Broome County Summer Camps: Unforgettable STEM Adventures for Kids

If you’re looking for something meaningful, exciting, and educational for your kids this summer, Kopernik Observatory & Science Center in Vestal is once again opening the doors to a universe of discovery.

For the 34th summer, Kopernik is offering its Link Summer STEM Exploration Camps, weeklong programs for students entering grades 2-12 in the 2026–27 school year.

These camps blend science, technology, engineering, and math with hands-on activities that make learning feel more like an adventure than a classroom. If you’ve ever spent time at Kopernik, you know it’s the kind of place where curiosity takes over the moment you walk in.

Kopernik’s Inviting Atmosphere

Kopernik has always been more than just a science center. It’s a place where kids get to explore the world around them with their hands, their imaginations, and sometimes even a little mud on their shoes.

Campers spend time building, experimenting, coding, observing the sky, and exploring nature. Some days might include looking at the sun safely through telescopes. Other days could involve building robots, launching rockets, or exploring ecosystems around the observatory grounds. The goal is simple: make science fun and spark curiosity.

Lasting Impact of Kopernik Camps

Speaking from experience, time at Kopernik sticks with kids years later. My son still talks about the time he spent there. Even now, he’ll bring up something he learned, and I can hear the excitement in his voice all over again. That’s the magic of a place like Kopernik.

Programs Tailored to Every Age and Interest

The summer program includes a wide variety of camps tailored to different grade levels and interests. Younger students entering grades 2 and 3 can dive into programs like “Super Scientists!,” which explores a different branch of science each day, or “Young Naturalists,” which gets kids outside to discover ecosystems, animals, and the natural world.

Students in grades 3 and 4 might explore the “Secrets of Code!”, learning how coding works through robotics and puzzles, or build their own games during “Carnival Creations.” For grades 4 and 5, camps like Robotics, Our Amazing Earth, and Nature Scientist help kids explore everything from engineering and environmental science to biodiversity.

Middle school students can take things even further with experiences such as 3D design and printing, virtual reality world-building, robotics challenges, and even rocket design and launches. And for high school students, one of the most exciting camps is Return to the Edge of Space, where students help design and launch a weather balloon that can travel more than 100,000 feet into the atmosphere, then recover the payload and analyze the data.

Hands-On Learning at Its Best

One of the things that makes Kopernik special is how hands-on the learning is. Campers might be designing robots one day, building structures the next, or collecting data outdoors while studying ecosystems. There are also opportunities to explore the Kopernik Planetarium, use advanced equipment, and work on projects that encourage teamwork and creativity. It’s science you can touch, build, launch, and explore.

How to Register and Camp Logistics

The 2026 Link Summer STEM Exploration Camps run from June 29 through August 21. Camps are held Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., with optional early drop-off and late pickup available. Registration opens March 7 at 10 a.m., and camps often fill up quickly. Financial aid is also available for families who demonstrate need.

Inspiring a Lifelong Love of Learning

Whether your child is fascinated by space, loves building things, enjoys exploring nature, or just asks a lot of “why” questions, Kopernik’s STEM camps offer a place where that curiosity can grow. And if your experience ends up anything like ours, you may find yourself hearing stories about it for years to come.

Sometimes the best summer memories aren’t just about what kids do, they’re about what they discover.