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Challenge Island Summer Camp Opportunities

Do your children love hands-on learning? Teambuilding? Fun challenges? Then we have the perfect camp opportunity for you! Dive into fun with Challenge Island Summer Camps!

About Challenge Island Summer Camps

If you are looking for an amazing summer camp where your child will not only have fun, but also learn, then look no further. Challenge Island-Oakland County East is a STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) enrichment program for kids ages 4-14. This summer, Challenge Island is offering several weeks of camps featuring fun hands-on activities that allow students to work together to solve the challenges. With five different themes, there is something to spark your child’s interest and creativity. Check out the summer camp themes below.

Challenge Island Summer Camp

Challenge Island – Oakland County East is run by Mike and Michelle Peterson.  Mike is an engineer with 30 years of experience at General Motors, and also a senior lecturer in statistics and leadership at Oakland University.  Michelle has a background in industrial design and has worked for a variety of companies, as well as on many art-related projects for local charities.  Both of them are passionate about getting kids excited about STEAM and about their own potential, through creating a fun, positive environment for learning.

Challenge Island Summer Camp Themes

Arcade Mania: 

This Kids-Choice Challenge Island adventure puts a 100% SCREEN-FREE STEAM twist on popular video games: From Super STEAMio to Island Blox to Mine Island to Fort Island to retro-inspired games like Space Aliens and Pinball Machines!  You and your STEAM Team will swap game consoles for creativity and joysticks for ingenuity and imagination as you take on Islands of low-tech STEAM challenges created with game-loving kids in mind!

Road Trip USA: 

Rev up your R.V. for a cross country STEAM adventure!  You and your tribe will engineer your way from sea to shining sea from the Statue of Liberty to the Golden Gate Bridge from the Hawaiian Volcanoes to the Floridian Theme Parks to an open road of exciting pit-stops in between.  This imagination-fueled excursion across the USA promises to have campers smiling from coast to coast! 

Shark Week:  STEAM + Reading = STREAM!

This STREAMy camps brings The Bridge to Sharktooth Island, the first book in the Challenge Island series, to life! You and your STEAM Team will join book characters Daniel, Joy, Kimani, and Davinci on their Sharktooth Island adventures from bridge-building to pirate ship exploring to mixing up spectacular slime seas. You’ll dive into the fascinating world of SHARKS and tackle an ocean full of shark-inspired challenges! This FINtastic Camp is perfect for fans of the Challenge Island, Magic Tree House and Magic School Bus book series! 

Slime Squad: 

Our original best-selling slime experience takes kids into a new slime-filled world every day: From alien ooze to ghostly goo to monster muck to lava, too. No matter how you squish, squeeze or stretch it, this camp promises to be a blockbuster hit!

Xtreme STEAM Retro Camp: 

Get ready for some groovy time-traveling fun!  You and your STEAM Team will build a time machine and take a STEAMtastic journey to a different decade every day.  You’ll have a blast rocking around the clock from Fabulous 50’s Day to Far Out 60’s Day to Groovy 70’s Day to Totally 80’s Day to Wizarding 90’s Day!  This Retro-riffic camp is one for the history books!

All courses are taught by STEAM professionals who encourage and celebrate students’ accomplishments.  They keep course enrollment small, to allow for plenty of interaction between the instructors and the students. As an added bonus, if you register for both an AM and PM camp in the same location, students are welcome to bring a sack lunch and stay over the lunch hour at no extra charge. Camps are planned in Utica, Bloomfield Hills, Ortonville, Clarkston, Rochester and Rochester Hills.

Challenge Island Summer Camp Programs

Utica Summer Camps

Address: TBD Utica
Contact Name: Mike Peterson
Phone: 248-690-5080
Email: mikep@challenge-island.com
Website Link: https://login.challenge-island.com/events.php?pid=5&location=107
Age Range:  Grades K-5
Dates/Times: 
* Week 1 Arcade Mania (AM), Shark Week (PM)
Monday, July 25th through Friday, July 29th. 9 am until 12 pm, 1 pm until 4 pm.
* Week 2 Shark Camp (AM), Arcade Mania (PM)
Monday, August 8th through Friday August 12th. 9 am until 12 pm, 1 pm until 4 pm.
Description: Challenge Island is a STEAM enrichment program which teaches STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) fundamentals, crosscurricular topics (history, geography, pop culture) as well as teambuilding through fun, hands-on “challenges” which students design and create using everyday materials.  All courses are taught by STEAM professionals who encourage and celebrate the students’ accomplishments.  We keep course enrollment small, to allow for plenty of interaction between the instructors and the students, and between the students themselves to grow their teamwork skills as they get excited about STEAM at the same time.  As an added bonus, if you can join us for both an AM and PM camp in the same location, students are welcome to bring a sack lunch and stay over the lunch hour at no extra charge.

Summer Camps in Bloomfield Hills

Address: Birmingham Covington School – 1525 Covington Road, Bloomfield Hills  48309
Contact Name: Mike Peterson
Phone: 248-690-5080
Email: mikep@challenge-island.com
Website Link: https://login.challenge-island.com/events.php?pid=5&location=107
Age Range: Grades K-5
Dates/Times:
* Week 1: Slime Squad (AM), Road Trip USA (PM)
Tue July 5th through Friday July 9th. 9am until 12pm and 12:30 until 3:30pm.
* Week 2 Arcade Mania (AM), Shark Week (PM)
Monday, July 25th through Friday, July 29th. 9 am until 12pm and 12:30 pm until 3:30 pm.
Description: Challenge Island is a STEAM enrichment program which teaches STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) fundamentals, crosscurricular topics (history, geography, pop culture) as well as teambuilding through fun, hands-on “challenges” which students design and create using everyday materials.  All courses are taught by STEAM professionals who encourage and celebrate the students’ accomplishments.  We keep course enrollment small, to allow for plenty of interaction between the instructors and the students, and between the students themselves to grow their teamwork skills as they get excited about STEAM at the same time.  As an added bonus, if you can join us for both an AM and PM camp in the same location, students are welcome to bring a sack lunch and stay over the lunch hour at no extra charge.

Summer Camps in Brandon Township/Ortonville

Address: Harvey-Swanson Elementary – 209 Varsity Drive, Ortonville  48462
Contact Name: Mike Peterson
Phone: 248-690-5080
Email: mikep@challenge-island.com
Website Link: https://login.challenge-island.com/events.php?pid=5&location=107
Age Range: Grades K-5
Dates/Times:
* Week 1: Xtreme STEAM Retro Camp (AM), Road Trip USA (PM)
Monday June 20th through Friday, June 24th. 9 am until 12 pm and 1 pm until 4 pm.
* Week 2: Arcade Mania (AM), Shark Week (PM)
Monday, July 18th through Friday, July 22nd. 9 am until 12 pm and 1 pm until 4 pm.
Description: Challenge Island is a STEAM enrichment program which teaches STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) fundamentals, crosscurricular topics (history, geography, pop culture) as well as teambuilding through fun, hands-on “challenges” which students design and create using everyday materials.  All courses are taught by STEAM professionals who encourage and celebrate the students’ accomplishments.  We keep course enrollment small, to allow for plenty of interaction between the instructors and the students, and between the students themselves to grow their teamwork skills as they get excited about STEAM at the same time.  As an added bonus, if you can join us for both an AM and PM camp in the same location, students are welcome to bring a sack lunch and stay over the lunch hour at no extra charge.

Clarkston Summer Camps

Address: Clarkston Community Education – 6558 Waldon Road, Clarkston  48346
Contact Name: Mike Peterson
Phone: 248-690-5080
Email: mikep@challenge-island.com
Website Link: https://login.challenge-island.com/events.php?pid=5&location=107
Age Range: Grades K-5
Dates/Times: Slime Squad (AM), Arcade Mania (PM)
Monday August 1st through Friday August 5th. 9 am until 12 pm and 1 pm until 4 pm.
Description: Challenge Island is a STEAM enrichment program which teaches STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) fundamentals, crosscurricular topics (history, geography, pop culture) as well as teambuilding through fun, hands-on “challenges” which students design and create using everyday materials.  All courses are taught by STEAM professionals who encourage and celebrate the students’ accomplishments.  We keep course enrollment small, to allow for plenty of interaction between the instructors and the students, and between the students themselves to grow their teamwork skills as they get excited about STEAM at the same time.  As an added bonus, if you can join us for both an AM and PM camp in the same location, students are welcome to bring a sack lunch and stay over the lunch hour at no extra charge.

Rochester Summer Camps

Contact Name: Mike Peterson
Phone: 248-690-5080
Email:mikep@challenge-island.com
Website Link:https://login.challenge-island.com/events.php?pid=5&location=107

* Week 1A Xtreme STEAM Retro (AM), Road Trip USA (PM)
Address: Rochester Avon Recreation Authority – 500 E 2nd St., Rochester 48307
Age Range: Ages 3-6
Dates/Times: Monday, July 11th through Friday, July 15th. 9 am until 12 pm, 1 pm until 4 pm.

Week 1B  Arcade Mania (AM), Shark Week (PM)
Address:  Rochester Avon Recreation Authority – 500 E 2nd St., Rochester  48307
Age Range:  Ages 6-12
Dates/Times:  Monday, July 11th through Friday, July 15th. 9 am until 12 pm, 1 pm until 4 pm.

Description: Challenge Island is a STEAM enrichment program which teaches STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) fundamentals, crosscurricular topics (history, geography, pop culture) as well as teambuilding through fun, hands-on “challenges” which students design and create using everyday materials.  All courses are taught by STEAM professionals who encourage and celebrate the students’ accomplishments.  We keep course enrollment small, to allow for plenty of interaction between the instructors and the students, and between the students themselves to grow their teamwork skills as they get excited about STEAM at the same time.  As an added bonus, if you can join us for both an AM and PM camp in the same location, students are welcome to bring a sack lunch and stay over the lunch hour at no extra charge.

Rochester Hills Summer Camps

Contact Name: Mike Peterson
Phone: 248-690-5080
Email:mikep@challenge-island.com
Website Link:https://login.challenge-island.com/events.php?pid=5&location=107

Week 1 Arcade Mania (AM), Shark Week (PM)
Address:  Brewster Elementary – 1535 Brewster Road, Rochester Hills  48306
Age Range:  Grades K-5
Dates/Times:  Monday, June 27th through Thursday, June 30th. 9 am until 12pm and 1 pm until 4 pm.

Week 2 Arcade Mania (AM), Shark Week (PM)
Address:  Rochester University – 800 W Avon Road, Rochester Hills  48307
Age Range:  Grades K-5
Dates/Times:  Monday, August 8th through Friday August 12th. 9 am until 12 pm, 1 pm until 4 pm.

Description: Challenge Island is a STEAM enrichment program which teaches STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) fundamentals, crosscurricular topics (history, geography, pop culture) as well as teambuilding through fun, hands-on “challenges” which students design and create using everyday materials.  All courses are taught by STEAM professionals who encourage and celebrate the students’ accomplishments.  We keep course enrollment small, to allow for plenty of interaction between the instructors and the students, and between the students themselves to grow their teamwork skills as they get excited about STEAM at the same time.  As an added bonus, if you can join us for both an AM and PM camp in the same location, students are welcome to bring a sack lunch and stay over the lunch hour at no extra charge.

Connect with Challenge Island

For more details about their programs, visit challenge-island.com/OaklandCountyEast.

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Julie McKeeman
Author: Julie McKeeman

Julie is first and foremost a mom of two amazing kiddos, Elliott and Bennett. She is an elementary school librarian whose passion is to create safe spaces for all children.