Nanan STEM Academy summer camp inspires future innovators

MOOSE JAW — Young minds lit up — both literally and figuratively — last week as students explored circuits, robotics, and coding during the latest Nanan STEM Academy summer camp.

The week-long program, which ran recently at Phoenix Academy, was a partnership between the academy, Skills Canada Saskatchewan, and the Holy Trinity Catholic School Division. In total, about 20 students aged eight to 13 took part, learning technical skills alongside life skills including teamwork, communication, and perseverance.

“We had guest speakers from Skills Canada throughout the week, including Crystal Morin, the director of Skills Canada Saskatchewan,” said Shaun Nanan, academic director of Nanan STEM Academy. “They came to talk about STEM careers and the importance of the kinds of skills students are building here.”

Week-long program

Each day offered a new set of challenges and opportunities.

On day one, students were welcomed by guest speaker Kari Heggie from Skills Canada. The first major assignment was introduced: a capstone project to build a scaled 3D model of downtown Moose Jaw. Each group used TinkerCAD to digitally design buildings, which would later be 3D printed, painted, and brought to life with programmable LED lights.

Students also participated in a specialized, education-focused Minecraft collaboration challenge, where they learned the value of teamwork by attempting to survive together in the same virtual world.

Day two focused on circuitry and electricity. Campers learned to light up LEDs using unconventional materials such as lemons and potatoes, exploring the basics of electrochemical batteries. They were also introduced to soldering and robotics through hands-on work with Edison Robots.

Guest speaker Na Wang — a former Skills Canada competitor in game development and cloud computing — shared her journey in software development and emphasized the value of teamwork in the STEM field.

On day three, students dove deeper into robotics and coding. Younger participants worked with Micro:bit devices and block coding to control LED lights, while older students used Arduino boards and C++ to program circuits on a breadboard. They also explored hydro energy through a water-powered science experiment and participated in a Taekwondo session offered by Kim’s Taekwondo Moose Jaw.

“Taekwondo teaches values like leadership, kindness, and integrity, which align closely with what we’re doing at the academy,” Nanan said.

Day four brought lessons in wind and solar energy. Students built functioning windmills and made solar-powered microwaves that could warm small treats. They continued practicing their soldering techniques and enjoyed a surprise ice cream delivery from Twisted Sisters in Chamberlain.

The final day offered a chance to put everything together. Students showcased their completed capstone projects, which included miniature city blocks with functioning LED systems powered by microcontrollers. A highlight for many was the chance to interact with the Unitree Go2 AIR robotic dog, which students programmed to perform movements and gestures using LiDAR sensors and vision mapping.

Student voices

“I liked programming the lights,” said Dominic, a student in the program. “We designed the buildings, then soldered the wires together and used C++ to program the microcontroller to flash or stay steady.”

Clara said her group worked on a miniature version of Moose Jaw’s clock tower.

“We learned about designing, coding, teamwork, and even math, because we had to scale the buildings down,” she said.

Teacher assistant and Grade 9 student Joshua Overby said the teamwork aspect stood out most.

“One of the main areas of focus is teamwork and building those skills that come with it,” he said. “Sometimes people don’t really know how to work in groups, and this is a great place to practice that.”

Overby said his goal is to pursue a career in robotics or engineering, and camps like this offer a strong foundation. Clara, meanwhile, hasn’t narrowed down her career path yet, but said it’s likely to be something in the STEM field.

“I want to be a mechanical engineer,” added Dominic. “This camp helped with that. I find everything we’ve learned here so cool.”

For more information about upcoming classes, visit NananAcademy.com or contact Shaun Nanan at [email protected].