We are so excited to bring our community together on a whole new level with our second annual Homeschool Enrichment Adventure Road Trip ♥ (H.E.A.R.T.) ♥ with Hip Homeschool Moms! Our first trip was to Fort Caswell, NC, where we studied science, history, pirates, and more! And now it is time to announce our Second Annual HEART Road Trip to Space Camp!!! Space Camp is the ultimate unique camp experience where children work as a team and confront mission scenarios that require dynamic problem solving and critical thinking skills. Throughout the week, camp trainees encounter artifacts as they learn about space hardware and the history and future of space exploration. In fact, the U.S. Space & Rocket Center is recognized as one of the largest space museums in the world with the most comprehensive museum of U.S. manned space flight hardware in the world.
But the camp especially for our Hip Homeschool Moms friends will be even more fun because we’ll be participating as families! Mom, Dad, and siblings ages 5 and up will be working together to explore, learn, and complete missions. (Grandparents are eligible to attend and participate too!) And not only will each family be working as a team, but all of our families will be grouped together to work on different projects and activities too. In other words, this is a chance to grow and learn together with your own family and as part of our Hip Homeschool Moms family! Wendy and I can’t wait to see those of you who joined us last year at Fort Caswell, and we’re excited to meet even more of you this fall at Space Camp!
Note about the ages of children who can participate: The Hip Homeschool Moms camp will be open to parents, grandparents, and students ages 5 and up. Children who are younger than age 5 are not allowed–according to Space Camp rules–to stay on-site or to participate in the missions and activities. Those with children younger than age 5 may stay at a participating hotel across the street. (Hotel stay will add additional cost.) If you have additional questions about this, please leave your question in the comments, and we’ll get back with you.
When: October 9-12, 2017
Where: Huntsville, AL
Deposit Amount: $250 per family (non-refundable)
Deposit Due: 7/15/17 Extended due to an email snafu. If you sent us an email and didn’t get a response, you should get one now. I’m so sorry for the delay. I didn’t realize my emails were not going out until late this afternoon!!
Total Due: 40% due August 15th. Remaining balance due September 15th.
As of today, July 21, 2017, We have 33 families (over 120 people) joining us for Space Camp! We hope you will be the next family to register!
What Is Space Camp?
Space Camp is a hands-on, interactive space and astronomy program to inspire and motivate students. The camp, which is part hands-on field trip and part camp, is an outgrowth of the U.S. Space & Rocket Center’s museum education program. Space Camp was designed to inspire and motivate youth to push the boundaries of human exploration just as generations before them did. Space Camp is internationally popular, with visitors from all 50 states and more than 60 foreign countries. The U.S. Space & Rocket Center was Alabama’s most visited tourism attraction in 2016. The Hip Homeschool Moms camp is open to parents, grandparents, and children ages 5 and up (See Kinder Camp below for 5 and 6 year olds).
We will launch into the adventure of a lifetime when we join the ranks of Space Camp. Our aspiring explorers will train to live and work in space. It is our opportunity to command, navigate, and contribute to a sophisticated space mission simulation. We will be challenged by the tests of simulated space missions, rocket launches, and realistic astronaut simulators.. We will have the opportunity to participate in real-world applications of science, technology, engineering, and math education. We will prepare to become the new generation of lunar explorers, with hands-on activities that place us in the roles of hardware engineers, mission controllers, and astronauts!
And if you think it is just for fun… think again! To date, three Space Camp graduates have actually gone to space, while two others are active in the astronaut corps awaiting their turns! See some of the fun activities in action in this video:
Home of U.S. Space Camp and the site of the NASA Human Exploration Rover Challenge, the Space & Rocket Center has one of the greatest collections of rockets and space memorabilia anywhere in the world. The Davidson Center for Space Exploration is the front door for the U.S. Space & Rocket Center complex, housing a magnificent, full-scale, fully restored Saturn V rocket overlooking numerous other exhibits and displays. The journey through the entire museum takes visitors from the roots of America’s space program to the space-based science and discovery missions of today — and those yet to come.
Program Details
At Space Camp, your children won’t just hear about the work of astronauts and aerospace professionals, they will experience it first-hand! They will learn about spacecraft, aerodynamics, micro-gravity, robotics, rocket launching, and extra-terrestrial travel through classroom sessions, practical activities, simulators, and more. The culmination of the program is a space mission that involves applying all the knowledge they have learned and the training they have received during the course of the program.
The program will not only show students the practical applications of the concepts of science and mathematics, but will also develop their leadership, communication, problem-solving, and teamwork skills through various challenging outdoor activities.
Check out the Get Ready Space Camp video below for some examples as well.
- Lifting off at four times the normal force of gravity and experiencing weightlessness on the Space Shot simulator.
- Learning how it feels to walk on the moon with the 1/6 Gravity Chair simulator.
- Building their own rocket and launching it from the Rocket Launch facility.
- Tumbling and spinning in the Multi-Axis Trainer, just like astronauts from the early space programs.
- Experiencing a frictionless environment in the Manned Maneuvering Unit.
- Lifting off in one of Space Camp’s Shuttle Simulators, or commanding and support everything from the Mission Control Center.
- Living and working in Space Camp’s International Space Station simulator.
- Mission Specialists will experience walking “in space” on an EVA (Extra Vehicular Activity) to repair the Hubble Space Telescope. (Space Academy and Advanced Space Academy only)
- Living and working in space, operating the Station’s life support, crew/equipment support systems. (Space Academy and Advanced Space Academy only)
- Performing scientific experiments focusing on polymers and soil samples from Earth, Mars, and the moon. (Space Academy and Advanced Space Academy)
- In depth SCUBA training for Mission Specialist track trainees. (Advanced Space Academy only)
Kinder Camp
Kinder Camp will be for the 5 and 6 year old children. We will all be together for meals and after Kinder Camp. But because some of the mechanics, experiments and materials are dangerous for little ones, they will do their own version of Space Camp called Kinder Camp.
Parents can choose to do Space Camp or be a chaperone in Kinder Camp (although there is no need for chaperones, they do these all the time and have enough staff to cover it). But we know y’all may want to be with them You can also pick and choose and float back and forth… checking in and then drifting back into space camp… but they will give us more details on that as we get closer to camp.
Space
• Take part in interactive lab activities led by our education department
• Experiment with International Space Station science projects
• Learn rocketry principles by building and launching rockets
• Gain an understanding of a day in the life of an astronaut
• Draw and design a mission patch
• Explore museum activities, including museum exhibits and simulators like the Mars Climbing Wall and Space Shot
• Learn how Huntsville took man to the moon
Aviation
• Gain an understanding of the principles of flight
• Fly an F-18 cockpit simulator
• Learn basic survival skills
• Construct a model balsa wood glider
• Explore design principles of aviation with our 12 on-site aircraft
Robotics
• Work in teams to design and build robots
• Sharpen communication and team-building skills
• Complete engineering and design projects
• Participate in critical thinking and logic-building activities
• Compete in end-of-the-week team robotics challenge
Accommodations
During Space Camp, families will stay on site in the habitat. Each family will have a separate pod which accommodates up to seven people in the Space Camp habitat’s four story building. You will want to bring a padlock so you can store your belongings in the lockers in the room. (Of course we will make sure you have a complete list of everything you need to bring before time for Space Camp.) All bed linens are provided, but you might want to bring your own pillow and blanket for comfort.
Meals
All meals during the program will be provided at the Space Camp facility. Meals are served in the Space Crew Galley. You will find a variety of food available. Fresh fruit is available all day long. Breakfast is a choice of cereal or a hot meal. For lunch and dinner, they feature a dish from around the world. If your children are less adventurous, they can opt for a sandwich for lunch and pizza for dinner. If you have food allergies or restrictions, accommodations can be made. Please be sure to let us know what your needs are. (We will give you the opportunity to provide this information ahead of time.)
Key Learning Aspects:
- Practical applications of science topics such as Newton’s laws of motion, friction, thrust, gravitational force, center of mass and center of gravity, conductors and insulators, chemical properties of elements, etc.
- Principles of Rocket Design
- Basics of Astronomy
- Leadership Skills
- Team Building Skills
- Communication Skills
- Logical Analysis and Critical Thinking
Details:
Family Camp: Four Days, three nights, all meals and accommodations provided. All basic camp activities and camp tshirt are included. Below is a link to the sample schedule. It will be from Monday – Thursday (not Friday through Monday) but the sample schedule is close enough to give you an idea of the activities we have in store! Space Camp Family Camp 4 Day Sample Schedule. See below for a list of à la carte items that can be added.
Payments, Cancellations, and Refund Policies
Your deposit of $250 will be due by 7/15/17. It will go to toward your entire amount due. We will offer a payment plan for the remainder of the balance (40% due August 15th. Remaining 40% due September 15th). Payments are refundable only if there is a family on the waiting list who is able to take your place. Deposits are non-refundable. We cannot make any changes or offer any refunds after July 15, 2017.
Note: We have a minimum number of families required – 10 families. Therefore, until we meet this minimum number, this trip will not be considered “confirmed.” Should we not reach our minimum number required, we will issue a full refund of payments. UPDATE 7/15/17, We have met our minimum number so this trip is CONFIRMED!!
We will have several forms from Space Camp as well as a release form for each family to sign. By your deposit payment, you acknowledge your understanding and agreement of the cancellation and refund policy.
Ready to Register?
If you have any questions, please email us and we will be glad to help!! Be sure to put “Space Camp Questions” in your subject line.
The first step is to complete this form. Once you have completed the form, it will prompt you to pay the deposit of $250. Remember we have a minimum of 10 families. (UPDATE 7/15/17, We have met our minimum number so this trip is CONFIRMED!!) Once you have confirmed you plan to attend and have paid your deposit, join our private group Hip Homeschool Moms HEART Space Camp! and let’s start getting to know each other before the trip! We are so excited to be able to continue making in real life friends with our community! We expect many life-long friendships will start right here at Space Camp! And that is the mission of these H.E.A.R.T. get togethers… to build community for families living the homeschool lifestyle! We can’t wait to meet you!! ♥ ♥ ♥
Does each family have a private bathroom or is it community bathrooms and showers?
Hey Dottie, In the pod, you have a private pod for your family. The bathrooms have private showers with frosted glass doors. And there is always the Marriott on site 🙂
Thanks. So dorm style living, just calling it pods. Sounds good.
No, not dorms, if you look up on this article, you will see pictures. Each family gets individual rooms with seven bunk beds. 🙂
Here is a link to see more images. https://www.google.com/search?q=habitat+space+camp&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjt1r7G3PzUAhXGPCYKHQ6vCZsQ_AUICygC&biw=1745&bih=973
What age are most of the kids who participate? I am trying to decide if mine would fit in.
Thanks.
We have children of all ages from 5 up to about 17 or 18! 🙂
Hey Tammye, how old are your kiddos?
How are the responses coming along? Do you think you will meet the ten family minimum?
Hey Karyn, Yes, we do!! Are you planning to join us?
Any chance this will be repeated? Super interested, but timing is about a year or so too early for us. Have a 6 and 8- year old (and 2 littles), but sounds like 6 year olds are in a different camp and we would like them together.
Hey Pamela, Maybe!! We are not sure yet… but if there is enough interest, absolutely! I know we are planning another Fort Caswell next year. You can search “Fort Caswell” on our website and see the details from last year. It is a marine biology / estuary study… complete with kayaking, dissecting, marsh studies, ocean studies, light house tours… etc. It was fantastic and half the attendees who went want to go back!
Wow. This looks amazing! Is this something you will do next year. It’s a little late for us to plan for it this year.
Andrea, We are not sure yet… but if there is enough interest, absolutely! I know we are planning another Fort Caswell next year. You can search “Fort Caswell” on our website and see the details from last year. It is a marine biology / estuary study… complete with kayaking, dissecting, marsh studies, ocean studies, light house tours… etc. It was fantastic and half the attendees who went want to go back!
My girls and I would LOVE to do this! We are studying Astronomy this year & plan a trip to the museum anyway sometime this year. We live close enough to drive there every day. My question is; because we can’t afford it, would there be an option of not staying there or eating (bring our lunch) and getting a cheaper rate?! Also, are there still openings?
Hi Candece! There are still openings! 🙂 However, due to Space Camp rules, there isn’t an option for lower tuition if you stay off campus and drive to Space Camp each day. 🙁 The tuition is the same for everyone (according to the scale which shows the rates according to the number of people in the family who will be attending). We would love for you to join us if you possibly can!!
Hi, are spots still available or has registration been closed?
Hey Gretchen, you CAN still register!!
This was so timely! My son has been asking to go to space camp very recently!
How awesome! Love the acronym!
Thanks Laura!! It really just came to me while working on our first trip. A God-thing for sure!!
This sounds amazing! I hope when my little ones are older this is still going!
Rustina, if we have the interest, we will keep doing it!