WonderCamp online registration is opening soon and it’ll fill up fast. New in 2019:  WonderCamp for seventh and eighth graders. Members registration begins March 1. Non-member registration begins on March 8.

“New, this year by popular demand: Middle School Camps!” said Emmy Brockman, education director at WonderLab. “Our visitors and the kids we work with requested to continue our camps through grades 7 and 8. Camp has always been provided up to 6th grade and you could become an intern in high school, but there was this gap for 7 and 8 graders. We have filled that gap.”

WonderCamps for kids in grades 7 and 8 are the result of three community partnerships. KitchenLab: Master Chef, in partnership with Bloomington Cooking School has a more advanced culinary curriculum that includes making pasta, meatballs, as well as the exploration of various regional foods. Campers will be dropped off at WonderLab for check-in then walk one block to the Bloomington Cooking School. KitchenLab: Master Chef runs from June 3 through June 7.

Middle schoolers will also enjoy TV Tech with WTIU, which runs from June 10 through 14.Campers to help produce and create original television and develop the technical skills that go with cameras and green screens and video editing. Pick up and drop off  of campers will be at WTIU on 7th Street.

Climbing Camp with the Hoosier Heights Climbing Gym is also available for middle school aged campers. This is the first year that a WonderCamp will be open for multiple age groups. Climbing Camp will be for kids grades 4 through 8 and runs from July 8 through 12. Campers will be dropped off at the Hoosier Heights Climbing Gym on Rogers Street.

It pays to register your middle schooler early. Register your seventh or eighth grader for either, KitchenLab: Master Chef or WTIU TV Tech by or before April 1, 2019 and receive $20 off the price of registration.

WonderCamp, for campers of various ages, runs for seven camp sessions from Monday, June 3 through Friday, July 26. There is no WonderCamp the week of July 4. Camps are available for children grades K through 8.

“We think a lot about what camps we want to offer because we want to highlight the variety of science fields and the exploration that goes with that,” said Brockman. “All of the camps draw on the arts and on creativity in some way to explore high level science concepts.”

Camp scholarships are available for families that qualify. For information on camp scholarships and to apply, go to www.wonderlab.org/what’s-happening/wondercamp.

All WonderCamps run full-day sessions from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. with extended care available daily from 8 to 9 a.m. and from 4 to 5 p.m. Each camp will provide healthy snacks and a lunch break, and most will have a brief recess to give focusing young minds a break. Children should bring their own lunches, except on the final day of the grades 4 through 6 KitchenLab, Friday, July 26, where children will make their own lunches.

“The kids get to choose what they’re most excited about – gardening, technology, etc,” said Brockman. “I would encourage people to consider trying something new and exploring science and activities they aren’t familiar with.”

Whether young scientists want to explore the stars, design and create their own robots, or master the outdoors, WonderCamps have something for everyone! For more information about specific camp sessions, scheduling, registration, and prices, go to wonderlab.org/sessions. If you have further questions about scholarships, contact Celeste Wolfinger at WonderLab by calling (812) 337-1337 ext. 11 or emailing schedule@wonderlab.org.