Berkeley Parents Network: QuantumCamp (Berkeley, CA)

Berkeley Parents Network

QuantumCamp (Berkeley, CA)

Berkeley Parents Network > Reviews > Summer Camps & School Breaks > QuantumCamp (Berkeley, CA)

http://www.quantumcamp.com/

Aug 2010

Have your kids taken any classes at QuantumCamp in Berkeley? They've posted an announcement in this newsletter and their programs look interesting, but I am wondering if anyone has any personal experience with their science classes. Thanks. mom of a teen scientist

I can't say enough good things about Quantum Camp. My son took the first summer camp they offered last year and at the end said he couldn't possibly wait a whole year to do more. Michael and Ryan believe that high-end physics should be introduced beginning in middle school (age 12 or 13), and have a developed a curriculum that leads students to the concepts of quantum physics through direct experimentation. They now have programs in several other areas of math and science in additional to their original camp and my son is looking forward to taking most of their courses, starting with QC2 this fall. They've just moved into a permanent site in Berkeley right by the downtown BART. Jennifer

I'm sorry to say that my son & I were terribly disappointed in QuantumCamp. It looked fun, exciting, and academically challenging, but he found it to be none of those things. Rather, he heard a lot about how ''this is nothing like school - not boring at all'', and then performed experiments he'd already done . . . in school. It's not that the experiments were innately boring, just not as innovative as the teacher seemed to think.

In addition, there were behavior issues with a few kids on a daily basis (name-calling, throwing things at other students, etc.). While that can happen in any setting, I usually expect the grownup in charge to set limits and boundaries to deal with it. Instead, the teacher ignored my son's concerns, then told me that he (the teacher) didn't want to be too strict with the kids who were acting up, because then the experience would be ''too much like school.''

Full disclosure: we didn't finish out the week. When the problems weren't resolved the first day, my son asked the teacher for help. When that didn't work on the second day, I spoke to the teacher (as noted above). The third day brought no changes, so we didn't go back. disappointed mom

Hi, My 13 year old son attended QuantumCamp 1 at Chabot a few weeks ago, and LOVED it (as did his best friend who went too)! I can't say enough great things about these guys. They have a hands on, in depth program that is engaging for kids like my son who love science and math. I had been feeling like we had outgrown much of what was offered for his age group, and so I was very pleasantly suprised to find such a high caliber program.

I am also happy to say that they offer some courses during the school year. Most are currently not timed right for our school day (I think they cater to a lot of home-schoolers), but they have been very open to working out some kind of program for my son in an area of study that he wants to focus on. Hopefully, we can make that happen, but if not, I am sure we will sign up for camp again next summer.

FYI, they just moved into a new headquarters, and there is an open house September 2 from 7-9 pm. If you can't make it, you can email or call them. Mike Finnigan was my son's teacher and is very easy to reach. Their website is http://www.quantumcamp.com/

Hope this helps! I'd be happy to share more if you have any questions. Lori

I responded earlier, but I thought you might also like to hear about the camp from my son's perspective.

In his words-

''Quantum camp did one thing that really amazed me more than anything else. It walked me through the ways scientists in the 1800s figured out many of the things that I had assumed were just math. It establishes key fundamentals of physics and leads the way to a true understanding of quantum physics. Ryan and Michael have hit upon a simple, elegant, and intuitive way of teaching advanced physics to kids. They use amazing equipment and set up experiments simple enough that they don't require much mathematical know-how. All it requires is a basic understanding of the simplest parts of algebra, and even that isn't too important until the end. I can't recommend this camp highly enough for kids interested in physics.''

Good Luck! Lori

this page was last updated: Sep 25, 2010

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