In this brand new camp children will have the opportunity to study and actually enjoy a type of maths that many children struggle with - worded maths problems. Children will also be constructing a ‘Walking Bot’ and learning Programming and Chess.
The camp runs from 9am to 12pm or 1pm to 4pm over five days. Each three hour day is divided into classes on the topics above with comfort breaks and opportunities to stop for drinks and a snack.
Learning groups are very small with a pupil to teacher ratio of 6 to 1 tailored for each child’s age and level of experience with the subject to provide appropriate levels of simplicity or complexity.
In Maths, pupils will learn about different approaches to solving worded problems. These are maths problems that describe a practical situation and ask a question about a quantity involved. These are arguably the hardest types of problems for the youngest learners. We will look at all stages of solving a worded problem and suggest useful methods and strategies to tackle them by carefully building a path from the text to the answer through to a clear solution. Children will practise describing the situation in their own words, identifying relevant information and working with inverse operations. They will explore drawing different types of diagrams to visualise the relationship between quantities and learn to write down the arithmetic calculations step by step.
In Science and Electronics, each child will build for themselves a ‘Walking Bot’. This is a model figure powered by a motor and battery which moves in an amusing way. Children will learn safety in electronics and the fundamentals of an electronic circuit before making their walking ‘robot’. This will be a fun way of learning about electricity and electric motors and children can take their project home with them to demonstrate what they have created and learned.
Coding and why we teach it:
Coding has become one of the most important skills of the 21st century. As well as being a profession, understanding how to program strengthens logical thinking and problem-solving skills – vital in many different areas of life, from engineering and science to medicine and law.
In each of our camps we choose a different coding project for children to work on and study through so the learning experience is always fresh even if a child has attended several of our camps.
During this camp children will be learning how to code using Scratch. Pupils will learn how animations and computer games are programmed, how they carry out ‘instructions’ and what happens when this goes wrong, leading to an understanding of how to ‘debug’.
Children also will see and learn more about the connection between programming and maths. Our campers will learn how algorithms are built and they will create basic computer games and animations. Each child will be in a class suitable to their age and experience.
In Chess, the primary goal for the youngest and newest players will be to learn the basic rules of chess and begin playing. More advanced players will be coached in strategy and tactics and how to improve their game. To develop a child’s interest in chess, we present it as an exciting game of protecting one’s kingdom and its inhabitants.
Research shows that playing chess regularly helps children achieve better results in maths and sciences, enhances language skills and memory and, most importantly, improves decision making which is why many countries teach it as a part of the school curriculum.
Format and fees for the junior face to face camp (Reception to Year 3 / Ages 4.5 to 8.5):
- small groups of similar age and experience. Pupil to teacher ratio is 6 to 1
- four days from Monday to Friday from either 9am to 12pm or 1pm to 4pm
fees are £450 for all five days. It is not possible to join for a shorter period