Philadelphia is a leading hub for higher education, business, and academic research. Parents in this forward-thinking metropolitan area can find many opportunities to further their children’s understanding of STEM.
Local universities and museums offer exciting programs to area youth where they can learn to code robots, understand how science influences our world, and how to build a better future.
If your child loves creating, building, and tinkering, local Philadelphia STEM camps offer excellent ways to explore the world and learn more about it.
1. Champ Camp Great Outdoors
A world of exploration, learning, and serious fun!
Get ready for a summer of discovery, laughter, and nature-packed fun at Champ Camp Great Outdoors Camp! This one-of-a-kind location gives your camper exclusive access to unique resources and outdoor curriculum they can’t get anywhere else. They’re bringing the adventure to 3 convenient locations in the Aston, Newton, and Pittsburgh area: Neumann University, La Roche University, and Holy Family University.
Campers will explore the world around them through nature hikes, team games, outdoor science experiments, creative crafts, and plenty of time to connect with new friends. We feature a different theme each week, keeping things exciting and innovative for our campers.
Led by experienced and energetic staff, campers will build confidence, learn new skills, and develop a love for the environment while having a blast!
Early Bird Bonus!
Use promo code EARLYBIRD at checkout to save $25 per child, per week. But hurry—spots fill fast across our Philadelphia locations! Promo expires 6/30/25
2. Arena Stem PA
Get ready for a completely new and unique summer adventure at Arena Stem PA in our large 7,500+ square foot indoor facility!
Building on the success of last year’s camp, we are incorporating our proprietary STEM programs to create an unforgettable experience. We engage kids with daily high-energy topics, engineering challenges, and hands-on interactive activities.
Campers are grouped into small groups based on age and skill to ensure the best experience. We utilize every inch of Arena STEM for discovery—from designing cool prototypes and building complex models to diving into new technology and expressing creativity through arts & crafts.
Healthy lunch, snacks, and drinks are included every day. Campers will also spend time outside in the mornings (weather permitting), but will be in our air conditioned facility the rest of the day.
We have created a program where boys and girls can enjoy their summer the way it was meant to be: learning new things, making lasting friendships, and just being kids in a safe, fully supervised environment.
3. Science Education Academy (SEA)
Our goal at Science Education Academy (SEA) is to get elementary students excited about science with exposure to hands-on activities teaching real scientific methods and inquiry. We work with volunteer students from local universities, and local scientists to provide high quality programming to Philadelphia and Montgomery County Maryland.
SEA was founded to help supplement the public school science curriculum as a way to address scientific gaps in 2nd through 5th graders. We provide programs in the Philadelphia and Washington DC/Maryland areas for community organizations, school programs, and libraries.
4. The Academy of Natural Sciences (Drexel University)
This summer kids can join the fun at The Academy of Natural Sciences, a popular natural science museum. Camps take place between June 23 and August 28 at 1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway.
Mini Academy (ages 5-6) runs from 9 AM to 4 PM, each weekday. Weekly themes are Dino Dance-Off (music/dance), Creatures Create (arts/ crafts), Buggin’ Out (insect science), and include a weekly field trip.
Junior Academy Explorers (7-9) enjoy weekly themes at the museum and on field trips. Fun activities include digging for rock fossils, watching sci-fi movies, birdwatching around Philly, museum-inspired art projects, and creating a bug city.
Academy Explorers (10-12) will meet with scientists at the museum to study environmental issues and explore solutions, perform experiments, and go on field trips. All campers should bring lunch, a water bottle, and snacks daily.
5. Briar Bush Nature Center
Join us for a full day of excitement, education, and exploration in the outdoors at Briar Bush Nature Center! Each week, lessons and activities build campers’ knowledge of natural concepts while games, crafts, hikes, animal encounters, and free-play time to explore make learning tons of fun. Saplings Full-Day campers will participate in activities onsite at Briar Bush Nature Center, but may also walk to Highland Elementary School to utilize the playground and field.
Most activities will directly relate to the camp theme, but campers can always look forward to general summer fun, animal encounters, guided hikes, pond exploration, and visiting the Bird Observatory regardless of the theme.
Campers must be within the age range to participate. However, campers who turn 6 years of age up to one month after the camp start date will be eligible to register. The five camp themes below repeat two or three times throughout the summer. Campers cannot be registered for the same theme more than once as the programs are identical. Campers registered for more than one week per theme will be removed from the duplicate week.
6. Boys and Girls Club of Philadelphia (BGCP)
Last year, 84% of teens attending our Clubs planned to go to a 4-year college. However, across Philadelphia, only 25% of public school students enroll in college. Of those who do enroll, only 10% earn a degree. Within the STEM field, there will be 9 million STEM-related jobs in 2022. 95% of STEM workers have postsecondary education and training, larger than any other field of work. Additionally, STEM-related fields are among the fastest-growing industries, with a growth of 17% from 2008 to 2018.1 Furthermore, within the entire U.S. STEM workforce, minorities account for only about 20% of employees, primarily due to the lack of resources and preparation within schools.
Since 2014, Boys and Girls Club of Philadelphia ’s STEM Learning Labs program serves over 900 youth from grades K-12 within all 18 Club locations. The objectives of our STEM Learning Labs programming are to introduce youth to STEM Learning in a hands-on, engaging manner, ensure that youth have the knowledge and resources to pursue advanced STEM courses in higher learning, and increase participants’ knowledge and interest in STEM careers. BGCP offers a wide array of STEM programs for kids to accomplish these goals, including:
7. Penn Engineering (University of Pennsylvania)
Penn GEMS is an experiential learning, hands-on day camp at the University of Pennsylvania where middle schoolers dive into engineering, math, and science. Explore bioengineering, robotics, AI, materials science, and more—guided by Penn students, researchers, and faculty. Open to all genders, Penn GEMS is your chance to discover, create, and engineer the future.
Dates: June 22–26, 2026
Location: University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Time: 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM (day camp only; no overnight accommodations)
Eligibility: Rising 7th, 8th, and 9th graders (current 6th–8th graders in the 2025–26 school year).
8. Germantown Friends School
For Germantown Friends School, our 2026 summer camp season will run June 15-July 17 for Early Childhood campers (Rising Preschool and Rising PreK) and June 15-July 31 for campers entering Kindergarten through 9th Grade.
We will offer shuttle transportation for Early Childhood and Lower School campers from our Center City Early Childhood Campus (601 Walnut Street) through July 17 for an additional fee.
Summertime at GFS is time for children of all ages to explore and cultivate their interests, make new friends, and enjoy fresh experiences. From sports to specialty camps—there is a wide variety of choices for everyone!
9. Temple University College of Engineering
The College of Engineering is actively engaged in nurturing science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) studies in our community and to the region’s youth, such as the Philadelphia Youth for STEM (PY-STEM) and high school robotics institute.
Temple’s Philadelphia Youth STEM camp is an inclusive, one-week long experiential learning program for middle schoolers interested in exploring science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). Our goal is to spark a curiosity in understanding how things around us work and to demonstrate that no matter our age, we are never done learning.
Program Schedule:
July 7, 2025 – July 11, 2025
Monday – Friday
9:00am – 4:00pm
For options in neighboring states, find more choices with our Baltimore camps page.