Elementary Institute of Science Summer Camp

Accommodation

The Elementary Institute of Science Summer Camp is a day camp. Campers attend during scheduled daytime hours and return home after the program ends each day. Overnight accommodation is not part of the camp experience.

The summer program runs as a full-day camp from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Families should plan for daily drop-off and pick-up. The public camp information does not describe cabins, dorms, hotel partnerships, residential staff, or overnight supervision.

This format works best for local families or visitors who already have lodging in the San Diego area. Out-of-town families would need to arrange their own accommodations, transportation, evening supervision, and meals outside camp hours.

The camp experience is centered on hands-on STEM learning during the day. After camp ends, children return to their regular family routine rather than staying on-site for residential programming.

Meals

Campers should pack lunch, snacks, and a reusable water bottle each day. Meals are not listed as provided in the summer camp program.

This is a full-day camp, so families should send enough food for a long school-break schedule. A practical lunch should be easy to open, easy to eat, and suitable for a child who may be moving between lab activities, group projects, discussions, and hands-on experiments.

Snacks are important because campers rotate through different activities during the day. Younger campers may need simple, clearly labeled containers that they can manage independently.

The student conduct rules state that eating and drinking take place during morning snack, afternoon snack, and midday lunch breaks. Food is allowed only after class activities are cleaned up. Water is permitted in labs and classrooms at all times, so a reusable water bottle is especially useful.

Safety

Elementary Institute of Science programs use a maximum 12:1 student-to-instructor ratio. For a STEM camp with labs, group work, and hands-on materials, this smaller ratio is useful because children need guidance as they experiment, build, observe, and move between activities.

The Student Code of Conduct sets clear behavior expectations. Campers are expected to follow staff instructions, walk in all indoor and outdoor areas, stay with their group, ask permission before leaving the group, respect others’ personal space, and use equipment only as instructed.

The conduct rules also prohibit bullying, fighting, misuse of supplies, leaving the group without permission, and unsafe behavior. There is a disciplinary process with verbal warnings, formal write-ups, and parent contact for more serious issues. Severe violations can result in removal from the program.

These rules give parents a clearer picture of the camp environment: active and hands-on, but with defined expectations for safety, respect, and group participation.

Elementary Institute of Science Summer Camp gives campers a rotating STEM experience rather than one single activity all week. Students explore different lab activities each day while building skills in critical thinking, collaboration, creativity, and communication. Every camp includes a guest presentation by a STEM professional, and Summer Break Camp includes a field trip.

The 2026 summer lineup includes eight themed weeks. Topics include physics, music, technology, social sciences, reading comprehension, storytelling, chemistry, engineering, astronomy, biology, physiology, nutrition, ecology, marine biology, conservation, coding, robotics, and environmental science.

This variety makes the camp useful for children who are still exploring their interests. A child may arrive for robotics and discover ecology. Another may come for chemistry and find out that space science is the real favorite. The camp works especially well for kids who enjoy experiments, problem-solving, making things, and asking questions.