Achievement House BLOG

Summer to kids means no school and time to have fun! The idea of keeping minds active exists only for parents and educators.

It’s a struggle to keep students engaged in their education during the summer months. At Achievement House, many students have an interest in STEM or computer education. If you are looking for an educational summer family field trip or vacation here are a few places to check out this summer:

AHCCS will have an exhibitor booth at the Young Innovators Fair! The Fair will be held at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks on June 10-11. Our staff will be presenting on stage and also demonstrate different PiWars USA challenges. The organizers are anticipating over 20,000 attendees who will spend the weekend immersed in over 10 different worlds as they experience STEM learning like never before – come visit us! 

Young Innovators

For those looking for a more intensive STEM experience, check out Summer Exploration Camps at Harrisburg University of Science and Technology! HU’s offers summer day camps for incoming high school students through high school seniors. There is a small fee for each course, but students can learn about everything from biotechnology to drone and video game development. Certain classes even give students the ability to earn college credits. If you want to be a part of the maker movement, one of these summer camps might be right for you!

If a day trip is more your style, nothing beats the heat on a hot summer day like an air-conditioned museum.  Pennsylvania is the home of some very educational exhibits, including the Carnegie Science Center in Pittsburgh and Franklin Institute in Philadelphia. If you are on the Western side of the state, check out Carnegie’s roboworld– the world’s largest permanent robotics exhibit. New to the Franklin Institute this summer is a cool new Virtual Reality experience.

Thinking about your post-AHCCS plans? Start exploring higher education or career options post high school graduation. For those entering 10th or 11th grade in the fall, if you think college is in the cards, it might be time to start planning college visits.

Finding a school that offers the program or major that you want is a start, but loving the look and feel of a campus is another big factor to consider when choosing the school that is right for you. When visiting, make sure you really feel like you could belong – since there is a chance you might be living or commuting there for the next 2-4 years. Signing up for an official campus tour through the undergraduate admissions office is a great way to get started.  Summer is a good time for initial visits since campuses is far less crowded. If you fall in love with a school, make sure to visit again during an active semester so you can see what the hustle and bustle of college life is really like.  

How are you spending your summer? Let us know!