Summer Learning Shines Across Arizona Gifted Summer Programs

Just because the school year has ended does not mean the learning has stopped in our local school districts.

Across Arizona, gifted learners spent part of their summer exploring new ideas, testing big questions, building creative projects, and connecting with other students through hands-on summer learning experiences. From STEM investigations and robotics to LEGO engineering, National Parks studies, and Mythbusters challenges, students had opportunities to stay curious, engaged, and inspired.

Learning never stops in Deer Valley Unified School District! Over 500 brilliant students came together for 2 full weeks of hands-on learning, creativity, and connection at our Gifted Summer Camp!

In the Littleton Gifted Enrichment Summer Camp, Students explored STEM through hands-on investigations, creative problem-solving, collaborative challenges, critical thinking, risk taking, communication, innovation, and interactive hands-on activities. Students explored three classes during the Summer Camp including science , Creative Projects and STEM Innovation Coding and Robotics.

This year, Avondale Elementary Gifted Summer School served 98 students in grades 1–7. We offered everything from LEGO engineering and National Parks studies to Shark Tank projects and so much more. It was exciting to see students engaged in challenging, creative, and collaborative learning experiences throughout the program.

This summer 150 gifted students tackled myths in “Mythbusters” Summer Camp in the Washington Elementary School District. They made predictions about claims such as: It is impossible to fold a piece of paper in half 7 times, It is impossible to eat 6 saltine crackers in one minute, Toast always falls “butter-side” down, It is impossible to remove the bottom block of a Jengo tower without collapsing it, and It is impossible to walk in a straight line blindfolded. Some of these claims were confirmed and others were busted, but overall we had a great time investigating all of them!