed).
The winning team’s design was then printed on our 3D printer where students could see their design in real life…
The winning submarine on our 3D Printer.
We also provided the children with 3D doodler pens. These were a BIG hit! The kids loved creating their own 3D drawings - bringing out their creative side and their designs to life.
Stop Motion Animation
We asked the children to focus on designing an ocean themed animation, creating their own story and turning it into animated works.
The children were really engaged with this, enjoying both the creative and technical aspects of this workshop and we were delighted by the problem-solving, teamwork, and ingenuity the children displayed.
What some of the parents said:
“Our boys hate coming to clubs but they have loved this club. Learning different things and how to make new things. They said all the people were lovely and they don’t want to leave. Thank you all so much.”
Parent from Barrow holiday club
“Rosie said she wasn’t expecting to enjoy it as much as she has, and that she definitely wants to be a scientist now!”
Parent from Barrow holiday club
“All 3 kids had the best week, most holiday clubs they have to be dragged to but they were excited to attend and came out smiling every day! Thank you”
Parent from Plymouth holiday club
Overall, we had a brilliant time, the kids who joined us were wonderful and so engaged - and we cannot wait for next summer to do it all over again!