UWF Explore Camps celebrates 20 years of summer programs

The University of West Florida is celebrating 20 years of its Explore Camps, K-12 summer programs that provide an opportunity for youth to explore their creativity, challenge their minds and build new friendships. Registration for 2026 summer camps begins March 4.

Offering quality summer programs to the University and surrounding community since 2006, Explore Camps have since expanded to offer more than 50 unique programs each year, partnering with University academic departments and local educators to offer a variety of science, technology, engineering, math, art, musical theater, history, archaeology and other types of academic enrichment opportunities.

"Twenty years of Explore Camps isn't about numbers. It's about the moments that stay with you," said Valerie Taylor, associate director of community programs for the Division of Continuing Education. "It's the camper who experiences that spark of discovery, the staff who make each day meaningful and the families who return year after year because they believe in what we do. We are proud and deeply grateful to have been part of this community for the past 20 years. We look forward to continuing to create meaningful experiences that inspire curiosity, confidence and connection in kids."

Explore Camps facilitate innovative, interactive and transformative learning experiences for area youth. The goal is to equip students with the skills needed to thrive in the rapidly advancing world around them while inspiring a lifelong love of learning.

Some of this year's camps include:

• Exploring Arts and Food with the Pensacola Museum of Art: Incoming first- and second-grade artists will explore creativity through food-inspired art. Students will draw and paint their favorite foods, experiment with using food items in their artwork and discover artists who find creative inspiration in what we eat, building creativity, confidence and fine motor skills along the way.
• Code Crushers: Incoming third- and fourth-graders will explore visual coding by creating screensavers, animations, games, music and more, learning concepts of coding through physical games and movement.
• National Parks Road Trip: Incoming fifth- and sixth-graders will discover the natural wonders of some of America's favorite national parks, including Yellowstone, Mammoth Cave, Grand Canyon and Everglades. Students will make their own stalactites, create art inspired by unique landscapes and answer the question: who would win, an alligator or a crocodile?
• Robolab: Innovators in Motion: Incoming seventh- through tenth-graders will work in small teams to construct, program and drive their own robot with guidance from experienced faculty and staff from the Dr. Muhammad Harunur Rashid Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. After the robot is built, they'll put it to the test in an action-packed tournament.

To view the full UWF Explore Camps summer schedule, learn more and register, visit uwf.edu/explorecamps.