Challenger Learning Center of Alaska

Feb STEAM Ahead

January 11, 2024January 11, 2024by Challenger Learning Center of AlaskaLeave a comment

Challenger’s STEAM Ahead program is back for February with two exciting new topics! Your homeschooler will have fun learning while being engaged and active. Registration Open Now!

“Rock On Alaska!”
There are 6 sessions
$75/ea (5% discount for all 6)
Feb 1 – March 7, 2024 (Thursdays)
Grades: 5 – 7
Time: 1pm – 3pm

Students will be digging through everything rocks. Throughout the 6 sessions, students will identify different rocks and minerals and learn the characteristics of weathering and chemical changes. Using hands-on activities the students will understand why these changes occur and how it relates to their Alaskan environment.

“Kitchen Chemistry”
There are 6 sessions
$68/ea (5% discount for all 6)
Feb 1 – March 7, 2024 (Thursdays)
Grades: 2 – 4
Time: 1pm – 3pm

Students will be experimenting with kitchen Chemistry! Through interactive lessons, students will observe the chemical changes through the heat, color, bubbles (gas), sounds, and smells of food experimentations.

Ensure you fill out your VDP forms to apply your homeschool allotment for payment right after you register and get it turned in!

https://akchallenger.org/individualstudents/ or for direct registration head to: https://campscui.active.com/orgs/ChallengerLearningCenterofAlaska

Event Updates

September 21, 2023September 21, 2023by Challenger Learning Center of AlaskaLeave a comment

Event Date Changes!

To ensure an optimized experience, the new launch dates for the upcoming events are:
The Amazing GeoChallenge on the Kenai, October 15th.
Beyond the Moon Banquet Fundraiser, October 20th.
We apologize for any inconvenience this change may cause. Your support is greatly appreciated and essential in our continued mission of Inspiring Alaska’s Greatest Natural Resource, our Students!
Thank you for all our sponsor’s support for these two big events. ConocoPhillips, Marathon Petroleum, Enstar, Northrim Bank, Soldotna Dental, The Jotimaz Group, Ted Stevens Foundation, Heather & Heather, Lucy’s Deli, KDLL

STEAM Ahead for Home Schoolers

September 13, 2023September 13, 2023by Challenger Learning Center of AlaskaLeave a comment

STEAM Ahead, Home School Program: October Fall Semester

This STEAM Ahead is unlike any STEAM Ahead that has come before. We have centered the class around the topic of Aviation, Flying 101: an Elementary and Middle School Pilot Flight School.

Grade Groups: 2-4th graders
& 5-8th graders

October 2nd – 25th, 2023 (Mondays & Wednesdays), 9:30am – 11:30am

Online registration is open and there is additional information at www.akchallenger.org/individualstudents.org

There are 8 sessions (32 credits) and will often have Kenai Aviation pilots in the classroom. Students will be taking field trips to the FAA office, the Airport, tower, and hangers; students will build gliders and experiment with them. Students will do math and measurement; social studies by learning the history of aviation; and there will be “flight time” with simulation computer software. They will learn about becoming a pilot and all about flying, but they will also learn about the many career opportunities there are in the field of Aviation.

Challenger is a Direct Vendor of IDEA and Connections. This means you can send in your VDP form to pay with your allotment. VDP forms need to be turned into Challenger and your home school vendor before programming starts, or you will be responsible for paying the remainder of your balance with Challenger.

***Note the Change from Previous announcements: 2-4th graders will now be on the same day as 5-8th graders, in October, Mondays & Wednesdays. The two age groups will still be in separate classes.

Our Big Event!

August 10, 2023August 10, 2023by Challenger Learning Center of AlaskaLeave a comment

Our Big Event!

Registration and Tickets now Open!

Amazing Geo-Challenge on the Kenai

The Ultimate Race to Find Caches and Complete Challenges on the Kenai!
Can your Team complete all 12?

Challenger Learning Center of Alaska (CLCA) is gearing up for this year’s ninth Amazing Geo-Challenge on the Kenai! This is your chance to get involved with Kenai’s only official geocache race and be a part of the exciting action. This special event helps Challenger continue to serve communities and schools statewide with STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) educational programs.

September 23, 2023, Geo-Challenge teams will work together to follow GPS coordinates, taking them around the Kenai Peninsula to twelve hidden locations and challenges. This action-packed day will bring family and business teams together while trying to solve challenging activities representing Challenger’s STEM education.

Check-in is 8:15 am, race starts at 9 am – return to Challenger by 4 pm done or not! Banquet following event at 6pm
Sponsorship opportunities still available, contact colette.gilmour@akchallenger.org

As a team in the Amazing Geo-Challenge on the Kenai, You get the mother load!

A full day of geocaching and challenge activities

Event T-shirts
Breakfast Treats & Coffee
Lunch
Entry into the evening Banquet
Dinner
Prizes and silent auction

The Banquet

Come celebrate and raise money to support youth STEM education on September 23rd at the Challenger Learning Center of Alaska! This event will also be the first official ‘Grand Reveal’ to the public since Challenger has upgraded their Mission Simulator Rooms and remodeled the building. Be involved in an exciting night reminiscing through twenty-three years of Challenger and how local Alaskans have impacted the NASA workforce. There will be a catered dinner, no-host bar, silent auction, facility tours, science activities, and prizes. The banquet is included with the Geo-Challenge Teams but you don’t have to participate in the Geo-Challenge to come to the banquet!

www.akchallenger.org/geofundraser

This special event helps Challenger continue to serve communities and schools statewide with STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) educational programs. Our vision is to strengthen Alaska’s workforce development by delivering interactive and real-world classroom activities to youth. These programs directly help our businesses hire a more skilled labor force. Students are inspired to pursue higher education and careers within important STEM fields while developing teamwork, communication, and problem-solving. As a stand-alone facility, CLCA relies on fundraisers, grants, earned revenue, and generous supporters to continue launching our mission throughout the state. Teachers find Challenger’s exploratory, hands-on teaching methods and connection to NASA to be essential to our community. Teachers and homeschool parents say they continue to utilize Challenger’s on-site, virtual, and traveling programs because they witness the instant change in their students once they participate in a Challenger program. Students are eager to learn, research, and ask questions. They are so busy having fun, students do not realize they are learning and gaining confidence in their academic abilities.

This approach to education is exceptionally important with the increase in online devices, causing a disconnect between students and the standardized curriculum. At the same time, career fields are getting more competitive, and STEM-based jobs are on the rise as technology quickly advances. CLCA’s programs cover many STEM disciplines, such as robotics, coding, drones and aeronautics, rocketry, food security, survival training, space sciences, thermal engineering, criminal science investigation, astronomy, and so much more. These studies not only lay the foundation for youth’s interest and skills but shows them real career pathways they can pursue.

Your support allows us to continue delivering affordable and innovative programs. We look forward to seeing you at this important community event.

Sponsored by: ConocoPhillips, Marathon Petroleum, Enstar, Northrim Bank, Soldotna Dental, The Jotimaz Group, Ted Stevens Foundation, Heather & Heather, Lucy’s Deli, KDLL

UAA Robotics Team at CLCA

July 31, 2023July 31, 2023by Challenger Learning Center of AlaskaLeave a comment

UAA Robotics Team at CLCA

UAA Iceberg Robotics is UAA’s College Robotics Team in Anchorage. Team members are coming to Challenger Learning Center of Alaska on August 11th for a special Meet and Greet.
There will be a show n tell of how the UAA Iceberg Robotics makes their bot and what is involved in bot competitions. Attendees will be able to test drive and shoot disks from UAA’s bot. There will be vex engineering stations and sphero coding stations where youth will also be able to work with Iceberg team members.

Free and open to the public for 12 YEARS AND UP

https://www.uaarobotics.com/index.html

Summer STEM Academies 2023

February 27, 2023February 27, 2023by Challenger Learning Center of AlaskaLeave a comment

Summer STEM Academies 2023

Summer Camps have landed! Registration is now open for these two exciting, supercharged camps for your 1st – 6th grader this year. Challenger camps are action-packed with exploratory learning and unique science experiments. This year we are also excited to offer an overnight option for the 4th – 6th graders.

Visit www.akchallenger.org/camps for details!
Our Summer STEM Academies are all about hands-on exploration and discovery!

Challenger Learning Center of Alaska puts a tremendous care into providing a fun and exciting camp your children will remember. Equally fun, our camps are formatted to allow youth to engage in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) based activities revolving around each Academy theme. Challenger Camp Counselors encourage creativity and offer hands-on tools and materials for campers to learn through inquiry-based instruction. Campers improve their problem-solving, teamwork, self-confidence, and critical thinking skills without even realizing it. Challenger Summer STEM Academies is not just another camp; They are unique youth-centered experiences.

Power Up! Summer Camp
Students entering 4th – 6th Grade
June 5 – 9, 2023
Day Camp or Overnight Camp Option!
Power Up! Summer Camp, the week of June 5th-9th, 2023 will energize your children for learning and exploration! Activities are centered around learning important energy sources and transformations, such as petroleum, natural gas, geothermal, solar, and nuclear. Hands-on exploratory projects will uncover how our energy is consumed and conserved. Of course, as students get charged up, we can’t leave out all the exploding energy that blasts humans to space and engineers the most robust robotics.

Astronauts Alive! Summer Camp
Students entering 1st – 3rd Grade
July 24 – 28, 2023
Astronauts Alive! Summer Camp, the week of July 24-28, 2023. We blast astronauts into space but how do they stay alive?! Campers will take the big leap into space as they discover what tools, systems, and resources they need to continue to explore, work and live in their new interstellar home.

Steam Ahead Registration Open

September 22, 2022September 22, 2022by Challenger Learning Center of AlaskaLeave a comment

Registration Open

CLCA’s STEAM Ahead program is created exclusively for home learners as an in-center program. Students learn facts and methods of thinking that can be applied to solve real-world problems. STEM creates critical thinking, bridges the gender gap in leadership roles, increases science literacy, and enables the next generations of innovators.

Our Fall semester will start on October 5th, one day a week for six sessions. Each session will build onto the curriculum that will reveal more intricate science concepts as students learn.

“From the Big to the Little: How Are We Connected?”

Dates: 6 weeks, Wednesdays

(Oct 5, Oct 12, Oct 19, Oct 26, Nov 2, Nov 9)

Time: 10am – 12:30pm

$295 for the whole semester

1st – 2nd Grade

https://campscui.active.com/…/ChallengerLearningCentero…

3rd – 5th Grade

https://campscui.active.com/…/ChallengerLearningCentero…

Please Note

We have a new online booking system to create a smoother process for our customers. You can create a profile that will easily store your family’s information for faster booking next time! This system also allows us to check your child in and out virtually, with access to your approved pickup contacts, additional forms, and medical information. We are a direct pay vendor for most homeschools. If you choose this method, it is important you fill out your homeschool’s VDP form and get it to your representative right away for approval. If you have questions please give us a call or email our admin at cooper.kelley@akchallenger.org

Fall 2022		1st – 2nd
Week 1	5-Oct	Solar System Explorations
Week 2	12-Oct	Climate Change & Alaska
Week 3	19-Oct	Aeronautics & Weather
Week 4	26-Oct	Thermal Engineering Matters
Week 5	2-Nov	Electrical Circuits are a SNAP
Week 6	9-Nov	Microscope Investigations

*Topics are subject to change

Fall 2022		3rd – 5th
Week 1	5-Oct	Climate Change & Alaska
Week 2	12-Oct	Aeronautics & Weather
Week 3	19-Oct	Aquatic Investigations
Week 4	26-Oct	Electrical Circuits are a SNAP
Week 5	2-Nov	Thermal Engineering Matters
Week 6	9-Nov	Solar System Explorations

CLCA Joins NASA in Nationwide Celebration of WEBB Telescope First Images

September 7, 2022September 7, 2022by Challenger Learning Center of AlaskaLeave a comment

CHALLENGER LEARNING CENTER OF ALASKA JOINS NASA IN NATIONWIDE CELEBRATION OF WEBB SPACE TELESCOPE FIRST SCIENCE IMAGES

KENAI — Challenger Learning Center of Alaska (CLCA) has joined hundreds of sites across the country to celebrate the release of the first science images from the James Webb Space Telescope, NASA’s next great space science observatory. CLCA will offer a range of 3D, hands-on activities and exhibits in a free public event to bring the excitement of STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math) to youth and adults of all ages.

“We are thrilled that Challenger Learning Center of Alaska is an official host site for NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope community events celebrating Webb’s first stunning images”, said Colette Gilmour, Operations and Communications Director. “We have partnered with Boys and Girls Club of Kenai Peninsula Teen Center to help our community celebrate this amazing feat of science and engineering. A model the B&G teens built will be on display during the event. People of all ages and backgrounds will find inspiration in Webb’s new view of the cosmos, which will fundamentally change our understanding of the universe for this generation and many to come”.

Webb is the largest and most complex space science telescope ever built – the premier observatory of the next decade. This international mission, led by NASA in partnership with the European Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency, launched Dec. 25, 2021. After unfolding in space into its final form, Webb successfully arrived at its destination nearly 1 million miles from Earth and began preparing for science operations.

The observatory, which is designed to see the universe in the infrared, will push the field of astronomy into a new era. Webb will be able to study light from distant parts of the universe for the very first time – the first galaxies that formed over 13.5 billion years ago – and give us insight into how our universe formed. It will also peer into dusty stellar nurseries to explore distant worlds orbiting other stars, as well as observe objects in our own solar system. Webb will extend the scientific discoveries of other NASA missions like the Hubble Space Telescope, Chandra X-ray Observatory, and Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite.

Challenger’s James Webb Community Event, September 9th, 2022 will explore the wonders of these remarkable new images and answer your questions on how different light is captured, how telescopes and James Webb works and are made. For a full schedule of events, visit www.akchallenger.org/communityor contact CLCA at 907-283-2000.

Challenger Learning Center of Alaska is located at 9711 Kenai Spur Highway, Kenai, AK. Our community event will be free and open to the public during 2:30pm – 4:30pm. This event will be in person, holding a live broadcast with a NASA Webb Scientist Panel talk at 3pm. To learn more about the Webb telescope, visit webb.nasa.gov and webbtelescope.org.

Food Security & Sustainability Free Workshop

April 20, 2022April 20, 2022by Challenger Learning Center of AlaskaLeave a comment

Hiring Positions at
akchallenger.org/join

Three Homeschool Mini Camps!

January 19, 2022January 19, 2022by Challenger Learning Center of AlaskaLeave a comment

Three Homeschool Mini Camps!

Are you looking for exciting and educationally engaging ways to fulfill your homeschool science, technology, math, or even language arts credits for your kids? Take a look at the Homeschool Mini Camp in February to cover 10 hours! You can also use your homeschool allotment to pay for Challenger programs!

1 – 4 Graders Animals, Rockets, & Stars, OH MY!
$45/day or $200/week
Mon: Animal Adaptations
Tues: Simple Machines
Wed: Our Solar System
Thurs: Astronomy
Fri: Rocketry

5 – 8 Graders Adventures in Robotics
$200/week
Dive into the world of robotics, using draw and block systems to engineer and code robots and accomplish a variety of tasks building on their capabilities in STEM industries. Reinforces math, language arts, and science concepts. We even have fun new Sphero Bolts!

9 – 12 Graders Survival Sciences
$250/week
Fun in Alaska can come at a cost. Be prepared to succeed in a survival situation! Introduction to survival basics including navigation, avalanche safety, land and water survival, the science behind fire, and building personal survival kits.

Register Online

More information contact us at 907-283-2000 or email laura.mese@akchallenger.org