Opening play, mid-game, end-game - develop these strategies and more as you move across a chessboard or around a cribbage and backgammon board. Improve your memory, concentration, and ability to conceptualize as you engage in these ancient games of kings. Develop your ability to estimate and predict your opponents' moves. Create a personal repertoire of tactics and plays. Create a game that stumps your classmates.

The way materials are put together and the way they act under certain conditions is called the study of chemistry. Chemistry helps us explain the things that happen in nature. Chemists are scientists who use each of their five senses to explore and make sense of life. Experiment with water, acids, bases, and everyday household items to discover the chemical world in which we live. Design a series of experiments to test your predictions about the reactions of substances.

From shapes to colors to numbers, you see patterns every day. Discover the patterns in your world, and how these patterns are used in math, architecture, science, and literature. Create meaning out of the patterns you observe in the sky and all around you!

Did you know that even when you are at rest, your body is working nonstop? Take this class and you'll learn about your body's organs and how they work together to perform your body's work. Look at cells under the microscope to get up close and personal with your body's tiny parts. Learn how food and movement provide fuel for those cells and exercise for your muscles to keep your body machine going strong. Put all this information together and create a Power Plan for making the most of your biology.

Did you know that shovels, wheelbarrows, hockey sticks, and wooden bats are all simple machines called levers? Simple machines make work easier by enabling us to decrease our mechanical effort to move objects. The six types of simple machines are often combined in complex machines. Come learn about the six types of simple machines and create some original machine designs of your own.

Rakontisto. Bard. Griot. Seanache. Scop. Troubador. Do you know what these words mean? They are all names for the same profession- storyteller! In this course you will learn about the cultural tradition of storytelling. Investigate the role of musical instruments and art in storytelling across time and cultures. Create a new world of characters and fanciful settings as you craft your own stories!

Are you a budding engineer or just want to know how to fix things? Do you stay awake at night wondering how things work? Then this is the course for you! Gain a greater understanding of the world around you. Learn about the mechanics involved in the workings of everyday gadgets. Apply creativity and scientific principles to improve a current machine or invent a new one that solves a problem. Learn basic engineering principles and delve into the inner workings of vital machines.

How do we know things we cannot see actually exist? Can you see the wind, an x-ray, or an emotion? In this class you will learn about seeing evidence of the invisible on a microscopic, cellular level or even further beyond what you can experience directly. Develop a deep appreciation for scientific methods and other ways of learning about the things we cannot detect with our senses of sight, touch, taste, smell, or hearing.

Whether you like to collect rocks or just appreciate the beauty of a colorful gemstone, this class has something for you. You'll learn to analyze and appreciate rocks and minerals by their characteristics, grow crystals, and research related topics that really interest you. Finally you'll determine what makes things like gems valuable to humans.

Where do authors get their ideas? How does a science fiction story differ from historical fiction? What are the elements all stories need? Come have fun and gain writing experience creating new characters and a book of your own. The class will culminate with a reading of original stories to parents at a "Young Authors' Tea".

How does a cacao bean turn into a chocolate bar? How does yeast make bread rise? Why do you add salt or oil to water when making pasta? If you are curious about the food you eat, and wonder where it comes from and how it gets from a plant to your plate, this is the course for you! Learn all about the food we eat from how a simple ingredient tastes to how it combines with other ingredients to make a perfect blend of flavors. Experiment with chemistry in the kitchen and determine what makes a recipe great!

Do you like to solve mysteries? Then you might be interested in what detectives do to solve crime mysteries. Would you like to learn the techniques for interviewing witnesses and interrogating suspects? Have you ever pictured yourself giving evidence in a court room? If so, then join us for a study of the world of the police detective. Discover the roles detectives play when they go undercover or gain information from an informant. Find out how detectives collect and preserve evidence for court testimony. Create a mystery for your peers to solve!

In this drama class, you will enjoy an introduction to the fantasy world created in the theater. Examine various aspects of theater production, including taking on an acting role, analyzing a scene, designing a set, and performing for others. Focus will be given to thinking on your feet, creating a stage presence and projecting a character. Those who enjoy music and dance can incorporate these talents as well. Demonstrate how theatrical you can be in front of a SIG audience!

Do you love to draw, paint and sculpt? Then this art class is right up your alley! We'll help you express yourself in pencil, ink, and watercolor, as well as through three dimensional materials. You will learn how to create perspective, light, shading, and color, along with learning to shape sculptures. Find out about positive and negative space. Discover the artist within and create original, displayable work to share with others.

If you love to be physically active through various team sports, you'll enjoy this sports smorgasbord. Dependent upon campus facilities available, engage in old favorites such as softball, touch football, basketball, volleyball, and soccer. Practice the skills of various well-known sports and field games. Then create a new sport or game that showcases your best skills and strategies and try it out with others. You will be grouped with students in your age range during activities.