We’ve been tinkering with a new addition to our laser tag course. The new system is pretty advanced but we wanted campers to go home with a simpler way of controlling it that doesn’t need a WiFi connection. We’ve recreated a version of our previous hand-held controller box that can be used to start and stop games, and even act as team bases for capture the flag.
Campers doing the laser tag course will be building two of these each this year!
Does your child play too many computer games?
We often have conversations with parents who are worried their child plays too many computer games. Is it as bad as it seems? Believe it or not, playing computer games (within limits!) has some well-researched benefits.
As part of our visit to IBM for the Raspberry Pi day we had a tour of IBM's museum. During the tour we were shown some of IBM's typewriters and after a long (but concise) explanation of the development of the typewriter, one of the kids asked what did these 'typewriter' things do? It never struck the rest of us adults that most of the children would never have seen one of these before.
Planning what to with the youngsters this summer? If you’re looking for something a bit meatier than day trips to attractions, then you might like to look at some new summer schools teaching theatre skills, broadcasting, and much more …
In preparation for the Kickstarter of our Invent! Robotics Kit, we have been busy here at Tech Camp HQ designing some fancy new packaging to give a premium-quality kit. We have never been particularly happy with the way the cables are stored in the box - most of the parts are held in with a layer of laser cut foam, but there is a lot of empty space left in the box so the cables (and other parts) end up going everywhere!
3D printing has surged in popularity over the last few years. With many machines finally reaching affordable levels, access to software and tools being better than ever, and general awareness for this awesome technology always increasing, it’s easy to see why 3D printing is hitting the news so often.
Would your child love to learn the art of game design? It goes without saying, the tech industry has never been bigger and is likely only to grow in the future. If you have a child interested in game design, this could be a potentially exciting career path for them to pursue once they grow up.
It's no wonder that coding is more fashionable today than ever before. The ability to program is undoubtedly one of the most important skills for the current generation of children to have leading into their adult lives. In 2015, 7 million job openings required the ability to code in the US (Burning Glass) and it is known that the best way to learn is to start early. A coding camp is a great way to introduce the next generation to the most important skill of the future. While popular culture can often make coding seem a daunting and tricky skill, that is far from the truth. Programming is a skill which everyone can learn.
We've been putting the latest toys through the ringer again ... for the upcoming Drone Racing course, we wanted to find the best drone that fitted our criteria. It had to be:
Just finished the first of our Tech Weekends. We had a great time (and hope the children did as well!) Most of them opted to build a laser tag game gun but Barney chose other kits and it was interesting to see what he was able to do with connecting some off-the-shelf kits. His first one was a siren with adjustable pitch and sound effect.
At the moment, our summer camps are open for booking as normal. Of course it is possible with COVID19 it may not be possible to run them, but almost all of the parents we've asked so far are keen to keep their bookings open in case that they do go ahead, and we realise what a welcome relief camp will be when all the social distancing is finally gone for children to be out doing something exciting and not being stuck at home!