Explora offers a variety of week-long summer camps that inspire excitement amongst learners of all grade levels about science, technology, engineering, art, and math (STEAM). At Explora, campers preK-12th get engaged and keep their brain cells buzzing by investigating STEAM topics in materials-rich, creative environments. Registration is by grade the camper most recently completed.
Financial assistance is available for all summer programs on request. We don’t want anyone to miss out on summer camp! Contact reservations@explora.us for more information.
Week 1: June 2-6, 2025
Sparkle Tech - X Studio
5th-8th Grades
9am-12pm
Materials free only camp: $20 for members/$30 for non-members
Imagine spending your days surrounded by a rainbow of LEDs, soft fabrics, and buzzing circuits as you bring your fashion design ideas to life. Interact with different electronic components as you make cards, toys, jewelry and/or wearables. During the camp, you will learn about the science of circuits, switches, and basic electronics with daily design projects. Discover how technologies like semiconductors and microelectronics are made and how we can use them to make a better future world. And don't worry if you've never picked up a soldering iron or a sewing needle before. Our instructors will be by your side every step of the way, guiding you through the process of making, design thinking, and helping to let your creativity shine!
Presented in partnership with BSCS Science Learning with support from the National Science Foundation
Stewards of the Bosque - X Studio
5th-8th Grades
9am-12pm
Materials free only camp: $20 for members/$30 for non-members
What are pollinators, and how can you support them? How do plants care for the soil and water? Plants and insects can have important roles in caring for our environment, remediating soil and water quality. Find out more in this hands-on camp!
Art Redux - X Studio
5th-8th Grades
1pm-4pm
$170 for members/$195 for non-members
Let's get making! Design tracing machines, carve out potato and rubber stamps, explore spraying techniques, and use sunshine to create shadow prints.
Transmute! Turn Lead into Gold! - X Studio
8th-12th Grades
9am-12pm
Materials fee only camp: $20 members/$30 non-members
Explore chemistry, physics, and history as we investigate the fascinating quest to turn ordinary materials into something extraordinary. Conduct hands-on experiments that reveal real-world reactions and the magic of scientific change. Discover how ancient alchemists shaped modern science
Offered in Collaboration with NM Tech
Brain Games - X Studio
8th-12th Grades
1pm-4pm
$170 for members/$195 for non-members
Delve into your brain—it’s parts, functions, and the many ways it works, and tricks, you. Learn to apply brain anatomy to human behavior and the 5 Senses. Then experiment with visual illusions and designs, hidden messages, thinking beyond the obvious, seeing your accuracy as an eyewitness, and learning to improve your memory.
Week 2: June 9-13, 2025
Raspberry Pi® - X Studio
5th-8th Grades
9am-12pm
$170 for members/$195 for non-members
Develop your programming skills using a Raspberry Pi®, a computer the size of a credit card. The best part, you’ll take home your Raspberry Pi® so you can continue writing your code and developing new software. What will you program your Raspberry Pi® to do?
Raspberry Pi® is a trademark of the Raspberry Pi® Foundation. Funding assistance for this camp has been provided by Van Dyke Software
Renewable Energy - X Studio
5th-8th Grades
1pm-4pm
Join us for an unforgettable journey into the realm of renewable energy! This transformative experience offers hands-on learning and exploration of various renewable resources. Engage in exciting experiments as you gain insights into how resources such as water, solar, and wind can be used to generate electricity energy.
Code Blue: Exploring Medical Careers - X Studio
8th-12th Grades
9am-12pm
$170 members/$195 non-members
Step into the world of medicine and explore the exciting careers that save lives! From first aid and diagnostics to surgery and emergency response, dive into hands-on activities and meet real healthcare professionals who keep the world healthy.
Digital Photography - X Studio
8th-12th Grades
1pm-4pm
$170 members/$195 non-members
Unleash your creativity through the lens! Capture moments, tell stories, and learn the art of photography in a fun, hands-on environment that sparks your imagination and turns your snapshots into masterpieces.
Week 3: June 16-20, 2025
Great Explora Bake-Off - X Studio
5th-8th Grades
1pm-4pm
$170 members/$195 non-members
Ready, Set, Bake! Learn new skills in chemistry, calculating, baking, and building. Then use your skills to participate in a final bake-off challenge! What will you create?
Engineering in Space: NASA Style Rover System pt. 1 - X Studio
8th-12th Grades
1pm-4pm
$170 for members/$195 for non-members
In this two-part camp, design, fabricate, and program a robotic arm attachment for an existing six-wheel rover platform. In Part 1, focus on designing and building an attachment capable of operating the external release lever on a Lunar base door. Then, in Part 2, refine your design, integrate it with the rover, and test your skills by remotely operating your creation through a first-person view headset. Can your team complete the mission and successfully open the Lunar base from the outside?
*Take your engineering to the next level and register for Engineering in Space: Nasa Style Rover System pt. 2 Offered in Collaboration with NM Tech Mechanical Eng Robotic STEM Outreach Programs
Great Explora Bake-Off - X Studio
5th-8th Grades
1pm-4pm
$170 members/$195 non-members
Ready, Set, Bake! Learn new skills in chemistry, calculating, baking, and building. Then use your skills to participate in a final bake-off challenge! What will you create?
Week 4: June 23-27, 2025
Arduino-Based Robotic Combat Bot - X Studio
5th-8th Grades
9am-12pm
$170 for members/$195 for non-members
Experiment with design options and work through a conceptual structural design as you build a robot. Learn to program an Arduino-based remote-operated robot, and hold an end-of-week tournament to see whose robot is the most robust and durable. You’ll also get to experiment with some more advanced robots from New Mexico Tech.
Offered in Collaboration with NM Tech Mechanical Eng Robotic STEM Outreach Programs
Cosmetic Chemistry - X Studio
5th-8th grades
1pm-4pm
$170 for members/$195 for non-members
Investigate the chemistry of cosmetics in this lively DIY! Make soap, mix makeup, investigate the properties of gel nails and more as we get deep into the science of beauty.
Intro to Engineering with NM Tech - X Studio
8th-12th Grades
9am-12pm
Materials Fee only camp: $20 members/$30 non-members
What in the world is engineering? Almost everyone has heard of Mechanical and Computer Engineering, but what are Materials, Mineral, Chemical and Environmental Engineering? Join New Mexico Tech for hands-on explorations of these five areas of engineering. Learn real-world application of these disciplines and why they are important to our civilization.
Offered in Collaboration with NM Tech Materials and Metallurgical Engineering
Engineering in Space: NASA Style Rover System pt. 2 - X Studio
8th-12th Grades
1pm-4pm
$170 for members/$195 for non-members
In this two-part camp, design, fabricate, and program a robotic arm attachment for an existing six-wheel rover platform. In Part 1, focus on designing and building an attachment capable of operating the external release lever on a Lunar base door. Then, in Part 2, refine your design, integrate it with the rover, and test your skills by remotely operating your creation through a first-person view headset. Can your team complete the mission and successfully open the Lunar base from the outside?
*Start your engineering journey with Engineering in Space: Nasa Style Rover System pt 1 or joining in for pt 2 only
Offered in Collaboration with NM Tech Mechanical Eng Robotic STEM Outreach Programs
Week 5: July 7-11, 2025
Art Redux - X Studio
5th-8th Grades
9am-12pm
$170 for members/$195 for non-members
Let's get making! Design tracing machines, carve out potato and rubber stamps, explore spraying techniques, and use sunshine to create shadow prints.
Cyber Security, IN SPACE?! - X Studio
5th-8th Grades
9am-12pm or 1pm-4pm
Materials Fee only camp: $20 members/$30 non-members
Explore the challenges of cybersecurity in space and discover how we protect satellites, rovers, and space stations from digital threats! In this hands-on camp, you'll learn the basics of hacking, encryption, and defense strategies while tackling real-world scenarios faced by space agencies. Do you have what it takes to keep space missions secure?
Offered in Collaboration with UNM COSMIAC and New Space
Science of the Super Small - X Studio
8th-12th Grades
9am-12pm
Materials Fee only camp: $20 members/$30 non-members
Come explore nanoscience. Nanometer-sized objects are too small even for ordinary microscopes to see them! Investigate how scientists can work with items that are this small, explore products that use nanotechnology, and discover how nanotechnology gives ordinary materials special properties.
Presented in partnership with the Cavallo Research Group at the University of New Mexico with support from the National Science Foundation
Biotech - X Studio
8th-12th Grades
1pm-4pm
Materials fee only camp: $20 members/$30 non-members
Would you like to create medicines, clean up pollutants, or protect crops from pests? These are just some of the work that you can do as a biotechnologist! Build biotech skills with scientists from UNM as you run experiments that control cells using engineered DNA! You could be starting your career in biotech!
Presented in partnership with and with funding assistance from Lakin Labs of UNM
Week 6: July 14-18, 2025
Great Explora Bake-Off - X Studio
5th-8th Grades
9am-12pm
$170 for members/$195 for non-members
Ready, Set, Bake! Throughout the week you will learn new skills in chemistry, calculating, baking, and building. Then use your skills to participate in a final bake-off challenge! What can you create?
Radio Crafters - X Studio
5th-8th Grades
1pm-4pm
$170 for members/$195 for non-members
Get ready for a week of crafting and coding adventures! Learn to animate pocket-sized computers with MakeCode, a programming platform developed by Microsoft. Play games, design papercrafts, and solve puzzles. Make LED lights come to life using your creativity! Discover the science of wireless communication and how our devices send messages. Use these skills to create a community solution with radio communication. Great for beginner coders.
Presented in partnership with BSCS Science Learning with support from the National Science Foundation
Renewable Energy - X Studio
8th-12th Grades
9am-12pm
$170 members/$195 non-members
Join us for an unforgettable journey into the realm of renewable energy! This transformative experience offers hands-on learning and exploration of various renewable resources. Engage in exciting experiments as you gain insights into how resources such as water, solar, and wind can be used to generate electricity energy.
Your Epic Journey Awaits! - X Studio
8th-12th Grades
1pm-4pm
$170 members/$195 non-members
Dive into a week-long Science D&D camp where creativity meets discovery in a fantastical setting! Create your characters and embark on quests that involve solving real-world scientific challenges using teamwork and critical thinking. With hands-on experiments and interactive storytelling, participants will explore physics, biology, and chemistry concepts while experiencing the thrill of adventure in a magical realm.
Week 7: July 21-25, 2025
Tech Girls
4th-7th Grades
9am-12pm or 1pm-4pm
Be inspired and empowered! Become a creator during this special coding program. Learn to code, program robots, use Micro:bits, create wearable technology, and design your own project to address real-world problems (no programming experience required).
Science of the Super Small - X Studio
5th-8th Grades
1pm-4pm
Materials Fee only camp: $20 members/$30 non-members
Come explore nanoscience. Nanometer-sized objects are too small even for ordinary microscopes to see them! Investigate how scientists can work with items that are this small, explore products that use nanotechnology, and discover how nanotechnology gives ordinary materials special properties.
Cosmetic Chemistry - X Studio
5th-8th Grades
1pm-4pm
$170 for members/$195 for non-members
Investigate the chemistry of cosmetics in this lively DIY! Make soap, mix makeup, investigate the properties of gel nails and more as we get deep into the science of beauty.
Raspberry Pi® - X Studio
8th-12th Grades
9am-12pm
$170 for members/$195 for non-members
Develop your programming skills using a Raspberry Pi®, a computer the size of a credit card. The best part, you’ll take home your Raspberry Pi® so you can continue writing your code and developing new software. What will you program your Raspberry Pi® to do?
Raspberry Pi® is a trademark of the Raspberry Pi® Foundation. Funding assistance for this camp has been provided by Van Dyke Software.
Press, Shape, Skate, Repeat! - X Studio
8th-12th Grades
1pm-4pm
Materials Fee only camp: $20 members/$30 non-members
Learn the advanced woodworking skills to make a skateboard deck from scratch! Use a variety of tools to craft a mold press, press your deck from maple veneer. Then carve and shape your very own custom skate deck.
Week 8: July 28-August 1, 2025
Stewards of the Bosque - X Studio
5th-8th Grades
9am-12pm
$170 for members/$195 for non-members
What are pollinators, and how can you support them? How do plants care for the soil and water? Plants and insects can have important roles in caring for our environment, remediating soil and water quality. Find out more in this hands-on camp!
Digital Photography - X Studio
5th-8th grades
1pm-4pm
Materials fee only camp: $20 members/$30 non-members
Unleash your creativity through the lens! Capture moments, tell stories, and learn the art of photography in a fun, hands-on environment that sparks your imagination and turns your snapshots into masterpieces.
Biotech - X Studio
8th-12th Grades
1pm-4pm
Materials fee only camp: $20 members/$30 non-members
Would you like to create medicines, clean up pollutants, or protect crops from pests? These are just some of the work that you can do as a biotechnologist! Build biotech skills with scientists from UNM as you run experiments that control cells using engineered DNA! You could be starting your career in biotech!
Presented in partnership with and with funding assistance from Lakin Labs of UNM.
