Zaniac...Where STEM Learning Is Fun! (and A Giveaway)

This is a sponsored post courtesy of Zaniac and the Mom it Forward Blogger Network. All opinions expressed are my own.

Last Friday night my boys and I had the privilege (and were very excited) to be introduced to the awesomeness of Zaniac. Have you heard about this amazing place yet? Zaniac is an after school learning center for children K-8, which focuses on STEM. They currently have two locations in Utah, one in Sugar House and one in Park City.

What is STEM?

Science, Technology, Engineering, Math

Normally, if you say something like “Let’s learn about Science, Technology, Engineering or Math” to a kid they are like “BORING!” but I’m telling you, Zaniac is not your ordinary learning center! They have developed these incredible programs that grasp your child’s attention and hook them in, helping them develop an excitement for learning.

Take a look at their program line-up:

Minecraft Exploration

Computer Programing

LEGO Robotics

Chess Instruction

Touch Typing

Zane Math K-8

Edison Club

(Most of their programs run in 6-week sessions, with the exception of the Edison Club which is a monthly program. They also have Summer and Spring Break Camps that I am excited to tell you about in a minute.)

We were able to try out a couple of their different programs in mini sessions and I wanted to highlight them. There is a Giveaway at the bottom where one of you will have the opportunity to try out one of their 6-week programs.

Minecraft Exploration

Did you do a double-take when you read Minecraft up there? I did too and that’s why I was excited to learn more about Zaniac. It turns out playing Minecraft is a great way to learn more about math, science and engineering. In Zaniac’s program, children explore biomes, the scientific method and probability. They also work together in teams and learn how to strategize to create civilizations and complete group missions. One big plus about Zaniac’s programs is they have such a low ratio of teacher to students. They always have less than 5 students per Instructor. My 9-year old loves Minecraft so I wasn’t surprised to see how excited he was about this program. He gave it a big thumbs up and has already asked me when we are going back.

LEGO Robotics

My boys love LEGO’s and I knew anything LEGO and robot-related would be a hit with them. I sat in a mini course with them where they had to calculate the correct measurements and input the correct numbers to make a robot move on it’s course without running off course or into buildings. You can see right away how much math is involved. The best part was how even with the variance in age in the room, the Instructor was able to utilize each child in helping to figure out math problems and making them feel confident and important.

I loved how hands-on this program is. If you have a child who loves to tinker and work with their hands, this program would be perfect for them! At the end of the session, the kids successfully moved their robot around the course and they were ecstatic about it!

Computer Programming

I unfortunately didn’t get any pictures of this session but it was amazing! In fact, of all the programs we tried out it was my 1st graders favorite. Why? Well, lets just say that he had the time of his life playing Angry Birds all while learning computer programming skills like sequences and loops. I was really amazed at how much my son had learned just after him working with the Instructor and going through about 10 of the levels.

Since technology is literally everywhere around us, it’s such an advantage for children to learn and understand skills like Computer Programming. In the course they use Scratch, which is an educational programming language and they are able to develop their own games and videos.

Edison Club and Zane Math

We did not try out their other programs, but I want to encourage you to go to Zaniac’s Website and Facebook Page to read more about them and how they can help and enrich your child! Edison Club is a program that begins with a homework center to help children after school and then children work on a structured activity all focused around STEM. The Zane Math Program is also excellent in helping children build confidence in math. They have custom software that allows Zaniac to create a program to best fit your child’s needs.

Spring Break Camp, Summer Camp and Parents Night Out

If you are looking for ways to keep your child learning and engaged while they are on break from school, Zaniac is a perfect option! They offer Spring Break Camp (April 14-18) and Summer Camps (June-August) in all of their programs. They also have Parents Night Out events at both locations a couple times a month where you can drop your kids off for a fun, educational evening, while you and your husband or significant other go out on a date. Amazing, right?! Make sure to check out their Website and follow them on Facebook and Twitter to get updates and find out more about those events.

THE GIVEAWAY

Zaniac in Sugar House wants you to be able to try out one of their 6-week programs, so they have graciously donated a gift certificate to me for one of my readers to use on one of the following programs of your choice:

Minecraft, Lego Robotics, Chess, Touch Typing, or Computer Programming

(The Gift Certificate is for use at the Sugar House location only.)

Enter with Rafflecopter below. Good Luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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