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From Chinese kites flown thousands of years ago to the unmanned helicopter Ingenuity stationed on Mars. Humanity has far surpassed what was once thought to be impossible. Spend the week building a series of flying projects and play with the physics that make them possible. Spin discs across a room, test different designs to find the BEST paper airplane, and end the week by launching model rockets high into the sky. These are just a few ways we will explore the world above ground-level. Learn what makes flight possible, then use that knowledge to make it happen.

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines an Automaton as 1. a mechanism that is relatively self-operating and 2. a machine or control mechanism designed to follow automatically a predetermined sequence of operations or respond to encoded instructions.
This may bring to mind the concept of a robot with electronics and coding determining its function. But a code doesn’t have to be electronic. Through careful planning and placement, certain mechanics can be used to replicate a motion repeatedly. Indeed, clockwork and mechanical automatons have existed since Ancient Greece. Foreign dignitaries visiting the Byzantine Emperor’s court in the 10th century were greeted by a golden tree of singing birds and two golden lions were flanking the throne with roaring mouths and swishing tails. A series of projects will be explored from the precise and mechanical movements of a spinning shaft to the silly and unconventional like Marvin Minsky’s “useless machine”.

Believe me, my young friend, there is nothing–absolutely nothing–half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats.
- Water Rat, Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Gramme 1908

With the development of the gasoline engine in the early 1900s it became an inevitable pairing to put one on a boat. The first race incorporating this new technology took place in 1904 on the Hudson River, though speeds were limited. By 1931 the 100 mph mark was broken by builder and designer Gar Wood. Fast, fun, and remote controlled, our boat will NOT hit 100 mph.
Work every day on a remote controlled model speedboat to take home.
Work on a team to create a unique cardboard (you read that right) boat for friendly competition in our annual Mill River regatta on Friday afternoon.

Canals were the world's first steps towards mass movement infrastructure. Before technology like trains and automobiles, boats were the first vehicles capable of moving large amounts of goods and people from one place to another. All you needed was water and a boat! When there was no water, humans devised a way to create waterways. Humans have dug canals since ancient times, in Egypt and China. Connecticut was once home to a canal that helped open the interior of New England to industry and trade. 

Join our friends at Preservation CT to discover the fascinating history of Connecticut's waterways. Explore the a variety of boats important to the people of Connecticut. From dugout canoes built by native peoples to steamboats crossing Long Island Sound, there is a world of fun in the things that float and sink in our back yards. 

Be prepared to get wet. We will test our boats in the water lab throughout the week.

A robot is a machine that is capable of carrying out a series of complex actions automatically. While many advances have been made in robotics over the last 20 years, one area in particular has become an engineering challenge for the ages. How do we replicate the intricacies of a human hand? Capable not only of strong but also dexterous grasping and manipulation, the human hand is a marvel of our body’s incredible engineering. Join us as we tackle this problem by creating a mechanical hand of our own.

Create contraptions to modify your body. Stilts to make us taller, masks to protect our faces, and mechanisms to grasp objects. Think out of the box with how you might create artwork to wear and move with you.
 

Established as a Colony in 1638, New Haven is older than the United States by 138 years. From nine squares that were planned and laid out as the initial plan of the community, New Haven and its surrounding communities have grown and changed along with the United States. In this camp we will look at the growth and development of New Haven over the 250 years since the founding of the United States. From dirt roads to paved streets. Trolley lines to buses. Small buildings to skyscrapers. Lets celebrate this momentous year by looking at how our community has changed over the span of 250 years. 

Marbles have been tools for learning, experimentation, and fun for centuries. From humble beginnings as polished pebbles, nuts, and clay in Ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome, they are even mentioned in Shakespeare's “Twelfth Night.” Mass production in the 1890s made marbles truly global toys that are collected and played with to this day. Join us as we play, experiment, and build fun mechanisms to help launch, climb, and roll our marbles through the week.

A summer favorite returns with new projects and a return to some of our favorites. This week we are building a Design Engineer’s toolbox. How do you know which material to use? Delve into the intricacies of 5 types of materials: 

• Metal
• Wood
• Glass
• Fiber
• Ceramic

In this week-long workshop, campers will learn about material properties and apply them in constructive ways.

Heat metal to its melting point and exciting things happen. Join us in the metal shop to cast a unique pendant. 

Wood is a material that presents many challenges and opportunities. Learn to use a wood-turning lathe. Can you make durable bent-wood structures? Laminate thin sheets of wood to make intricate, complex bent-wood structures.

Glass is a hard and often sharp material. Heat it to the right temperature, and it becomes soft, pliable, or even fluid. Use glass shards to make fused glass panels. The glass shop requires a steady hand and a designer's eye. Create glass beads and fused glass tiles. We will have fun experimenting, too. 

One thread helps us mend, join, or embroider. Bring many fibers together and create uniquely designed woven networks.

Enter the ceramics studio and create a cup for use at your dinner table. Campers will utilize our recently expanded ceramics studio to make high-fire stoneware dishes.
 

Explore fire in its many forms and its many uses throughout history. From its creative uses in glasswork and ceramics to its more practical uses as a source of heat and food (marshmallows hunted from the wilds of the grocery store aisles). This week offers glimpses into disciplines all joined by their universal use of this earliest of human inventions. These disciplines will be taught by apprentices and staff members, many of whom practice these forms independently and have jumped at the chance to share them with the campers.
 

Welcome to summer camp 2026! Delve into invention, creation, experimentation, and design through the lens of Leonardo Da Vinci. So much of what we do is inspired by Da Vinci, so paying close attention to our world and the works of da Vinci will be an exciting way to kick off the summer! Join us on a journey across land, sea, and sky, and peer into the cosmos for an opportunity to ask questions and seek answers.