Apple Camp is back for the summer!! Apple camp is a free in-person opportunity for young people to creatively practice tech skills. This year, Apple campers will explore what kindness means to them by creating an interactive storybook using an iPad. The project includes multi-media storytelling through drawing, recording sounds, adding 3D shapes, and more! Campers receive a Apple Camp T-shirt and certificate at the end.

How Many Sessions Can Campers Attend?

As many as they'd like! In fact Apple, encourages repeat visits which are offered in-person at different Apple locations. The more sessions campers attend, the more exposure they'll have to different perspectives.

Do The Project Themes Change?

New projects are introduced every year. Last year campers came up with creative ways to improve their neighborhoods.

Why Is The Camp So Short?

In 2018, Apple camp was a 3-day experience. We think over the years Apple discovered better ways to serve this newer generation.

Today, Apple camp packs a decent amount of hands-on learning in a single visit. The sessions start with Apple staff introducing themselves, the project goals, and how to use the devices and software. Then there's quite a bit of time for campers to get to work. The session ends with campers presenting what they've created.

The ultimate goal is to experiment, build, and implement amazing ideas which the campers are able to do in a very short time.

Days after the camp, our children continued to play around with the new tech skills they learned.

Why Did Apple Lower The Recommended Age For Campers?

Since 2018, Apple recommended campers be 8 to 12 years old. Starting in 2024, Apple's age recommendation dropped to 6 to 10. We do not believe the class material has changed, we just think children's tech skills are getting more advanced, especially since toddlers as young as 1 and 2 are given iPads. This means that children are able to pick up pretty advanced tech skills at earlier ages.

We brought our 6 year old, years ago not knowing the suggested age was higher. The class was simple enough for her to understand, while also introducing her to new skills. For example, she already knew how to access the camera and take pictures on her iPad, but the camp introduced her to a new video editing software as well as showed her how to take high angle, low angle, and eye-level shots. Concepts she could totally understand and happily replicate. She also has an iPad of her own, so she knew how to gently handle and be respectful of the store's device. I think the age recommendations are just guidelines to help families consider attention span and familiarity with the products and software.

The only thing we noticed was that the independent section of the camp (when campers got to work on their own projects) was a bit lengthy. At that time the camp was 2 hours instead of an hour and a half. It honestly was a bit long for our 9 year old too. They both completed their projects pretty quickly and wanted to share them with the group.

What Do The Adults Do During The Camp?

Adults are asked to remain in the store during the camp. Most browsed the store or read, played, and worked on their devices. I enjoyed watching the instructors and learning a new way to take full-advantage of my Apple devices. Plus the camper presentations at the end are pretty inspirational too!

How Do You Sign Up?

You can register online here.