With topics like printmaking, weaving, and Minecraft 3D, it isn't surprising that summer camps offered by the Champaign-Urbana (CU) Community Fab Lab fill up so quickly. Throughout seven weeks this summer, the Fab Lab, a makerspace that supports campus and public community members, will hold 26 week-long camps for youth aged 10 to 15. This summer marks the tenth anniversary of the Fab Lab summer camps.
"Our summer camps offer unique, hands-on learning experiences and are popular with families in the community," said Kyungwon Koh, director of the Fab Lab and an associate professor in the School of Information Sciences. "For many, camp is their first introduction to the lab, and they often return later for open hours and other programs."
Learning is not limited to the activity at hand—for example, campers learning to sew are also learning about digital design through digital embroidery and are gaining spatial skills through the geometry that is fundamental to sewing.
"Last summer, I worked one camp a week, predominantly in our textile camps like weaving, fabric dyeing, and sewing," said Zadia Valenze, an MSLIS student and Fab Lab graduate assistant. "I enjoyed being able to teach campers about tablet/card weaving, a technique from 8th century BCE that involves rotating cards with holes in them back and forth to create the pattern in the trim. Designing and following a pattern can get complicated fast, but the kids wove some great bracelets for themselves!"
The cost for families is $160 for one half-day camp and $320 for a full day (two, half-day camps). The Fab Lab is committed to making summer camp available for families at all income levels and holds fundraising events, such as the Holiday Maker Fest, that benefit lab scholarships. Last year, more than 10 families received financial support.
"The price of the camp is too expensive for my budget, but the scholarship made it possible for my girls to attend," wrote a parent. "My girls learned a lot about sewing and using the 3D printer. They were ready every morning without me having to get them up. They met new friends who they still talk to today."
"Fab Lab camp has become an indispensable part of my child's happy childhood memories," wrote another parent of a scholarship recipient. "One of the most meaningful moments for us was when my son completed his very first 3D-printed project. He was incredibly proud of his accomplishment, and that sense of achievement stayed with him long after the camp ended."
These childhood experiences often turn into job opportunities when the children age out of the summer camps. The lab has seen former campers come back to work as high school interns. In addition, former campers who are University of Illinois students return to the Fab Lab for student hourly positions.
"When looking for a job, I remembered the awesome camps I went to at the Fab Lab, and that is what made me seek out the hourly position—to bring the same experience to future campers," said Erika Lindsey, a sophomore in creative writing. "I have learned so many skills here and met so many awesome people. I have also helped a lot of campers during camps, such as assisting with technical issues and prompting ideas. Those experiences are the most memorable."
According to longtime summer camp instructor Richard Coulter, the Fab Lab's "community-oriented" spirit extends to its camps. The escape room camp remains a vivid memory for Coulter, now a PhD student in philosophy at The Ohio State University.
"After a week of active development—including conceptualizing, prototyping, redesigning, etc.—we managed to pull together a transformation of the space," he said. "What was previously an office became a haunted tomb. Seeing our ceaseless labor come together was rewarding for me, my colleagues, and the campers. It was an exciting moment of teamwork and creative design. In my memory, events like that epitomize the spirit of the Fab Lab."
Give youth the opportunity to participate in summer camp by making a donation to Fab Lab summer camp scholarships during Orange and Blue Week.