Synapse School will be offering imaginative, accelerated, integrated, and hands-on academic summer enrichment courses in the Bay Area.  These courses are designed for children 4-12 years old.

 Synapse School has combined our registration system with Wizbots. Please register Here.

Summer Program 2011-12 Course Offerings

Young Explorers    Grades (Pre K & K)
Let’s play school! This course offers children ages four and five with an introductory experience to Constructivist Learning. Students will engage in guided hands-on activities in language arts, math, science, and social studies with simple to increasingly complex tasks. They culminate with a creatively designed academic project. They will explore the elements of creative expression as they discover new and enjoyable ways of constructing knowledge in all four subjects. Students will also learn to practice skills in self-awareness, navigating emotions, communications, and collaboration.

Galileo’s Inventions     Grades (2,3,4,5,6,7,8)

Galileo’s discoveries marked a counterpoint in the world’s understanding of the structure of the universe.

Learn the different views about the earth and the sun and how the scientific method and technology affect what we know about our physical world. Through hands-on activities, students will discover the ways scientists measure the speed of light, gravity, scale and distances of planets, the moon, the sun, and all the other stars in our universe. If aliens exist in other universes, what would they know about life on earth? Students will also learn about current issues and discoveries of the universe, including the Big Bang Theory, Dark Energy, and the possible existence of other universes.

Leonardo da Vinci’s Inventions     Grades (2,3,4,5,6,7,8)
Leonardo da Vinci’s works represent the intersection of science and art! Discover and test how Leonardo da Vinci’s theories and inventions work. Learn about Leonardo da Vinci’s principles in art and science through hands-on engineering, applied math, and art activities. Explore scientific thinking through art and sensory perceptions and learn art through engagement in scientific discoveries and experimentations. Create inventions and, through an experiential process, discover different types of perspectives, engineering structures and mechanisms, as well as experimentations with hydraulics, and bridges.

Thomas Edison’s Inventions     Grades (2,3,4,5,6,7,8)

Edison’s professional career represents the turning point from the lab inventor to lab entrepreneur! Inspired by Edison’s life and works, students will build-to-learn simulations of Edison’s inventions. There will be two parts in the curriculum—BUILD (simulating Edison inventions) and DESIGN (integrating design-thinking), where students will create inventions relevant to the 21^st century. Students will learn to observe, document, and analyze their hands-on experiences and connect these with applied mechanical engineering concepts and processes, the Edison process of experimentation and invention, and how failure builds new knowledge.

Constructivist Math      Grades (6,7,8)

Experience the art of mathematics through the Constructivist method as you explore fractals, networks, number theory and more. Have you ever been to a math classroom where students are engaged and talking with one another, where teachers allow students to question and think about the mathematics and mathematical relationships? Learn different strategies to solve problems, apply mathematics to real-world situations, and expand on what students already know. More importantly, make sense of math!

Visual and Tactile Math     Grades(2,3,4,5)

Number Play! Learn to make reasonable estimates and see numbers as useful. Learn to reason your way using mathematical expressions and form solutions. Deepen one’s number sense and see numbers as tools and not as obstacles. Through hands-on activities, students will explore numbers through games and fun investigations, providing practice with operations. Students with good number sense build good numerical intuition.

Experiential Math     Grades (1,2,3)

Math and Stories! Children enjoy listening and telling stories. Students will explore mathematical thinking through stories that incorporate logical thinking, number sense, and more. They will learn to see patterns, build things, and count with shapes and they will connect fairy tales and everyday stories with counting and computing. The young learners will measure with their hands, feet, strings, and rulers. Solve problems faced by story characters. Children’s stories spark a child’s imagination. If your child loves to listen and tell stories, s/he will love to learn math in this way.

Literary Expeditions     Grades (2,3,4,5)
Make the book come alive! Write and publish your own fantasy story. Inspired by Joseph Campbell’s writings, students will explore the elements of mythology through an experiential and integrated arts approach to learning. They will read and share about myths and fantasy stories. Socially-oriented activities will enrich the appreciation of fiction through creative approaches to reading, conversations, and writing. Imaginative fiction will be explored as metaphors that connect to everyday experiences. Students will interpret literary experiences and form personal insights about life and living in the 21st century. The program culminates with original stories written and designed by the participants.

Explore and Create Music     Grades (1,2,3)

The program provides a fun, activity-oriented, and nurturing environment in which children explore, listen, move, imitate, sing, imagine, and create through the exploration of rhyme, song, stories and body movement. At the end of the workshop, students will be performing music and movement pieces. The program offers activities that enhance children’s innate creative talents, while building emotional intelligence and communication skills.

Travel Through Time     Grades (2,3,4,5)
Students will explore language, science, math, and social studies as these content areas evolved through time. Participants will experience what it means to have lived in different periods of history: tribal, farming, industrial, and information eras. Through hands-on and project-based activities, students will learn about how civilization grew through the years. At the end of the course, students will produce projects that reflect the lives, works, and achievements in the four eras of civilization.

Creative Sewing     Grades(1,2,3)

Don’t worry if you’ve never held a needle and thread before! In this course students will learn about different stitches and how to create patterns. Sewing projects will include items that children can hug and sleep with including pillows, stuffed animals, blankets, and items that they can use every day, such as a wallet, a drawstring pouch, and a tote. The program is personalized, designed to meet the abilities of each child. Sewing activities help children develop fine motor, construction, planning, and creative skills.

Keyboarding Virtuoso     Grades(2,3,4,5)

 Want to improve your child’s typing skills? We teach touch-typing to kids using a combination of modern, interactive games and traditional instruction. Based on skill level, students will be provided with an individualized plan for the week.  They will learn mnemonic tricks, sing QWERTY songs, and practice proper ergonomics through team-games, drills, and one-on-one coaching.  There will be incentive prizes and more! 

Fine Arts     Grades (K,1,2,3,4,5)

Taught by the Marvegos Fine Art School

 Level A - Art Exploration      Grades (K,1,2)

Learn all terminology used in fine art making; a variety of processes from sculpting and mixed media to drawing, watercolor, and printmaking; forming one’s aesthetics; developing problem-solving skills and self-confidence are all part of the Marvegos Art Exploration program. All that knowledge and fun too!

 Level B - Fine Art Fundamentals     Grades (2,3,4,5)

Developing one’s own style, while learning about form and composition, is at the heart of this Marvegos program. Each session focuses on two media, thus developing students’ deeper understanding of particular style and tools. Marvegos projects are structured to engage creativity and problem-solving skills.

Chess     Grades (2,3,4,5)

At the beginning of every hour, Students will have two 15-20 minute lessons. Each day, students will have an internal tournament and at the end of each day, a review of strategies will be conducted which where students will share about their experiences in the games they played. 

 Beginners’ Class     Grades (2,3,4,5)

Students will learn chess fundamentals. No experience necessary.

 Intermediate Class     Grades (2,3,4,5)

Students will learn advanced strategies and engage in more sophisticated chess skills and notation. Students should have a practical understanding of how to play chess.

 Synapse School has combined our registration system with Wizbots. Please register Here.

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