Opportunity Guide I Summer, Enrichment & Activities Guide

To help a tech-minded child build knowledge and skills, there are a wide variety of school-based activities, online and onsite classes, programs and rigorous summer programs to choose from. Whether your child’s interest is in engineering, computers or robotics, a multitude of entry level classes and activities exist so that she can dig in and discover what interests her. Attending or participating in a Maker Faire is also a great starting point for technology-loving kids to gain exposure to a wide range of inspirational inventions, projects and hands-on learning experiences.

For a child who likes competing, there are research and invention contests and fairs where children can share their original research findings with peers. At the highest levels, an accomplished child may compete in prestigious national and international engineering and technology contests such as the robotic and computing Olympiads and the International Science and Engineering Fair. If your child is serious about pursuing engineering/computer science in college or as a career, it is worthwhile to look into related math programs since the fields are often interconnected.



  1. Junior Solar Sprint (JSS) is a free educational program for 5th through 8th grade students where students design, build and race solar powered cars using hands-on engineering skills and principles of… Read more
  2. Pre-College Online courses at Brown are rigorous, active learning experiences, designed and led by innovative and dedicated Brown instructors. Explore challenging subjects through coursework designed… Read more
  3. Cornell University Summer College offers academically motivated high school students the chance to experience college life at a great Ivy League university, take regular college classes with Cornell… Read more
  4. The Cornell University Summer Session traces its roots to summer courses in geology, zoology, and entomology that were presented in the late 1870s. The University offered these courses in the summer… Read more
  5. ProjectFUN's programs offer exciting learning experiences for students of all ages. These courses introduce students to a variety of fun and engaging topics in video game programming, art and… Read more
  6. It’s our mission to foster a learning community of diversity and excellence through memorable and innovative educational experiences led by the highest-quality instructors; building skills and… Read more
  7. The Duke University Talent Identification Program (Duke TIP) is a nonprofit organization that has served over 2.8 million academically talented students in grades four through twelve since 1980. Each… Read more
  8. Future Engineers hosts online innovation challenges for K-12 students. In 2014, Future Engineers launched its innaugural 3D printing in space challenge, sponsored by the ASME Foundation with… Read more
  9. ICS maintains a listing of hundreds of academic competitions in order for students to get ranked in their ICS Global Academic Champions Ranking. Since 2012, ICS has been defining best-practices in… Read more
  10. The Junior Academy at the New York Academy of Sciences is an elite group of problem solvers made up of talented students, STEM experts, and companies around the world dedicated to designing… Read more
  11. During the Academic Phase (June through August), students complete online coursework and projects in science, engineering, and science writing. At the end of the Academic Phase, students attend the 5… Read more
  12. Specialized STEM courses for for rising 11th and 12 graders who want to personalize their high school schedule. NCSSM Online offers a supplemental, two-year, sequenced honors program that provides… Read more
  13. Talent Search Assessment - A research-validated program, Northwestern University’s Midwest Academic Talent Search (NUMATS) utilizes above-grade-level testing to identify academic ability, measure… Read more