Last week I was able to take my boys, ages 6 and almost 11, to Zaniac‘s Upper East Side location in Manattan for a 1 day camp filled with STEM activities. At Zaniac, K–8 kids discover math and technology and just how much fun learning can be. Zaniac’s fun enrichment programs engage kids in creative, conceptual problem solving that builds confidence and helps them succeed in school. Their programs (during the school year) and camps (during the summer and when NYC schools are closed) allow students to grasp math and logic concepts. Their Game-Based Learning using Minecraft™ capitalizes on the love kids already have for the game to teach concepts ranging from biology to physics. Zaniac uses modular LEGO systems designed for education in our robotics courses to bridge the gap between theory and practice in engineering.
My Older Son’s Experience:
My almost 11 year old, B., had such an amazing time and was talking about this for days. It worked for him because it was learning and fun. My big guy was able to work with LEGO, 3D Printing and Minecraft, all while learning. In fact, he keeps asking me when he can go back.
He sampled three programs, LEGO, 3D Printing and Minecraft Modding.
- For the LEGO class, B. was exposed to engineering problem solving in an environment where learning feels like play. Find out more info about LEGO Programs here: https://www.zaniaclearning.com/uppereast/programs#/legorobotics
- In 3D printing the students learned how to engineer and create their own 3D Printing designs that they can bring to life using Zaniac’s 3D Printer, while developing spatial intelligence. This was actually B.’s favorite activity. Note: It takes around 2 hours or so to print something out, so make sure your kids try to keep an eye on the time and make sure they can print what they make. He ran out of time to print his and was disappointed (but he understood that he should have asked to print out his figure earlier). Find out more about 3D Design here: https://www.zaniaclearning.com/uppereast/programs#/design
- For B.’s last class, he also tried Minecraft Modding where students learned how to create custom items, blocks, and new materials by writing their own Java code, including interpreting elements of existing mods to define qualities for their own, all using tools like JDK, Eclipse, Terminal, and Gimp. Find out more about Minecraft Programs here: https://www.zaniaclearning.com/uppereast/programs#/minecraft
My Younger Son’s Experience:
My younger son turned 6 four days before our day at Zaniac. While he enjoyed himself building simple machines with LEGO at Zaniac, this wasn’t the ideal program for him, as he has some special needs and wasn’t mature enough. I’ll stress here that Zaniac’s staff was terrific and accommodating to my younger son, but it was his issue of not wanting to share things that prompted a tantrum. I saw 6 year olds who were at Zaniac that had a lovely day and were able to handle the activities. So, we would try Zaniac again with him, but I would wait until he matures a little bit. He found a friend and was happily building with him, but taking direction was not for him. However, if you look closely, you can see how happy he was to be at Zaniac.
Find out more about Zaniac here.
Zaniac Upper East Side Offers Kids STEM Programs With A Side of Fun
Check out their website: https://www.zaniaclearning.com/uppereast/
Mention you saw this review for a free gift when you visit Zaniac Upper East Side.
Thank you to Zaniac for providing me with a one day camp in exchange for my honest review. We really enjoyed our day there and feel that it’s worth your time also.
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