An All Inclusive Experience!
Daily Swimming, Rock Wall and Extended Care are all included in the weekly tuition.
Rancho’s Tech Camp will sell out each week.
Register today to secure your reservation. To preserve an incredible and safe experience, certain to exceed the expectations of both parents and campers, this camp will sell out each week.
Rancho Camps is proud to have earned the honor of being fully accredited by STEM.org.
Why Attend Rancho Tech Camp?
Led by experienced adults who work in education, children enjoy a safe, nurturing and fun summer camp environment. Rancho’s Tech Camp offers stimulating and traditional weekly themes, complemented with an abundance of varied daily activities and traditions. Review the themes below and register today. Perfect for kids who are either experiencing camp for the first time or returning from a fun experience last summer.
2024 Date and Themes For Rancho’s Tech Camp
Tech Camp Junior, Ages 6-8
May 27: K’Nex Theme Park *
Using their imaginations, campers will build loop-the-loops and carousels to turn an engineering space into an amusement park. It is certain to be a wild ride as groups of young engineers drive, pilot, and wreck amazing robots through creative courses built with the always-popular, K’NEX sets. Code robots to navigate an amusement park as we build and also wreck roller coasters, giant swings and other exhilarating rides. Join us for a week of fun and learning as we take traditional theme park games/challenges and redesign them with the wonders of the K’NEX engineering platform. This camp provides the best combination of fine motor skill activities and programmable bot learning. No height restrictions for these wacky rides!
*No Camp on Monday, May 27 in recognition of the Memorial Day Holiday. Tuition will be prorated accordingly.
June 3: StemQuest : Wizards vs. Aliens
StemQuest unplugs campers from the computer screen in this action-packed, story-based program. Throughout the week, campers will be constantly on the move as they experiment and play. StemQuest has intentionally extracted the wide array of exhilarating challenges and mysteries from popular gaming apps and turned it all into a live adventure. Campers will use age-appropriate rovers, bots, drones, and autonomous creative technology to jump over walls, push down obstacles, lift up boulders, and navigate through galaxies. Teams of campers work together in indoor, outdoor, and open-spaced “worlds” throughout the week. In doing so, campers utilize life skills such as collaborative problem solving, design, and curiosity to outwit, out-build, and out-smart the program instructor, The Wizard.
June 10: Roller Coaster Challenge
Work on building your very own roller coaster in the morning using K’Nex and other awesome materials, then go on a virtual ride in the afternoon. Roller Coaster Design allows campers to learn and test the science behind roller coasters. After building the coaster in the real world, let’s take it digital; campers will build and see their roller coaster from the perspective of a front-row rider!
June 17: Medieval Robot Battles *
The Medieval Robot Battles camp incorporates the ingenuities of modern technologies, but inserts campers in a historic Renaissance setting. Throughout the week, campers will compete in some of the most exciting tournaments of the Medieval time period. This StemQuest program uses a variety of app-enabled robots that can be free-driven, programmed, and fabricated through team-oriented puzzles and challenges. While the program aims to build proficiency with gaming technology, the curriculum presents exercises that stress all the verticals of STEAM. Campers will create their unique renaissance masks, equip their robots with shields and battle artillery, and design their festival fairgrounds. Join the RANCHO instructors for a time-traveling adventure and learn together how modern technology may enhance the competitions of the Medieval Age!
*No Camp on Wednsday, June 19 in recognition of the Juneteenth Holiday. Tuition will be prorated accordingly.
June 24: Star Wars BB8 Planet Cruiser
BB8 Adventures takes STEM to a galaxy far far away. This program combines all of the highlights from the latest Star Wars movies, specifically the newest droid, D-0 and the rest of the popular bots, which are certain to excite your 1st or 2nd grade camper! Each day, teams of campers (Squads) work together, with encouragement and guidance from their Jedi counselors, to customize droid-like robots and complete various Yoda engineering challenges. Throughout the week, campers will dunk intergalactic basketballs into mini hoops, play BB8 battleship, and joust in the balloon popping droid arena. Each challenge presents the campers with hands-on building and engineering lessons to help make their bots jump up ramps, roll through tunnels, and bounce over barriers. BB8 Adventures offers a friendly and collaborative environment, encouraging teamwork, sportsmanship and positivity – all while introducing campers to become active participants with today’s most applicable, exciting, and new technology.
July 1: Robot Racing & Obstacle Adventure *
This is a great introductory week for campers who have an interest in robots and drones, especially the racing aspects of the technology. This week will be filled with increasingly difficult relay races and head-to-head friendly competitions that will challenge the teams to communicate and strategize. Campers will also be contributing to the creative aspects of building a course themselves. Courses use two types of robots, and the integration of multiple devices and controllers presents a great collaborative environment for campers who have an excitement for technology.
*No Camp on Thursday, July 4 in recognition of the Independence Day Holiday. Tuition will be prorated accordingly.
July 8: Dynamic Drones
Designed for campers with little to no experience flying drones. We use the safest and most reliable drone products on the market, including the Parrot™ drones, for enhanced safety and most of all, fun. Campers learn the basics of drone technology and safety before taking to the air. Following a debrief on safety and basic flying maneuvers, young pilots will experience a program filled with excitement, challenges, and learning. Campers will also use rolling drones (including BB-8) and jumping drones to play Tic-Tac-Drone, Drone Bowling, and Duck-Duck-Drone.
Tech Camp, Ages 9-12
May 27: Robot X-Games *
Robot X-Games competitions leave no stone unturned. BMX Big Air! Stadium Super Trucks! Street Luge! SnowMObile Freestyle! Moto X Quarter Pipe! Campers will be crafting, testing, and racing X-Games themed gear to compete in some of the competition’s most storied events. Campers will have endless exposure to technology like Sphero SPRK and Ollie, Parrot Drones, etc. through competition and creativity.
*No Camp on Monday, May 27 in recognition of the Memorial Day Holiday. Tuition will be prorated accordingly.
June 3: Adventures in Engineering
From simple Rube Goldberg Machines to complex autonomous systems, test your skills as an engineer in this exciting and creative camp! Explore the science of space and shape. Sketch, plan, and build model bridges, skyscrapers, railways, and much more. Test your projects to see how much strain they can take before they crumble to the ground.
June 10: Battle Bots Xtreme
This camp offers hands-on opportunities to build and program robots. Working in small teams, participants will design robots to compete in fun real-world activities. Each day will bring a new challenge, and your team’s robot will have to morph to become better, adapt with each new task before you. Campers will compete in the Xtreme Battlebots competition at the end of each day to prove their robot is the best. This camp is perfect for the young engineer who has a big imagination and likes to build!
June 17: Ultimate Dynamic Drones *
This program is specifically designed for both the novice and experienced drone enthusiasts. Drone search and rescue is a necessity for first responders around the world, adding a new layer of solutions to save lives across the globe. Now campers can take part in and learn from simulated missions during this action-packed, creative, and educational program. Participants will learn to fly drones and rely on their rescue team to collect vital data in specific “rescue areas” to locate “victims” and safely rescue them. We use age-appropriate and cutting-edge technology methods available for creating plans, missions, and maps. Participants will also learn invaluable lessons on how to simply, quickly, and accurately make informed and targeted suggestions for real-world positive applications. Drone safety and the social responsibilities of flying drones are included in this program.
*No Camp on Wednesday, June 19 in recognition of the Juneteenth Holiday. Tuition will be prorated accordingly.
June 24: StemQuest : Empire vs. Rebellion
Bring the galaxy from far, far away much, much closer to camp. Using custom built podracers, foam ball blasters, and rolling droid drones), campers will split into two separate groups and participate either as a member of the controlling Empire or of the elite Rebellion strike force. Teams work together in hands-on building activities to prepare for the multiple battles that occur throughout the week – all in a friendly competitive environment. Build your own TIE Fighters, Starships, and more. Create and design self-made defenses to protect home base from the opposition. The ultimate daily and weekly goal is for campers to use both their minds and their hands to eliminate the opposing team’s holdout positions through strategy and collaborative planning. At last, it is time to bring justice to the galaxy. May the StemQuest force be with you!
July 1: Super K’nex Coaster Builder *
Work on building your very own roller coaster in the morning using K’Nex and other awesome materials, then go on a virtual ride in the afternoon. Roller Coaster Design allows campers to learn and test the science behind roller coasters. After building the coaster in the real world, let’s take it digital! Campers will build and and see their roller coaster from the perspective of a front row rider!
*No Camp on Thursday, July 4 in recognition of the Independence Day Holiday. Tuition will be prorated accordingly.
July 8: Speedster Drone Championship
This program is specifically designed for both the novice and experienced drone enthusiasts. This week is filled with pure action as students enjoy one of the world’s fastest growing sports, Drone Obstacle Racing. Campers will first learn about the basic safety of drone flying and the history behind drone racing as a sport. From there, campers will progress through various skill challenges and learn how to perform various exercises and maneuvers to become familiar with the drone’s speed and agility. Campers will use iPads and remote controls to navigate the drone through short and long obstacle courses.
Rancho’s Tech Camp Weekly Activities Include
Activities are approximately 30-minutes long and are intended to provide campers with a fun and educational opportunity to experiment with a variety of unique and innovative programs. Not every activity is offered on a weekly basis. Please check the Tech schedule for the activities being offered each week.
GaGa and Backyard Sports
Traditional indoor and outdoor sports including: GaGa, Soccer, Volleyball, Beach Games, Cornhole.
Interactive Play-Fitness Games
Get your body moving and your steps in as campers experience the Camp Rock Wall, Ninja Obstacle Course, Relay Races, Scavenger Hunts, and more.
Campers Vs. Bots
Campers must strategize to defeat the opposing team’s robots and drones from scoring points during these action-packed activities. Activities include: Bots on the Run, RoboMaster, Sphero Battles, Robotic Arm Challenge
Engineering, Architecture, Design
Get ready to extract the thrills from the video screen and reconstruct the gaming experience directly into a live setting (without the video screen!). Teams attempt to outwit and out-maneuver one another to score points during friendly competition.
Eco Innovations
Build your own Solar Oven, Circuit Powered Mechanism, or Biosphere.
Technology Visual Arts
Utilize traditional technology and robots to design, paint, and create visual arts.
Digital Media
From the green screen to YouTube productions. Campers enjoy a wide array of technology and cartoon animation.
Daily Swimming
Summer is hot so we like to cool down daily with Open Swim & Swim Games led by Red Cross Certified Lifeguards and Swim Instructors.
A Typical Day At Rancho’s Tech Camp
Complimentary Morning Extended Care
(7:30am to 8:45am – included and free)
Normal Camp Hours
(8:45am to 9am)
Each Day Begins With:
Morning Meeting & Counselor Challenge Games
ACTIVITY 1
Morning Activity 1
ACTIVITY 2
Outdoor Backyard Sports or Indoor Interactive Game Wall & Fitness
COMPLIMENTARY SNACK
(Before 10:30am – included and free)
ACTIVITY 3
Morning Activity 3
ACTIVITY 4
Morning Activity 4
LUNCH
Campers Bring Their Own Lunch
All of the above is an example of a daily schedule. Activity times and programs change week-to-week.
ACTIVITY 5
Afternoon Activity: Activity 5
ACTIVITY 6
Afternoon Activity: Activity 6
ACTIVITY 7
GaGa, Create-a-Game & Sport, or Water Sports
ACTIVITY 8
Afternoon Activity: Activity 8
Each Day Concludes With:
Afternoon Meeting & Counselor Quest Challenge
All of the above is an example of a daily schedule. Activity times and programs change week-to-week.
Normal Camp Hours Pick-Up
(2:55pm to 3:15pm)
Complimentary Afternoon Extended Care
(3:15pm to 5:30pm – included and free)
About Rancho’s Tech Camp
Rancho’s Tech Campers will want to arrive early each day of Rancho Tech Camp. Girls and boys enjoy a new theme each week of the summer. This one-of-a-kind summer camp strikes the perfect balance between a focused weekly tech project, interactive and daily sports or games activities, and a variety of multiple innovative daily programs. Some examples of Rancho’s Tech Camp theme-weeks include: Drone Racing & Obstacle Course, Engineering Adventures, Relevant Robotics, Kids vs. Bots, Digital Media Production, Eco Innovations, Technology Visual Arts, and so much more.
At Tech Camp, we challenge campers to expand their interests while encouraging them to open their creative minds. We emphasize individual skills, basic fundamentals and techniques, and overall well-being in a positive, safe and fun learning environment—all while developing character and self-confidence.
Our approach to teaching and hands-on learning focuses primarily on teamwork, leadership and self-confidence. Daily improvement along with the effort over results is the fundamental principle that the Rancho Camps was built upon. If you are looking to broaden your horizons in a fun and positive environment this summer, then Rancho’s Tech Camp is the perfect camp for you!
Led by experienced and creative adults who work in both education and camps, Rancho’s Tech Camp provides your son or daughter with a summer camp environment specifically designed for boys and girls who want to focus on a single project throughout the week, but also prefer to extend the learning and fun through multiple experiences that provide a variety of real-life applicable technology of the present and future.
Each week offers boys and girls a new camp-theme and multiple activities, providing them with interactions, experiences and stories which will become the focus of attention during both the ride home and at the dinner table.
Activities
Rancho’s Tech campers will flourish with a healthy balance between daily hands-on STEM projects and interactive high-energy daily activities that include both indoor and outdoor activity and play. Parents, you will not have to worry about your Rancho Tech campers sleeping well in the evening as they fall asleep dreaming about the next camp day’s fun-filled, interactive, and action-packed camp day! Daily indoor and outdoor activity and play is extremely important for all campers attending Rancho Camps and there will be no shortage each day with a lineup and variety of both timely and timeless tech games and activities.
Together with our adult-led staff, campers will have a blast working in small groups as they create, build, strategize, and challenge one another in this one of a kind tech adventure.
We believe there is a direct correlation between the movement of the body and an enhanced capacity for the developing mind to innovate and create. Therefore, each day all Rancho Tech campers participate in a variety of play, from the enjoyment of traditional sports and games to creative play. All activities and games are team-based and challenge campers to either beat the clock or engage in friendly competition.
Our Leadership
Rest assured parents, because we are obsessed with the details of sourcing, hiring, and training excellent instructors and counselors to work at Rancho Camp. Our company has 23+ years of experience sourcing, hiring and training well-qualified professionals to lead your children, who are entrusted under our supervision and care, each and every day. All Rancho Tech campers are led by experienced and creative adults who have extensive experience working in education and/or working in a camp setting. Each Rancho instructor who works with your son or daughter is fully vetted and has passed local and nationwide criminal background checks, in-depth reference checks, and a behavioral personality test – all to ensure that our company core values are upheld and our expectations are fully met each and every camp day.
Moreover, we have a dedicated team at Rancho’s Winter Headquarters who work year-round to ensure each camp team member is a proper fit and represents our high level of standards including: safety, experience, courtesy, respect, professionalism, flexibility, and enjoyment. Our entire team of full time and seasonal professionals is filled with persons who lead-by-example, put others before themselves, serve as mentors and friends, and lastly celebrate your camper’s effort over results.
Our Training
Rancho’s dedicated full-time Talent Acquisition team works year-round at Rancho Winter Headquarters, all of whom have children of their own and obsessed with the execution of a proven and extensive professional hiring process. Moreover, we work throughout the year to develop an immersive multi-day, 30+ hour training experience which includes teachings, materials, professional development, and lessons presented: online, during webinars, in-person and on-the-job.
Our Other Rancho Camp Programs
Our Reviews
“I know how hard it is for the older kids to attend camp. For full transparency, my 7th grader really did not want to go to our camp this morning. However, he came home today so excited that two of his friends were in his group AND that he got to learn a new type of coding language. Here I was nervous all day and he totally surprised me when I picked him up. Just wanted to let you know since I most likely sounded the “false alarm” earlier today when we spoke in the morning. Here’s to a great rest of the week”
Jermaine D.
“Spectacular camp. Amazing. Cinthia and all of her friends attended camp last week (they were the Heroic Stemsters team) and each had an absolute blast. The camp had quite an impression on all of them since they could not stop talking about the fitness games, computer games, and counselor games they played and participated in. The Rancho counselors provided the confidence and builds the self-esteem these girls need to feel comfortable in a mostly all boys program. I can assure you that more and more girls will be attending your camp in the future since I am now your biggest fan. Thanks again.”
Anna P.
“Your free extended care was really helpful to Dorothy and me this past summer. I cannot thank you enough for adding that as a free option. Usually, I cannot afford to send my older daughter to this high level of a camp because of the cost to attend these programs in the area. But since you include all of the free options, my husband and I can now send D to multiple weeks of your camp. Thank you for your generosity and making it affordable for all to attend.”