Summer I.D.E.A.S. Grades 5-12

Week 1	Grades 5 and 6	Grades 7 to 9	Upper School
9 to 10:25 a.m.	All About The Brain	Writing with a Digital Twist	ACT/SAT Writing Prep
	Biking	Biking
	Brush Art	Knitting
	Board Games	3D Printing
	LEGO Robotics
10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.	Heroes, Antiheroes, and Villians	Spark Fun with Arduino	SAT/ACT Prep
	Games Around the World	DIY Crafts
	Classic Board and Card Games	Classic Board and Card Games
	Jewelry Making	Interior Design
	3D Printing	Geocaching
12:30 to 1:55 p.m.	Global Myths and Legends	Pre-Algebra
	Beginner Tennis	Beginner Tennis
	Escape Rooms	Cooking Around The World
	Rocketry	CAD
	Fashion Design	Fashion Design
2 to 3:30 p.m.	Writing with a Digital Twist	Algebra 1
	Girls Basketball	Girls Basketball
	Intermediate/Advanced Tennis	Intermediate/Advanced Tennis
	Cooking Around The World	Disc Golf
	Robotics	Robotics

Week 2	Grades 5 and 6	Grades 7 to 9	Upper School
9 to 10:25 a.m.	Learning Math Through Games	Critical Thinking
	Biking	Biking
	All Rise: Bread is in Session	Fun with Science
	Papier-mâché	Knitting
	MakeyMakey	Robotics
10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.	Basketball	Power of Words	SAT/ACT Prep
	Jewelry Making	Papier-mâché
	Woodworking	All Rise: Bread is in Session
	Makerspace	Algebra 2 (Grades 8-10)
	Fun with Science	CAD
12:30 to 1:55 p.m.	Rocketry	Creative Writing	ACT/SAT Math Extended Prep (Grades 10-12)
	Beginner Tennis	Beginner Tennis
	Escape Rooms	Drawing and Painting
	Cakes, Cupcakes, and Cookies	3D Printing
2 to 3:30 p.m.	Creative Writing Roundtable	Disc Golf
	Volleyball	Volleyball
	Intermediate/Advanced Tennis	Intermediate/Advanced Tennis
	Drawing and Painting	Cakes, Cupcakes, and Cookies
	Coding	Coding

Week 3	Grades 5 and 6	Grades 7 to 9	Upper School
9 to 10:25 a.m.	Book Club	Running Club	ACT/SAT Verbal Prep
	LEGO: Past and Present	Art Journaling
	Games Around the Globe	Games Around the Globe
	MakeyMakey	Coding
	Running Club
10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.	Heroes, Antiheroes, and Villians	Heroes, Antiheroes, and Villians
	Sport-A-Day	Wacky Olympics
	Gooey Science	Open Art Studio
	Makerspace	CAD
12:30 to 1:55 p.m.	All About the Brain	Pre-Algebra
	Beginner Tennis	Beginner Tennis
	World of Harry Potter	World of Harry Potter
	Cooking Across America	Coding
	Art Journaling
2 to 3:30 p.m.	Creative Writing	Algebra 1
	Intermediate/Advanced Tennis	Intermediate/Advanced Tennis
	Star Wars: May the Force Be with You	Cooking Across America
	Open Art Studio	Open Art Studio

Week 4	Grades 5 and 5	Grades 7 to 9	Upper School
9 to 10:25 a.m.	Book Club	Failing Forward	ACT/SAT Math Prep
	Science of Sound	Flag Football
	Breakfast Bites	Debate (Grades 6-9)
	Brush Art	Coding
10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.	Globe Trotting	Power of Words	Algebra 2 (Grades 8-10)
	Ice Skating and Games	Ice Skating and Games	SAT/ACT Prep
	Gooey Science	Interior Design	Debate (Grades 8-12)
	Science of the Launch	Breakfast Bites
		Robotics
12:30 to 1:55 p.m.	STEAM Camp		Golf (Grades 6-9)
	Beginner Tennis	Beginner Tennis
	Pizza Pizzaz	Creative Writing Roundtable
	Science of Sound	CAD
	Fashion Design	Fashion Design
2 to 3:30 p.m.	STEAM Camp	Drawing and Painting	Golf
	Intermediate/Advanced Tennis	Intermediate/Advanced Tennis
	Classic Board Games	Pizza Pizzaz
	Science of the Launch	Science of the Launch

Week 5	Grades 5 and 6	Grades 7 to 9	Upper School
9 to 10:25 a.m.	Games Around the Globe	Games Around the Globe
	Fun with Science	Papier-mâcheé
	MakeyMakey	Game Design
	Intro to Acting	Intro to Acting
		Advanced Reading Skills
10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.	Game Design	Robotics
	Papier-mâché	Critical Thinking
	Makerspace	LEGO: Past and Present
	Intro to Acting: First Stage (Grades 5 to 8)	Intro to Acting: First Stage (Grades 5 to 8)
		Fantasy Baseball
12:30 to 1:55 p.m.	Beginner Tennis	Experiment Design
	Chess Scholars	Beginner Tennis
	Drawing and Painting	Cakes, Cupcakes, and Cookies
	Wacky Olympics	Robotics
		Pre-Algebra Review
2 to 3:30 p.m.	Science of Sound	Science of Sound
	Intermediate/Advanced Tennis	Intermediate/Advanced Tennis
	Cakes, Cupcakes, and Cookies	Chess Scholars
	Wacky Olympics	Algebra 1 Survey
		Drawing and Painting

Week 6	Grades 5 and 6	Grades 7 to 9	Upper School
9 to 10:25 a.m.	Yard Games	Algebra 1
	Science of the Launch	Creative Writing
	Knitting	Art Journaling
	Math Review	Breakfast Bites
		Robotics
10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.	Creative Writing	Pre-Algebra	SAT/ACT Prep
	Breakfast Bites	Game Design
	Brush Art	Jewelry Making
	Team Sports and Games	3D Printing
	Math Review
12:30 to 1:55 p.m.	Coding	Experiment Design
	Beginner Tennis	Beginner Tennis
	Food of the Olympics	Chess Scholars
	All About the Brain	Open Art Studio
2 to 3:30 p.m.	Open Art Studio	Open Art Studio
	3D Printing	Science of Sound
	Intermediate/Advanced Tennis	Intermediate/Advanced Tennis
	Classic Board and Card Games	Food of the Olympics
	Chess Scholars

Learn and experience the technology that makes 3D printing possible. Use computer-aided design software and learn the many applications of 3D printing in our world today.

Prepare for the math section of the ACT/SAT with a comprehensive review of the concepts and test-taking strategies needed for success. This session is for students who would like an in-depth review. Students will have opportunities to work at their own pace and can also conference individually with the instructor. Students must bring their own graphing calculator.

Stretch your verbal skills. Prepare for the ACT and SAT verbal tests as well as your English course assignments. Strengthen your vocabulary through enriching and enjoyable word studies. Use games and strategies to learn root words, suffixes, and prefixes.

Focus on the writing sections of the ACT and SAT. Learn how to plan and organize your impromptu or argumentative essays as well as what traps to avoid. Become familiar with the qualities scorers use when evaluating essays.

Practice the skills you need to handle advanced reading.

We'll take a deep dive into the mystery that is the human brain. Learn interesting facts and a bit of anatomy, as well as how to get a great brain workout!

Bread can be finicky, but once you have your kitchen skills set, you won't knead to worry!

Reinforce and solidify what you learned in Algebra I and gain an introduction of concepts that will be introduced in Algebra II: matrices, logarithms, and trigonometry, etc.. Bring a calculator.

Review and solidify skills and concepts you studied in Algebra II. You will work collaboratively and independently on matrices, logarithms, and trigonometry and increasing complex problems. Bring a calculator.

Use paper making techniques to make your own sketchbook, then learn how to reflect on your art. Learn or practice new techniques in drawing, collage, painting, printmaking, and more.

Prepare yourself to take care of children and recognize and respond to dangerous situations. Take the Red Cross babysitting course and earn your babysitting certification. The fee includes Red Cross materials and supplies.

Purely recreational basketball play and will include games and drills. If there is something you want to work on, Coach Baker can help. This is a class for all  ability levels.

Learn the basics of bike maintenance and how to ride safely on the roadways. Students will ride to various locations near the school. Students must know how to ride a bike safely and need to bring a helmet. Students are encouraged to bring their own bikes, but there will be some bikes available at the school.

Do you enjoy book clubs? If so, this is the workshop for you! Read, discuss, and learn from each other. Let’s celebrate reading and enjoy great books together.

Learn to make a variety of breakfast foods such as omelets, pancakes supreme and biscuits and gravy. Master preparation and cooking techniques that will help with any dish you prepare.

Experiment with multiple media and discover how you can make lovely paintings that sweep across the paper. Brush-up on your painting techniques and develop your skills.

Learn and practice the basic skills of Computer-Aided Design (CAD). Use professional software from Autodesk to design and manufacture real-world functional rapid prototypes based on your own ideas.

Bake cookies, brownies, cakes, and cupcakes. Learn baking techniques and try your hand at decorating your cupcakes and cakes! (Returning participants will find some new treats!)

Learn the basics of chess and fundamental tactics, including combinations of moves that lead to gain or checkmate. Combine skills instruction with plenty of opportunity to practice and ask questions as you challenge yourself and your opponents.

Do you love to play board games? Are you always the banker in Monopoly? The clue reader in Trivial Pursuit? The buzzer-pusher in Taboo? Well, you've found your people! Join friends old and new when you choose from a variety of board games to play. Learn strategies, play familiar and new games, and even make your own game to add to your collection.

Learn and practice the basic skills of computer programming. Use modern programming languages (Sketch, Java, Python, etc.) to complete various programming tasks.

Experiment with cuisines from different regions across the USA. Try new tastes, and learn about different styles of cooking. Enjoy regional favorites you can share with your family and friends.

Experiment with cuisines from different countries. Try new tastes. Learn about different styles of cooking. You might prepare dishes from Japan, Brazil, Italy, Germany, and South America. Let your taste buds and interests help plan what your palette will enjoy. Try it……you’ll like it!

Do you like drawing? Do you like to write? Learn about cartoons, characters, and more as you write your own silly comics.

Earn your Red Cross certification as you learn about and practice basic first aid and dealing with what could be heart, breathing, and seizure emergencies. Be prepared to act safely and effectively.

Experiment with many forms of writing: poetry, short stories, plays and more. The choice is up to you in this creative writing workshop.

This creative writing class is for students who love to write and want to advance their skills, share their pieces, learn from and be inspired by one another.

Develop critical and creative thinking skills, two skills necessary in a knowledge-based economy and learn ways to analyze topics and concepts from fairy tales to advertisements and everything in between.

Argue the pros and cons of issues that interest you. Learn how to think through an issue logically and to use words and body language to win an argument and defend a position. Practice the art of remining composed and relaxed in front of an audience. These skills will serve you well!

It’s time to break out the hot glue, fabric, string and paint. This week you’ll have the opportunity to create some of your favorite craft projects, straight from Pinterest!

Explore the fields and trails of our campus during your time playing disc golf. Take on the course in a small group that allows for healthy competition, building skill, and having fun!

With a variety of media, practice contour art techniques for drawing real life objects. Learn skills and tips for bringing your drawing and painting to life.

Can you solve the crime? Crack the code and catch the thief! Make it out on time! Try your hand at various Escape Room games, and hone your skills of observation, logic, reasoning, and puzzle solving. Work in small groups to find clues, solve riddles, and crack codes, all while racing against the clock.

How can scientists use experiments to better understand the complex universe we live in? Join us as we take a look at designing experiments and execute our own scientific investigation.

Most every successful professional will tell you that one needs a growth mindset and to embrace and learn from one's failures. Students in this class will embrace new challenges and also learn to reflect on one's mistakes.

Draft your own team of big league baseball players. Manage your team over the course of a two-week season. Make trades, acquire free agents, and play the roles of owner, general manager, and manager of your team.

Work with a 3-dimensional mannequin and develop a line of fashion designs based on a theme. Explore elements of fashion design such as proportion, texture, visual weight, line, and color.

Enjoy this introduction to fishing class. Learn how to identify species of fish, cast, apply bait, and reel in the big one! Take daily trips on our USM buses to local fishing holes. Bring your own fishing pole, hooks, bobbers, and sunscreen (we'll provide the bait).

Improve basic football skills: catching, passing, punting, and kicking. Work on pass patterns and defensive play. Use your skills in flag football games.

Japan will host the Olympic Games later this summer. Join your chef on a tour of Japan...traveling with only your taste buds!

Science is everywhere, from magnets to solar power to what's growing in your refrigerator! Share new experiences as you enter this fascinating world of everyday science you've never considered. If you like to learn by doing, this class is for you.

What makes a game fun? A lot of the games we play have a quite a few things in common! We will take a look at some of our favorite games and design a brand-new game.

Travel to Australia, Europe, Africa, Asia, North and South America exploring games and sports from different cultures. Focus on both active games like tchoukball from Switzerland, cricket from Great Britain, and pateca from Brazil, as well as strategy games and activities. USM World Geography teacher Will Piper is back to lead this popular summer course.

Spend time exploring while hunting for hidden objects on our campus. Geocaches can be inside, outside, the size of a backpack or the size of a pen cap. Some are covered by brush, and others are in plain sight. Can you find them all?

Develop your shooting, ball-handling, and finishing moves through competitive drills. This camp is designed for the athlete who wants to become a more complete basketball player. Plan to work hard, compete, and improve your game!

Myths are stories and legends told by humans throughout the ages to explain the universe and their place in it. See how similar themes span the millennia from oral traditions to contemporary society. Expand your understanding of today by looking at yesterday.

This week, work together to discover cultures from other countries. We’ll explore food, art, languages, and traditions. This class will leave you inspired to learn more about the world around you!

Travel to par 3 courses around Milwaukee's north shore and play nine holes a day. Challenge yourself, improve your short game, gain an appreciation of the game of golf, and have fun! Guidance will be provided, but students will also have time to work independently. Fee includes greens fees and transportation. Overnight golf club storage is available.

Try your hand at gooey science: chemical reactions, amazing bubbles experiments and more. Our philosophy is, the messier the better!

What makes a hero (yesterday, today, and tomorrow) and why do they matter? Many people are under the false impression that heroes are boring because they are perfect. Most heroes actually were flawed people who had the strength and courage to sacrifice themselves for a higher cause. Villains and antiheroes are great, but what does a society lose when it no longer values heroes? Different heroes are needed at different times in history. We will examine these trends with the hopes of inspiring the hero within all of us.

Beginner, advanced, or expert - it matters not. Lace up your skates and hop on the ice where pros will meet you where you are, and get you where you want to go. We'll also make time to play some broom ball and ice soccer! All levels welcome. If you have never laced up skates, or you skate weekly, this opportunity is for you.

Learn the principles of interior design to create an interior space concept, with attention to harmony, balance, texture, contrast, focal point, and unity. Select finishes, textures, and complementary colors in your room designs.

Young performers will further develop beginning acting skills as they pull inspiration from stories and use improvisation techniques to create your own characters and adventures.

With wire, beads, and other items, fashion jewelry that you will be proud to wear and give as a gift. Make bracelets, necklaces, pins, and earrings. Learn a variety of techniques so you can continue creating long after the course is complete.

Learn the “bear necessities” of knitting: cast on, knit, purl, decrease, increase, and bind off. Make a hat, scarf, sweater, and more for a 12” bear (supplied). More advanced students may try other projects and learn new techniques. Return knitters are always welcome!

Playing games encourages strategic mathematical thinking as students discover different strategies for solving problems ,deepen their understanding of numbers, and increase computational fluency. In this class, students will have the chance to review core mathematical concepts through interactive, exciting games.

Build, rebuild, test, build again. Open LEGO studio, as well as guided activities make this course a must for anyone interested in LEGO, whether a beginner, or a seasoned veteran. Enjoy this hands-on physical science workshop. Build motorized cars and machines with the LEGO ® Dacta II kits while exploring the workings of gear ratios, differential gears, pulleys, and more. Test your creations for strength, durability, and speed.

Construct a LEGO® Mindstorms bot and program it to overcome challenges. Participants will need a computer or iPad to program and to access various building instructions. We will use the First LEGO® League competition mats as well as other small obstacles. Bots are programmed using block coding for basic movements as well as the use of sensors. Numerous paths and various codes can lead to success. At the end of the session, we will hold a mock FLL competition to highlight accomplishments and have some fun. Nicola DeTorre, 8th grade USM science faculty and LEGO® Robotics Team coach.

For your budding sous-chef! This extended time class is an opportunity for participants to learn food prep techniques in the kitchen. Safety, cleanliness, and healthful choices will be the primary areas of focus as kids prepare delicious meals they can replicate at home.

During our MakerSpace class you will have the opportunity to work with different materials such as acrylic, wood and vinyl. In addition, we will work with our 3D printers in our MakerSpace lab, Nerdvana. We will make useful items that you will be able to take home when our class is over.

Have you ever wanted to turn a piece of fruit in to a musical instrument? With MakeyMakey, you can do just that and in this course you will learn how. Along with MakeyMakey you will have the ability to create a game that you and a partner will be able to code, build and play using a small computer board called a Micro:bit. Please bring your creativity and an open mind!

Work on numeracy skills as we review addition, subtraction, multiplication and division of whole numbers and fractions. We'll spend time reviewing decimals, word problems and many of the topics covered in 5th and 6th grade math. 

Draw, paint, or sculpt. Select your medium and immerse yourself in your art. Take advantage of a little guidance from the instructor who will be there to support your exploration and creativity. Choose your focus: multi-media or drawing.

Create sculptures, bowls, and even jewelry with the simple art materials of paper and paste.

There's a lot more to pizza than cheese, sauce and crust! Experiment with veggie-based crusts, new cheeses and cooking techniques.

Strengthen your vocabulary and remember, learning new words does not have to be boring. Play fun, interactive word games to expand your use of powerful new words. Improve your reading, writing, speaking, and understanding.

Solidify the basic pre-algebra skills required for success in algebra. Work with positive and negative integers. exponents, fractions, decimals, per cents, and more. Master basic equations, ordered pairs and graphing.

This immersive course brought to us by the Menomonee Flying Electrons is designed for anyone age 11 and up. Students learn how to construct a basic RC model aircraft using only a matte knife, metal straight edge and a craft hot-melt glue gun.

Learn the basic skills of robot design, construction, and programming. Design and program your robot to complete basic robotic challenges in a quick and efficient manner to win various robot competitions.

Find out about the aerodynamics of flying objects, make chemical rockets, launch real rockets, and more. This will be a blast! Fee includes three engines (for three launches) and a rocket kit.

Join USM track and field and cross-country coach Jennifer Lee for as you explore the trails and track on the USM campus while improving your running and general fitness. Whether you are new to the sport or have found a niche in running, find your stride in the running club!

MCSC’s nationally recognized “Prams in the Park” program introduces sailing and water safety to children in the Discovery World lagoon. Students learn water safety‚ rigging‚ sail theory‚ basic maneuvers and practice a capsize recovery drill under the watchful supervision of MCSC instructors. Students are required to have passed a 25-yard swim check in order to participate. Permission and medical forms will be required. Students will depart by bus from USM promptly at 8:15 a.m. daily. These popular, hands-on courses introduce the basics of sailing and water safety. Students learn and practice tacking, jibing, docking and sail theory. Rules of the Road, capsize drills and crew overboard skills are also covered. Instructors sail with students in introductory courses for added safety and individualized instruction. Students must have a certified swim-check of 75 yards on file before being able to participate. Permission and medical forms will be required. Students will depart by bus from USM promptly at 8:15 a.m. daily.

Gain direct experience with all four multiple-choice sections on the ACT. Become familiar with the types of questions you will encounter as well as learn a variety of strategies to attack these questions. Fred Silver has designed this in-depth workshop based on 20+ years of experience successfully preparing students to take the ACT.

Join us as we investigate how sound is made, how sound moves, and how humans hear sound. We will use this knowledge to design and build our own musical instruments.

What’s the best way to get a water balloon to hit a target far away? We will investigate different machines that can launch water balloons way better than human arms. Join us as we build catapults, slingshots, and more!

Begin your journey into electronics with the SparkFun Inventor’s Kit. Each participant will use a kit with a circuit board to connect to his/her own computer (USB connection and downloading capabilities* are necessary). The kit will explore experiments of varying difficulty to teach about embedded systems, physical computing, programming, and more! Participants will work to assemble 16 basic physical electronic circuits. No previous experience is needed!

Join USM physical education teacher, and track and cross-country coach, Jennifer Lee for a week of sporting fun. Traditional sports and games, as well as some you may have not tried before will have you enjoying every minute of this class. All ability levels welcome.

Calling all young Padowans: Join Jedi Master Piper on a journey throughout the Star Wars universe connecting Star Wars themed topics to educational technology and innovation.

STEAM activities encourage problem-solving as a team, critical thinking, risk-taking and perseverance through project-based learning. Work with friends to take on exciting challenges rooted in science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics.

If you're looking for some active fun, this class is for you. We'll play a variety of games based on cooperation and sportsmanship. This is a recreational class filled with friendly, team-based, competitions.  

Small group sessions offer the chance to develop sound skills, instruction, and playing opportunities for beginners. You will learn the game and develop skills you can use to keep active.

Small group sessions focused on intermediate and advanced skills tennis. You will learn additional skills and fine-tune your competitive edge.

This camp will help establish and build upon critical skills for a successful season. Drills and small-sided games will help emphasize offensive and defensive strategies.

Maybe you're not headed to Tokyo for the summer games, but in this class, you'll compete with other world-class athletes in the silliest games you can think of.

Learn basic techniques for hand carving, as well as how to put other tools in our makerspace to use. Projects will be guided by the instructor, but you'll also have a chance to explore your own ideas.

Join Harry Potter and the Hogwarts crew in fun and magical adventures. Make your own custom wands, write spells, create and battle fantastic beasts, make “moving pictures,” try your hand at quidditch, and much more.

Explore ways that writing and technology can go together! Expository and creative writing and technology are merged together in this workshop that will stretch your imagination and allow you to both write and create mixed-media projects. Create poems with PicCollage, use StoryJumper to write your own tales in various genres, design your own product to help in the future and create an advertisement for your product. The possibilities are endless!

Prepare to be the champ at the next family picnic. We'll play ladder golf, corn hole, badminton, washer toss and more.