Overlake offers camps for students entering 3rd and 4th grades in the 2024-25 school year. Our interdisciplinary, theme-based camps provide engaging and substantive learning opportunities in a fun and relaxed environment.
Overlake’s summer camps reflect the school’s values and approach to learning. Most of the camps will be led by Overlake faculty members who are eager to work with this age group.
The Summer Program is open to the public and Overlake students. Campers can join us for half-day from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM or 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM, or select two half-day camps for a full-day experience from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Lunch supervision is provided from 12:00-1:00 PM for campers that stay for both a morning and afternoon camp.
Registration opens in the Spring.
Please note that the camps listed below are from last summer's sessions.
Camps
June 20-23 Half-Day AM (9:00-12:00)
Once Upon A Time
Explore your own creative writing and art in a four day camp full of themes, art supplies and writing. Together we will jump in to a creative way to express our thoughts and ideas. Be sure to come with an open mind and excitement to share ideas, push beyond your comfort zone, and let your stories run wild. You will end the week with a collection of your own writing and art to illustrate your thoughts. You will not want to miss this fun!
Please note that this camp runs for 4 days from Tuesday, June 20 to Friday, June 23.
Roller Coaster Mania
Roller Coaster Mania will teach some fundamental physics concepts behind rollercoasters. After studying speed, acceleration, and Newton's laws of motion you will have all the information you need to build your own working "roller coaster.” Can your roller coaster make a turn? How about a loop? Can it work its way outside and back indoors? Buckle up, hold on tight and get ready for the ride!
Please note that this camp runs for 4 days from Tuesday, June 20 to Friday, June 23.
June 20-23 Half-Day PM (1:00-4:00)
Introduction to Lego Robotics
Robots have become an increasingly common presence in our lives, but what are they really? Are they androids? Are they thermostats? Can they be both? In this camp, students will learn what a robot consists of, and how a robot interacts with its environment. We will be using the Lego EV3 platform and block-based programming to build robots up from scratch and program them to solve increasingly challenging tasks. No hardware or software experience necessary!
Multi-Sport
For the young athlete, students will play a variety of sports, with a focus on important athletic skills that cross all of them. There will be a focus on how to be a good teammate and how to apply skills and concepts to different settings. Students will be encouraged to pursue sports they already enjoy and try new ones too.
Please note that this camp runs for four days from Tuesday, June 20 to Friday, June 23.
June 26-June 30 Half-Day AM (9:00-12:00)
Broadway Showcase
Ready to find your voice and share some powerful music? Join us to learn some of your favorite show tunes from musical theater in our Broadway Showcase camp. Each day we will work on a variety of repertoire, from solos and duets to larger group numbers, complete with a little choreography, too! Our focus will be on learning new skills, creating character, working together, and supporting one another. Learn how to tell the story of your song, how to sing healthily, and how to share your own personal flair on the stage. At the end of the week, we’ll have a fantastic performance to present for family and friends. So bring your enthusiasm, courage, and teamwork, and let’s create something special!
Into The Woods
Into The Woods is an opportunity to discover Overlake’s natural beauty and learn survival skills along the way. We will explore the campus as scientists and adventurers, learning how to make shelters, cook food, and navigate back to a home base. There will be experiments and projects, both indoors and out, where the participants will utilize their general knowledge and learn new facts and information in a fun and exciting way.
June 26-June 30 Half-Day PM (1:00-4:00)
Games Galore
Looking for a way to have fun this summer? Join us for a week full of games, activities, and challenges! Explore Overlake’s 75-acre campus through games such as capture the flag, sharks and minnows, and hide and seek. There will also be group games like spikeball, disc golf, bocce, GOLA, quidditch, and so much more. These games are a great way to get outside, exercise, and make new friends. No experience required!
Young Authors
Do you love reading and writing? Are you ready to ignite your imagination while sharpening your writing skills? Whether you're already an incredible wordsmith or looking for inspiration, join us for a fantastic week of all-things creative writing. Together we'll consider what we love so much about our favorite stories, play word games, examine family photos as we write about special memories, go on a scavenger hunt to collect rich details from all our senses, and much, much more--all while crafting the next literary masterpieces! At the end of the week, campers will celebrate all the writing they’ve done by compiling their pieces into a hand-sewn book to take home.
July 5-7 Half-Day AM (9:00-12:00)
Building and Design
Do you like to build, code, and solve complex problems? If so, this camp is for you! In this camp, students will learn how to collaborate and tackle fun problems with a variety of tasks and challenges. Throughout the week, we will work together to solve different building challenges using a variety of materials and strategies.
Please note that this camp runs for 3 days from Wednesday, July 5 to Friday, July 7.
Creative Hands
Living in the PNW lends itself to an amazing array of beauty. How can we pass up an opportunity to be in nature? Let's explore the art that is around us! We will explore different artistic ways to express our ideas and perspectives. We will tap into the work of Andy Goldsworthy, taking natural elements to create beauty. We will hike to beautiful locations to find inspiration. Come prepared to tap into your artistic side and explore where you can go with your creativity!
Please note that this camp runs for three days from Wednesday, July 5 through Friday, July 7.
July 5-7 Half-Day PM (1:00-4:00)
Guinness Book of World Records
Guinness book of world records is a fun, exciting, and challenging opportunity for campers to try new and unique activities. Campers will learn what the process of setting a world record is and how records are measured and recorded. The people who have set world records and the records themselves are unique and interesting. We will learn about the people who broke world records and the history of the records. Throughout the week, campers will attempt as many world records as they can. They will also have the opportunity to attempt a world record that they create. Our culminating project will be to attempt several records, competing with fellow campers, for the Overlake Summer Program Records Champion.
Please note that this camp runs for three days from Wednesday, July 5 through Friday, July 7.
Outdoor Photography
This camp is an opportunity for students to explore areas on campus and in our local community, developing their photography skills along the way. Students will walk easy trails and snap photos on their phone as they go. At the end of the weeklong session, students will have created a photo blog of their trips and sights. Students will get outdoors with an eye for perspective, lighting, and effects. Each day students will be at a new location and will focus on capturing a new element for their photographs.
Please note that this camp runs for 3 days from Wednesday, July 5 to Friday, July 7.
July 10-14 Half-Day AM (9:00-12:00)
Math is Fun! Stories, Games, and Art
This interdisciplinary camp celebrates where math, storytelling, and art converge. Using storybooks to channel our imagination, we will complete a variety of math games and art projects to tap into our creativity. Each day there will be a new collection of mathematical principles and artistic possibilities that students can explore through hands-on activities. Come join the fun!
Obstacle Bonanza
This active bonanza is a fun and challenging way to stay active during the summertime. Campers may be walking along a balance beam and leaping onto the bouldering wall or using quick feet to pass under a low space. The week will be filled with a variety of activities meant to challenge everyone at their own pace and comfort level. Campers will conquer obstacle courses and participate in group games that are active, cooperative, and FUN! By the end of the week, everyone will be creating and designing obstacle courses to challenge one another.
July 10-14 Half-Day PM (1:00-4:00)
Non-Traditional Sports
The Non-Traditional Sports Camp is an activity- and movement-based program. The emphasis is less on competition and more on participating, learning, and having fun. Each day, campers have the opportunity to play a variety of activities. They will play badminton, archery, table tennis, floor hockey, circus arts, fistball, four square, GOLA, international games and gym games. Campers learn through a demonstration and explanation of the activities and then get to try out the equipment as they move and explore throughout our space.
Technology Challenge
What is technology? Does it always require electronics? During this one-week camp, students will compete in 4-5 different competitions that will test your ability to use and understand technology. The challenges mostly come from the Technology Student Association: Some challenges will focus on engineering (building the strongest bridge), some on technology in general (tech bowl) ,and some on multi-media technology (website design). Come join the fun!
July 17-21 Half-Day AM (9:00-12:00)
new Bringing the Page to Life: An Exploration of 2-Dimensional Art
This week we will be creating art that makes the page come to life! We will be focusing on flat pieces created by using a variety of materials such as: ink, paint, collage, pastels and more. Projects will include structured drawing exercises, open ended painting explorations, with a little bit of everything sprinkled in between. Students will be encouraged to take risks and try new materials as they discover or build upon their unique artistic voice. Artists of all skill levels are welcome as we discover and develop our knowledge of how to make a blank piece of paper sing.
Superhero Science
Have you ever thought about why superheroes have such superpowers? Let’s spend a week together investigating some of those questions. We can investigate how Spiderman walks on walls. Can you throw a batarang as accurately as Batman? What is special about The Flash that he can move so fast? Could your hearing be as good as Superman or Supergirl? What is your superhero name and what are your superhero powers? Let’s find out together.
July 17-21 Half-Day PM (1:00-4:00)
Rube Goldberg
Students will learn about Rube Goldberg, an engineer artist tinkerer who always was trying to invent a better "mouse trap." The idea behind this project is for students to use their vivid imaginations and come up with a way to move one object to another or to cause an object to do something by a series of events. Throughout the week, we’ll brainstorm ideas, tackle different challenges, and see what kinds of tasks we can accomplish at Overlake!
Writing in Nature
In the spirit of Pete the badger, in Emily Gravatt’s book TIDY, our young nature writers will roam the 80 acres of the Overlake campus (equipped with high tech conservationist goggles) with the ultimate purpose of capturing it’s natural beauty on paper. If scrambling words in artistic ways is your idea of fun then you are perfect for this class. If you have the ability to make trees sing, believe squirrels plays chess, know that Hogwart’s owls flock here for their summer vacations, or how nature’s first green really is gold, you’re in the right place! If your pencil is both a paint brush and a wand with the simple flick of the wrist, welcome!
July 24-28 Half-Day AM (9:00-12:00)
Scrappy Circuits!
Lights, Sound, and Motion! Let’s raid the junk drawer and the dollar store to build blocks and create projects using electrical circuits. We can make alarms, musical instruments, spy devices and more! We will build some core bricks, add them to action bricks, switches, and control bricks to create exciting electrical projects to take home.
Storytelling and Art
Centaurs and nymphs. Griffins and gorgons. Heroes and epic journeys. Gods and goddesses. Do you love reading about or watching myths? Do you want to create your own? Then this camp is for you! During this week, we will explore myths in a variety of mediums and learn about the essential elements of any mythological story. Students will then write and illustrate their own myth in the medium of their choice – painting, photo stories, or video creation; whichever way the Muse strikes!
July 24-28 Half-Day PM (1:00-4:00)
Improvisation
Improvisation stretches the imagination, builds confidence, and presentation skills. Through theatre exercises, games, and spontaneous improvisational forms, campers will develop ways to help them think on their feet. In this safe environment, you can expect to get outside your comfort zone and learn to express yourself through various scenarios and settings.
Multi-Sport
For the young athlete, students will play a variety of sports, with a focus on important athletic skills that cross all of them. There will be a focus on how to be a good teammate and how to apply skills and concepts to different settings. Students will be encouraged to pursue sports they already enjoy and try new ones too.
Currently unused (2022)
5 Days of Art
During 5 Days of Art Camp we will dive into different mediums and techniques used for drawing, painting, and sculpture. Each day will have a different theme that will allow for guided and open-ended exploration of the day’s material, culminating in a day to experiment with all the materials we used throughout the week. We will be using materials such as: Graphite, Charcoal, Pastel, Ink, Watercolor, Acrylic, Clay, Paper Mache and more! We will be creating art that explores both realistic themes, along with more creative and abstract imagery, with lots of room for students to explore the mediums in a way that feels authentic to them. The daily themes will provide guidance and direction, as well as leaving space for students to explore their own personal style, making this class appropriate for students of all skill levels.
July 31-August 4 Half-Day AM (9:00-12:00)
new Art that Leaps Off the Page: An Exploration of 3-Dimensional Art
This week is all about getting creative and making some 3-dimensional art! We will be thinking about different perspectives as we create pieces that can be viewed from any angle. Students will practice artistic skills such as modeling, risk taking, planning, and experimentation in order to create their own pieces where their unique artistic voice shines! We will be making things such as sculptures, vessels, mobiles, and more. Materials will often be messy and will include but are not limited to: clay, paper mache, recycled materials, paint, and found objects. Projects will be structured but open to individual interpretations: there are no limits as to what you can create!
Be healthy outdoors
Kids spend an average of 1200 hours on screens each year. This camp is full of fun activities to do outdoors. We will be spending time exploring the campus – there is over 70 acres! – looking at and learning about the plants, trees and animals who grow and live here, creating art from natural materials, finding foods to eat and ways to cook in the outdoors, and so much more!
Time outdoors = healthy and productive time.
July 31-August 4 Half-Day PM (1:00-4:00)
Creative Writing and Photography
Are you a creative writer who is ready to break the rules of writing in a stress-free, nonjudgmental, and fun environment? Do you love photography and nature? In this workshop, campers will play different types of creative writing games and craft poems, stories, and character sketches in light of their individual passions. In addition to creative writing, students will make a hand-crafted, miniature book to fill with their writing and photographs throughout the week. This camp is an opportunity for students to explore areas on campus, developing their photography and creative writing skills along the way. Students will walk easy trails and snap photos on camp-provided iPads as they go. Students will get outdoors with an eye for perspective, lighting, and effects. Each day students will be at a new location and will focus on capturing a new element for their photographs. At the end of the weeklong session, students will have created a book of writing and images inspired by their outdoor outings.
Into The Woods
Into The Woods is an opportunity to discover Overlake’s natural beauty and learn survival skills along the way. We will explore the campus as scientists and adventurers, learning how to make shelters, cook food, and navigate back to a home base. There will be experiments and projects, both indoors and out, where the participants will utilize their general knowledge and learn new facts and information in a fun and exciting way.
Contact
Mike Hufstader
Summer Program Director
summerprogram@949594.com