Community Factory logo: a green-and-black bracket shaped like a "C", with a print head extruding an orange 3D object, above the words "Community Factory" and a banner reading "Learn, Build, Belong".

Community Factory Makerspace

STEM Camp

Kids collaborating on a hands-on STEM project

What Camp Is

Community Factory's STEM camp is a small-group, hands-on week for makers ages 8-14. Mornings are spent designing and 3D printing a themed project; afternoons put that work to the test in a fun engineering-challenge competition. We keep groups small by design -- camp is limited to 2 campers per week -- so every camper gets real one-on-one time with the tools and the process.

A Day at Camp

Camp runs Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM-3:00 PM. Every camp day follows the same friendly rhythm:

  • Drop-off (8:00-9:00 AM), to start the day
  • Morning build session -- hands-on modeling and 3D printing toward that week's project
  • Morning snack break
  • Lunch break
  • Afternoon challenge -- a fun competition game that puts the week's build to the test
  • Afternoon snack break
  • Pick-up (3:00-4:00 PM), to close the day

Campers should bring their own lunch and snacks each day.

The Four Themes

Camp runs every week, and four themes rotate in order (A, B, C, D, then back to A), so each week brings a new project. Every week kicks off the same way -- a Tinkercad design orientation and a team Balloon Tower build -- then heads into its own project and test:

  • Week A -- Vehicles
    A camper building a vehicle projectCampers design and 3D print a PLA Derby car, race it for speed, then build a rubber band-powered car from scratch and race it for distance.
  • Week B -- Robots
    Campers building a robotics project togetherCampers team up to build and code a small wheeled robot, adding a bump sensor and a sonar sensor as the week goes on, then take on a line-following challenge.
  • Week C -- Vehicles (Air-Powered)
    Campers examining a flying build at the workshopCampers design and 3D print an air-powered PLA Derby car and race it for distance, then build and race a balloon-powered hovercraft.
  • Week D -- Space & Rocketry
    A model rocket launching into the skyCampers design, print, and launch a small rocket, then build and launch a bigger compressed-air rocket, then design a space-themed display model.

Every week wraps with a Friday showcase.

Pricing & Enrollment

Camp is $400 per child, per week.

Camp starts January 4, 2027 and runs every week after that. Registration opens December 7, 2026 for the first four weeks (January 4-29); after that, we open one new camp week each Monday, four weeks ahead -- so there is always a new week to sign up for.

See our Events page for the weekly schedule and dates. Sign-up opens December 7 -- registration and payment will be handled through our booking partner.

View Camp Weeks & Dates ->

Why Community Factory

STEM camp is just the beginning -- it's how we're building our community and our membership base ahead of opening our full makerspace. Every camp week is a chance to learn something new, build something real, and start to belong to something bigger.

Read our story ->