This post offers an iD Tech discount code for summer 2017 at the bottom. Read why you should consider iD Tech this summer.
Last year we signed my son up for a computer game programming day camp at a community college. It’s an understatement to say that he was bored and frustrated by the inferior level of education and experience in general. A friend of mine told me about her son’s positive experience at iD Tech camp, one of the few camps her son really liked and was excited to return to. He’s a really smart kid and doesn’t suffer fools gladly. Her recommendation counted for a lot, so when my son was looking into week-long summer camp options, iD Tech came to mind.
Fortunately for us, iD Tech has 150 college campus locations around the United States, and offers programs for kids 6-18 (many camps age out around 9th grade). That means he can grow with the program and continue learning new things in years to come, especially when other camps are no longer an option.
Why I signed up for iD Tech camp
While I can’t tell you about my son’s experience at the camp (yet), I can tell you why I signed him up.
Class options: You sign up for a camp session focusing on one skill for the week. They offer 60 different courses, including Intro to Java Coding: Modding With Minecraft and Forge, Java Coding, Adventures in Coding and Game Design With Tynker, Robotics Engineering and Visual Programming, 3D Game Design: Minecraft and MCEdit and new camps for this summer: DIY: Build Your Own Laptop and Learn Coding, DIY: Build Your Own Laptop and Code With Python, Cryptography and Cyber Security, and Virtual Reality Game Design With Unreal Engine 4.
Adult instructors: the instructors come from top universities like Stanford and Caltech, with interesting and industry-appropriate backgrounds. They have an 8:1 student to instructor ratio, so your child will get the necessary attention from someone who really knows what they’re teaching, and they can move at their own speed.
Longevity: The camp has been around for 18 years. They’ve worked out the kinks. Not surprisingly, they started in Silicon Valley (above a garage, of course), and more than 275,000 kids have attended their camps. Here’s the breakdown of camps they offer:
—iD Tech mini (ages 6-9; half or full day option) – a great option for the younger set to get their feet wet in a positive way
—Kids (ages 6-12; full day and overnight options) – this and the teen program are the camp’s flagship programs, with the most course variety
—Teens (ages 13-18) – see above!
—Alexa Café (girls ages 10-15; full day and overnight options) – girls sometimes thrive more when they can follow their own interests and be in an all-female environment. This program focuses on teaching STEM skills in a collaborative way, weaving in leadership, social activism and entrepreneurship.
—Teen academies (ages 13-18; overnight for 2 weeks) – good for teens who want a deeper dive into their focus, aimed at kids considering future STEM careers.
Lots of locations: iD Tech offers 10 New Jersey sites, including Princeton, Kean University, Seton Hall University, Fairleigh Dickinson University, Montclair State and Monmouth University.
STEM education: Not sure about you, but my kid loves STEM (science, technology, engineering and math). That’s a good thing, because STEM jobs are growing like crazy, and these positions use both technical and soft skills like problem-solving, creativity and collaboration. Developing a passion for these real-world skills, in addition to confidence in them, gives kids a head start. While my son will be taking a computer science class in school next year, he hasn’t had as much exposure to it in school as I would like.
iD Tech Discount Code for 2017
If you’re interested, you should sign up quickly. Many of the camps are either sold out or have limited spots available.
We have an iD Tech discount code for summer 2017. Use the code JERSEYKIDS17 and get $75 off all iD Tech Camps, Alexa Café, and Academy divisions and $30 off the iD Tech Mini division camps. The code is good through summer 2017.
If you sign up (or your child has already attended), let us know what you think of the camp!
This post is brought to you by iD Tech Camps.
Hi, I will be visiting Manhattan at July 20th up to 27th with my family, we are Brazilians. My son has 10 years old, very smart, and I would like to know if there is a program about half day to introduce him in the world of programming in some university close to us, we will be at 41th street at Hotel Staybridge, in front of Port Authority. Me and my wife are professors at Universidade Federal of Rio de Janeiro, applied physics and chemistry, respectively.
Marcio – what a wonderful idea! Most computer camps and college programs offer longer (one week or more) programs, but here are some links to look into. You might be better off going to a private program – there are many in Manhattan.
Here’s a site that lists tech programs for kids in NY, though some are outside of Manhattan and may be longer term and less convenient: http://www.engineeringedu.com/store/index.php?route=information/information&information_id=44
ID Tech camp runs mini camps (half day for a week or longer) for kids 6-9 in case you’re interested in that, though again it would be longer and your son has slightly aged out, so it may not be challenging for him.
Last, Microsoft stores offer some free tech camps for a few hours: https://www.microsoft.com/about/philanthropies/youthspark/youthsparkhub/programs/studentprograms/
Enjoy your trip, and welcome (in advance) to the United States. We’re glad you’re visiting.