Session II Courses

Placement is based on your child’s grade level as of Fall 2010.

Summer Wonders classes are open to students in the grades as indicated to the right. This is not the grouping of the final classes. Typical classes are grades K-1, 2-3, 4-6.

LITTLE WONDERS --- THIS CLASS IS NOW FULL ---              Pre-K only

A Special Self-Contained Preschool Class. Enter an engaging environment especially designed for younger children. Explore hands-on science, create lots of artwork and enjoy delightful story books. Short recesses on the playground and snacks are included. Children in this group will stay with one teacher all morning. Class size limited to 12. We request that all Pre-K admissions be discussed with the Summer Wonders office.

World of Heroes                                                                                Grades K-1

What does it take to be a hero? What about a SUPER hero? Which would you rather be? Explore the world of heroes from ancient times to modern times. Create your own hero and comic book adventure. Will there be a villain? Will your hero save the world from disaster? Will there be an epic journey? You decide!

Vegetable Soup                                                                                 Grades K-3 

Discover how this common dish and others is created so differently in Spain, Mexico and the US. Explore the cooking differences and similarities of foods from these three countries.  Cook, bake, plant, and sample each country’s special foods while creating collages and regional artwork, and learning about how they are a part of each country’s culture. Follow the journey of produce as it makes its way from different regions to your table. Finally, we’ll feast on delicious soup, using our favorite vegetables.

Get Animated! --- THIS CLASS IS NOW FULL ---                 Grades K-3

Do you have an idea for a great video game?  Have you played a game that you wish you could improve?  Join in this animation programming class and watch your imagination come to life.  Test your computer skills while we explore the world of computer animation and create our own characters, simulations, games, and story boards.  Maximum number of students: 10. 

Zoom to the Zoo                                                                               Grades K-3
Want to know more about the world’s most loved zoo animals? What about different jobs at the zoo? Have you ever wondered what kind of research they do at zoos or how they design their enclosures? Have you pondered what laws exist to protect zoo animals or if zoos can help rescued animals? Join us as we study, draw, and sing about animals, learn about our very own Austin Zoo, and design our own zoo exhibits!

Eat Your Roof!?!                                                                               Grades K-6

Explore the 21st Century garden.  As space and resources become more limited, it is necessary to think outside the box as it pertains to traditional gardening; or in this case, on top of the box.  Discover the ecological and economical benefits of rooftop/urban gardens.  Experience the reward of growing your own food while reducing your carbon footprint.  Learn how the principals of rooftop gardening can be applied to any garden. 

Preoccupied with Polymers                                                             Grades K-6

What is a polymer and why are polymers so important in today’s world? We’ll explore a variety of materials that have uses in absorbing water, popping the perfect popcorn, and determining how every living thing functions!  Investigate sounds made with polymers, packaging in polymers, clothes made of polymers, and food that can be chemically modified to make homemade glue!  Make your own original backpack tags out of thermoplastics, explore slime, and even use a polymer to tell fortunes!

Movie Music Madness!                                                                     Grades K-6 

Do you want to work in music when you grow up, but not as a performer?  Then you must discover the exciting career of music supervision!  We’ll learn about matching music to movies, TV shows, and video games, watch examples of famous music applications, like in Bugs Bunny's Rabbit of Seville, and examine the music from Indiana Jones and The Nightmare Before Christmas.  Match scenes that you’ve written with a soundtrack produced by you! 

Seashore Habitats                                                                            Grades K-6

Imagine that you were one of the many creatures living on the seashores that surround our oceans. Where would you choose to live and why? What would happen if there were no seashore in which you could live? Many of our seashores are eroding faster than they can be replaced. Explore our seashore habitats and the many creatures living within them. Create your own seashore creature with its own adaptations for survival against pollution, erosion and predators.

The Joys of Japan                                                                            Grades K-6

Konichiwa!  Come with me as we travel across the Pacific Ocean to the exotic "Land of the Rising Sun." During our visit we'll discover their language, customs, food, traditions, culture, and several other aspects which make Japan a quirky, beautiful, and unforgettable country. We'll practice origami, write beautiful Japanese calligraphy, cook delicious soba, and design our own kimonos.  Don't forget your chopsticks!

Austin Landmark Project                                                                 Grades K-6

Build and paint models of Austin landmarks out of recyclable materials, air-dry clay and fabrics, wire, and paper. Leaf through photos or scout around town for homes, buildings, bridges, monuments, or sculptures you want to construct for our collection of miniature Austin attractions. Then, design a final project of a new landmark for Austin, your very own contribution to Austin’s skyline! 

Visions of Light                                                                                  Grades 2-6

Explore the art and science of visual perception.  Investigate several well-known optical illusions, and attempt to create your own.  Analyze works of art and discover how artists trick your eyes to make a painting seem life-like or like something completely out of this world.  How do artists use light, shadows, shapes, and lines to convey their visions and evoke emotions? 

Creative Construction                                                                       Grades 2-6   

Calling all Engineers and Architects!  Using common household materials, can you design a towering skyscraper or build a geodesic dome?  Create a creased paper barrel arch that can support 300 times its own weight in toy cars or books?  Help demonstrate the basic principles of tension and compression while exploring the laws governing the construction of structures. 

Psychology for Kids                                                                          Grades 3-6

Get ready to take a creative journey learning about yourself!  Are you an introvert or an extrovert, pessimist or optimist?  Have you ever wanted to read another person's body language or wondered what your body language is saying about you?  Participate in various fun experiments such as role-playing, surveys and self-evaluations to help you learn about yourself and others. Discover what your choice in music, food and activities say about you. 

Magnificent Microfinance                                                                 Grades 3-6
Want to help out a goat farmer in Afghanistan or an embroiderer in rural China?  Microfinance, which is becoming a popular world poverty-fighting tool, allows you to aid these entrepreneurs with small business loans. We’ll explore this amazing aid innovation, how and why it works and what difference it can make in the world.  Get involved by choosing your own entrepreneurs to assist (using kiva.org) and learn about what it’s like to be an entrepreneur in a third world country by role playing - what business will you choose to start? How will you overcome your challenges? Will you make a profit?

Whatever Floats Your Boat                                                              Grades 3-6

What keeps a 50,000 ton ship from sinking like a stone? Why do some things float and others don't?  Which is heavier, a pound of feathers or a pound of lead? Watch colors separate in different concentrations of salt water.  Learn about how the densities of water and ice largely shape global climate. We’ll experiment with water density, find out the seaworthiness of a variety of homemade boats, test for water purity, and challenge the theories of ancient Greek scientists!

Young Webmasters --- THIS CLASS IS NOW FULL ---        Grades 3-6

Dreaming of a place to share your thoughts or a way to connect with the people all over the world?  We’ll discover the wonderful world of web design.   Challenge your creativity to come up with a personal web page that fits your individual needs and desires.  Then test your skill as you continue to develop your page for years to come.  Maximum number of students: 10. 

Historical Mathematics                                                                     Grades 4-6

Fibonacci?  Pythagoras? Discover what these people and other famous mathematicians have in common, and learn about their contributions to history and mathematics.  Solve a Pythagorean puzzle.  Discover coordinate pairs and their many uses.  Play math games.  Create mathematical pieces of art.  Dramatize an important mathematical discovery.  "..One cannot have a mature appreciation of mathematics without a substantial knowledge of its history."  -Abe Schenitzer.

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