Math FUNdamentals Camp

Math doesn't have to stop being fun just because it starts getting harder. Math FUNdamentals Camp is a one-week summer camp for students in grades 6–8 that answers the question every middle schooler has asked at least once: "When am I ever going to use this?" As it turns out — constantly. Students spend a week exploring probability through the games they already love, applying ratios and geometry to create real art, learning math magic tricks that make them look like wizards to their friends, and tackling real-world applications that make formulas feel like tools rather than arbitrary rules. By the end of the week, students have sharpened key middle school math skills and picked up a new appreciation for math that sticks long after camp ends.

Math Is Useful, Surprising, and Sometimes Magical — This Camp Proves It

The "summer slide" is real: research consistently shows that students lose math skills over summer break, and the losses compound year after year. Math FUNdamentals Camp is designed to beat it — not through worksheets and flashcards, but through a week of genuinely engaging math that connects middle school concepts to things students actually care about. By the end of camp, students will have reviewed and reinforced key skills while acquiring something rarer: a genuine appreciation for what math can do.

Probability: Getting Better at Your Favorite Games

What are the actual odds of drawing that card you need? How do you calculate your probability of winning from any given position? Students explore probability through the lens of games they already know and love — and discover that understanding the math makes you measurably better at playing them. This section covers theoretical and experimental probability through hands-on activities that feel less like math class and more like strategy training.

Ratios and Geometry Meet Art

Art and math have more in common than most students realize. This part of camp uses ratios and proportional reasoning to create visual art — from scaled drawings to geometric designs — where the math is doing visible, satisfying work. Students discover how proportions govern everything from portrait drawing to tile patterns to the golden ratio that appears across nature and architecture. Math you can see and touch sticks in a way that abstract numbers alone don't.

Math Magic: Tricks That Require Real Understanding

Math magic tricks look like mysticism but are pure mathematics — and learning them requires genuinely understanding the number patterns and algebraic principles behind them. Students learn a collection of tricks they can perform for friends and family, and — more importantly — understand exactly why each one works. This section is a deep dive disguised as a show: number theory, patterns, and the kind of mathematical reasoning that prepares students for algebra and beyond. The best part? They leave camp with tricks they'll actually use.