What you'll do
Step right up to your own amusement park in this wondrous weeklong class. Fortify your paper construction skills as you engineer an array of safe, sturdy, super-fun coasters and contraptions, plus inspired stalls and signs to customize your creation.
Jump in with a bump as you craft a ride-testing character to assist you throughout the week, then put them to work in a paper-and-cardboard bumper car. Be courageous to push your car to the limit, testing its seatbelt and bumper for ultimate safety. Make sturdy paper columns to support an exhilarating drop tower that can keep your tester secure from top to bottom. Build a marvelous marble roller coaster with folded-paper tracks and be reflective as you check for weak spots, redesigning for safety and speed. Top your coaster with a big, boldly lettered sign, then wrap up the week crafting other inventive attractions to bring your amusement park vision to life in awesome style.
Note:
This weeklong class is more than innovation-igniting projects—it’s an immersive experience full of delightful details, including interactive games, silly traditions, snacks (see Materials, below) and dress-up days designed to build community, bolster confidence and deliver loads of camp-away-from-camp fun.
What you'll need
Materials
- 20+ sheets of standard-size copy paper
- 6+ plastic or paper straws
- 1 set of markers
- 1 glass marble
- 2 quarters or nickels
- 2 toilet paper or paper towel tubes
- 1 corrugated cardboard box
- 2 additional pieces of corrugated cardboard (from a shipping box)
- 1 pencil
- Tape
- Scissors
- Snack: Please have a snack and drink ready for your child approximately one hour into class.
- See your welcome email after you enroll for more detailed material lists broken out by day.
Technology
- Computer or tablet with speaker and camera
- Internet access
- Zoom application installed
- Signed in with your child’s name
- Unmuted (the instructor will manage class muting/unmuting)
What you'll take away
- Paper cutting, folding and construction techniques
- The skills to be courageous and embrace challenges
- The skills to be reflective and notice what is and isn’t working in your design
- An awesome amusement park, including a bumper car, drop tower ride, marble roller coaster and an array of original stalls and signs
Join the community
The last step in the Galileo Innovator’s Process is share. Great learning can come from sharing successes and failures—to solidify your own experience as an innovator and to inspire others.
ELL
Some bilingual staff & support for multilingual families.
Special Needs
Support for Students with Special Needs (Oakland Camp Director has a Masters in Special Education).
Deals
Yes. Every year, we award thousands of weeks of specially priced camp through our financial assistance program. Apply on our Financial Assistance page. Scholarships available.