2026 Summer Camps and Classes
Full-day camps | Ages 5–12 | Bellevue & Northshore | Mon–Fri, 9 AM – 4 PM
Your child programs a robot to navigate a maze — then jumps up to fix the code when it clips a corner. They design a creature on screen in the morning and hold the finished 3D print in their hands by the end of the day. They build a chain-reaction machine out of ramps, levers, and everyday materials, and on Friday the whole thing runs live for parents. They invent a board game from scratch — rules, tokens, cards — and you sit down and play it.
That's a week at ThinkAhead Lab.
Four programs. All hands-on. All summer.
Robotics — "Build Yourself" (Ages 5–12) Kids program real Codey Rocky robots using block-based coding. They learn sequences, loops, sensors, and debugging — and by Friday they're writing programs we never assigned.
3D Design & Printing — "Make It Real" (Ages 5–12) Students design in TinkerCAD and print on professional Bambu Lab 3D printers. Art-minded kids sculpt with 3D pens. Every printed object goes home.
Rube Goldberg Machines — "Chain Reaction" (Ages 7–12) Zero screens. Kids build chain-reaction machines using real physics — ramps, pulleys, dominoes, levers. Teams connect their machines into one giant chain reaction performed live on Friday.
Game Design — "Play, Design, Think" (Ages 8–12) Zero screens. Kids invent original board and card games from scratch. Writing game rules is logical thinking. Playtesting is how you find what's broken. Friday is Game Night with parents.
Built on the 7 Pillars — our teaching framework behind every program:
Curiosity by Design — every session opens with a mystery or challenge. We never give the answer first.
Self-Directed Learning — children pick their own challenge level each day: green, orange, or purple. A bold first-grader and a cautious fifth-grader both feel stretched.
Honest Self-Assessment — "Does it really work? Run it again." Kids learn to test their own work truthfully.
Cognitive Tools — we name thinking strategies out loud: sketch before you build, measure twice, slow down and look. Kids carry these beyond camp.
Productive Pausing — when stuck, step away on purpose. Come back sharper.
Hands-On Making — robots on the floor, machines on the table, games in their hands. Every day.
Role Rotation — coder, tester, designer, presenter. Every child discovers their real strengths, not just follows instructions.
The technology changes from program to program. The thinking stays.
Small groups. Real tools. Real mentorship. Two of our four programs are completely screen-free.
Trusted by schools in Bellevue SD, Lake Washington SD, and Northshore SD. Proud partner for City of Redmond Summer Camps.
Early bird pricing ends May 15. Register at thinkaheadlab.com/camps
