Your Ninja built hands-on projects this week — keep an eye out for what came home in their backpack!
The digital projects stay on our dojo computers. Your Ninja may have shown off a few during our Friday showcase for parents.
What We Covered This Week
Throughout the camp, Ninjas explored real engineering concepts at a JR pace using Snap Circuits, Makey Makey, ScratchJR, and lots of craft supplies. Click any topic to expand.
Meet Grace Hopper & Debug Snap Circuits
Met Grace Hopper — the inventor who coined the word "bug" after pulling a real moth out of a computer in 1947
Built paper-plate bugs of their own to take home
Used Snap Circuits to debug little broken circuits a Sensei had snuck in — racing teammates to find each other's mistakes
Learned that debugging is a real engineer's job — it's how every gadget actually gets to "working"
Wigglebot Robotics & Traffic-Light Circuit
Built a Wigglebot from a paper cup, a motor, and three markers — then watched it spin and draw wild circle art on paper
Explored what makes a robot a robot — it senses, decides, and moves
Wrapped the day by building a paper traffic-light circuit — wiring up real LEDs by hand
Took their first taste of simple circuits — how electricity flows from battery to light through a closed loop
The Scientific Method in Action
Learned the 5 steps of the scientific method — observation, question, hypothesis, experiment, conclusion
Made tissue-paper butterfly wings flap using static electricity
Designed and tested straw rockets — experimented with fin shapes, sizes, and angles to see which flew farthest
Recorded their hypothesis before each test — then compared it to what really happened (real scientist style!)
Inputs, Outputs & the Fruit Drum Kit
Coded a dance party in ScratchJR — their first time programming a screen using picture-block code
Hooked up a Makey Makey board and turned fruit into a working drum set — apples, bananas, even pencil graphite
Learned the engineering concept of inputs and outputs — touch becomes sound, motion becomes color
Tested which household items conduct electricity (and which don't) to make their own custom controllers
Shadow Projectors & the Gallery Walk
Built a Shadow Projector from a flashlight and cardboard tube — the week's capstone project
Experimented with light, distance, and shape to make giant or tiny shadows on the wall
Set up a Gallery Walk to show parents every invention from the week
Wrapped with lots of high-fives, hugs, and "I built this!" moments
What's Next?
Want your ninja to keep building? Our JR Program turns the spark of camp into a year-round adventure for ages 5–7 — coding, robotics, and creative tech taught at a JR pace, with the same Senseis your ninja already knows.
Or keep the summer momentum going with another JR camp:
JR Minecraft & Roblox — guided, age-appropriate Minecraft and Roblox play with basic game concepts
JR LEGO Robotics & Coding — build and code simple robots using LEGO SPIKE Essential kits
JR Coding & Electronics — beginner coding and electronics with micro:bit and Makey Makey
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