EKO Summer Holiday Clubs

This summer, on behalf of the Defence Nuclear Enterprise as part of their EKO programme, 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 2025 at Stoke Damerel College, and the second was based in Barrow-in-Furness, held at Victoria Academy from August 18th to August 29th 2025.

We really wanted the 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, artificial intelligence and machine learning, cybersecurity and cryptography, electricity and circuits, plus a range of science experiments.

Over the full four weeks we met 134 children in total, ranging from ages 8-14 years old. 

Science Experiments

The children took part in a rocket experiment, in which they mixed sodium bicarbonate and acetic acid to enable their mini-rockets to take off by creating a build up of carbon dioxide. The rapid expansion of the carbon dioxide within a confined space caused the container lid to shoot off. Students experimented with the ratios of Bicarbonate to acetic acid to test for the most forceful combinations.

3D Design and Printing

In this activity, the children were able to explore an app called TinkerCAD where, in teams, they could explore and design their own 3D models to print. We challenged them to create their own submarine design and then used augmented reality to display their work within the classroom, which the students thoroughly enjoyed.

The best student designs were then printed on our 3D printer where students could see their design come to life in the physical realm.

We also provided the children with 3D doodler pens. These were a BIG hit! The students loved creating their own 3D drawings - exploring their creative side and bringing 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 a LEGO animation using simple techniques.

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. 

Cryptography & Cybersecurity

Students learned the basics of cryptography through Caeser cyphers, and went on to crack a safe using common ‘hacking’ techniques to break encryptions. As part of this sessions students developed a much better sense of their own online safety by using clues from poor security to practices to find and decrypt passwords.

Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning

As part of this activity, the students developed an understanding of how machines learn. They trained their AI on images of known ocean-faring vessels and used and AI camera to identify Unidentified Submerged Objects (USOs).

Robotics

Using LEGO, students built and programmed a range of robots. They started with simple mechanisms with single motors, and evolved and expanded their creations to use various sensors and motorised mechanisms to be able to carry out a range of nuclear-themed challenges.

Drone Coding

It’s not always easy to carry out structural inspections on massive sea-faring vessels, so students planned and programmed inspection routes for their drones to carry out external inspections, ensuring the drones were navigated safely and precisely using a mix of block-based code, and either python or swift text-based languages.

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.”

“Rosie said she wasn’t expecting to enjoy it as much as she has, and that she definitely wants to be a scientist now!”

“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”

Overall, we had a brilliant time, the children who joined us were wonderful and so engaged - and we hope to have the opportunity to deliver a similar programme in future.