STEAM Ahead for Home Schoolers

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.

Summer STEM Academies 2023

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

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
 
 
 
 
📌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

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.

Three Homeschool Mini Camps!

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.

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

Homeschool Meet & Greet

November 10th
Homeschool Meet & Greet at Challenger
 

When: November 10, 2021
Where: Challenger Learning Center of Alaska, CLCA (9711 Kenai Spur Highway, Kenai, AK 99611)
Time: 11 am – 1 pm
Who: All homeschool families with all ages of students, Parents must attend this event  

Challenger Learning Center of Alaska invites ALL homeschool families, with or without a homeschool affiliation, to a Homeschool Meet and Greet! Families will have the opportunity to network with other homeschool families, share ideas, and swap stories. Pizza will be provided for lunch, sponsored by Connections Homeschool Program. There will also be STEM activities for your children to explore while you learn how you can supplement your curriculum with Challenger programs. Get the first announcements for upcoming homeschool programs, take a tour, and see firsthand what CLCA can do for you.
RSVP’s are appreciated but not required.

James WEBB Community Night

Free Community Event, Wednesday
October 20th with Virtual Attendance too!

TODAY! Join us 4 – 6pm for a night of space fun and explore the amazing capabilities of NASA’s WEBB telescope! If you can’t make it you can join virtually for a special presentation and Q&A from Dr. Vivian U, an observational extragalactic astronomer who uses state-of-the-art telescopes to understand how galaxies and their supermassive black holes coevolve.

Watch live on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dprgQ1LgaA0

or Join the Zoom Presentation at 5pm

Launch Meeting – Zoom

Meeting ID: 824 5188 3773

Passcode: 555201

Celebrate and learn about NASA’s new James Webb space telescope (WEBB) before the big space launch! October 20th, bring your family to Challenger Learning Center of Alaska for interactive activities exploring this magnificent WEBB telescope, from how it’s made, what it sees, to why it’s so important. There will be activities for all ages including tours of our simulator rooms and a star planetarium! No need to sign up, just come on in! 9711 Kenai Spur Highway, Kenai, AK 99611

Send your WEBB questions ahead of time, about merging galaxies, supermassive black holes, using infrared observations from the Webb Telescope and/or large ground-based telescopes to colette.gilmour@akchallenger.org
The Zoom link will be shared Wednesday morning on our Facebook, @CLCAlaska

See you there!
 

Informative Links:
James Webb Telescope Overview | NASA

www.jwst.nasa.gov

www.webbtelescope.org

www.nasa.gov/webb

Summer Camps!

2021 Summer Academies

Three more weeks to Register!

Three age groups, completing a week of captivating, interactive subjects that will keep campers entertained while practicing real-world STEM solutions. Bring your children to Challenger this summer for days packed with enriching, active, activities, leaving them happy and tired when they go home! 🦾 Time is running out, Learn more & Register Now

June 14-18 2021 (Day Camp Only)
3rd-4th Grade Material Science: Build, Bust, and Burn Academy Study materials by building, busting, and making things go BOOM!

$325 June 21-25 2021 (Day Camp Only)
5th-6th Grade Forensic Science: CSI Academy Unravel the mysteries of crime scene investigation! 

$400 June 29-July 1 2021 (Day Camp Only)
K- 2nd Grade Space Academy Explore what the future of space colonization might encompass.
$200

Register Here

For more information visit http://www.akchallenger.org/camps

Contact: 
Laura Mese, Administrative Assistant
laura.mese@akchallenger.org 
907.283.2000

#GivingTuesday!

Help Us Do It! #GivingTuesday

GivingTuesday is a global generosity movement, unleashing the power of people and organizations to transform their communities and their world. GivingTuesday will kick off the generosity season this year by inspiring people to give back on December 3rd, and throughout the year.

Challenger Learning Center of Alaska has joined GivingTuesday to spread the word and love of this hopeful day. As a non-profit we understand the struggles many organizations face trying to keep the doors open, when all we want to do is teach our programs, to help shape the lives of our future generations. Many people are aware of our Simulated Space Missions and STEM workshops, but don’t realize everything else we do…

Corporate Retreats and Team building

Coldwater Survival Egress Trainings (CSET)

Helicopter Underwater Egress Training (HUET) Certification

Land Survival Training

Recreational Survival Training (CWSR), (WWSR), FIXED-WING DITCHING, KIDS DON’T FLOAT

Summer Camps

Facility Rentals- conferences, parties, meetings, banquets, receptions…

Dorm Rentals

Commercial Kitchen Rental

Homeschool Science Programs

Caring for the Kenai- Internationally recognized Environmental Contest

Despite all that we offer we are still looking to expand and give all that we can to our community. We are working on developing a Drone certification program and a Workforce Readiness Program. Our goal this December 3rd, is to raise $1,000 in 24 hours! These funds will help us with building maintenance, educational planning and supplies to facilitate our programs.

If you haven’t done so already, please tell your friends and family about our campaign. Spreading the word gets our voices heard and the donations rolling in! You can now give on our Facebook page by hitting the Donate button. Follow our Facebook, Instagram or Twitter posts and share what you do for #GivingTuesday! We appreciate any little bit.

https://www.facebook.com/CLCAlaska/

http://www.instagram.com/akclca

http://www.twitter.com/CLC_of_Alaska

It’s true that it takes a village to ignite real change, so we’re pumped to have our supporters rally with us to create a lasting impact through giving.

THANK YOU TO ALL OF OUR SUPPORTERS AND SPONSORS! <3