Upcoming Programs

All aboard! Get ready to step into Santa’s workshop for a high-powered holiday adventure. We are excited to invite our K–4th grade students to The Elf Engineering Lab: North Pole Express Edition!

Santa’s team needs extra help getting the North Pole Express ready for its big journey, and we’re recruiting creative thinkers to tackle fun, train-themed mechanical challenges.

• Build & Design: Construct custom track routes and train-powered mechanisms.
• Rube Goldberg Machines: Combine trains, ramps, gears, and festive materials to launch ultimate chain reactions!
• Hands-On STEM: Explore momentum, cause-and-effect, and simple machines through interactive trial and error.

Enjoy a two-hour kid-free break during the busy holiday season! Drop off your young inventor for a fun-filled STEM adventure while you finish up holiday shopping or grab a quiet coffee.

• Date: Saturday, December 5, 2026
• Time: 9-11am
• Eligibility: Students in Grades K–4
• Theme: The North Pole Express!
• Location: Challenger Learning Center of the Twin Tier Region
• Cost: $5 per child

Registration is required. Space is strictly limited to 20 participants per session to ensure hands-on instruction!

All aboard! Get ready to step into Santa’s workshop for a high-powered holiday adventure. We are excited to invite our K–4th grade students to The Elf Engineering Lab: North Pole Express Edition!

Santa’s team needs extra help getting the North Pole Express ready for its big journey, and we’re recruiting creative thinkers to tackle fun, train-themed mechanical challenges.

• Build & Design: Construct custom track routes and train-powered mechanisms.
• Rube Goldberg Machines: Combine trains, ramps, gears, and festive materials to launch ultimate chain reactions!
• Hands-On STEM: Explore momentum, cause-and-effect, and simple machines through interactive trial and error.

Enjoy a two-hour kid-free break during the busy holiday season! Drop off your young inventor for a fun-filled STEM adventure while you finish up holiday shopping or grab a quiet coffee.

• Date: Saturday, December 5, 2026
• Time: 12pm (Noon) - 2pm - LUNCH IS NOT PROVIDED!
• Eligibility: Students in Grades K–4
• Theme: The North Pole Express!
• Location: Challenger Learning Center of the Twin Tier Region
• Cost: $5 per child

Registration is required. Space is strictly limited to 20 participants per session to ensure hands-on instruction!

 Get ready to launch into a space engineering adventure! We are excited to invite our K–4th grade students to The Mars Rover Engineering Lab: Zometool Edition! 

 NASA’s team needs extra help getting the next Mars Rover ready for its big journey, and we’re recruiting creative thinkers to tackle fun, space-themed mechanical and structural challenges. 

• Build & Design: Construct a large-scale Zometool Mars Rover through hands-on teamwork.
• Space Engineering: Combine frames, connectors, and wheels to create a rover built to navigate Martian terrain!
• Hands-On STEM: Explore structural stability, cause-and-effect, and simple machines through interactive trial and error.

 Enjoy a four-hour break! Drop off your young inventor for a fun-filled STEM adventure while you catch up on errands or enjoy a quiet coffee. 

• Date:  Saturday, January 16, 2027 
• Time:  12:30 PM – 4:30 PM 
• Eligibility: Students in Grades K–4
• Location: Challenger Learning Center of the Twin Tier Region
• Cost: $10 per child; (sibling discount available upon request)

Registration is required. Space is strictly limited to 20 participants to ensure hands-on instruction!

• Dates: Monday, February 15 – Friday, February 19, 2027
• Time: 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM (Drop-off window: 8:50 AM – 9:00 AM)
• Location: Challenger Learning Center of the Twin Tier Region (182 East Union Street, Suite 2, Allegany, NY)
• Target Audience: Open to students in Grades K–3
• Cost: $50 per child per day (multi-day discount code available upon request)

Event Overview: Ignite your child’s curiosity during winter break! The MELTS Winter Break Camp blends hands-on science, engineering, story literacy, and creative problem-solving into an exciting daily discovery experience. Enjoy total flexibility by enrolling for individual days, select themes, or the full 5-day week.

Daily Theme Lineup:

• Mon, Feb 15 (Mad Scientist): Chemistry reactions, lab potions, and slime science.
• Tue, Feb 16 (Extreme Elements): Snow/ice physics, 3D pen snowflakes, and liquid snow globes.
• Wed, Feb 17 (Land Before Time): Dinosaur paleontology dig kits and prehistoric Earth history.
• Thu, Feb 18 (Trip to the Stars): Constellation viewers, star life cycles, and deep space exploration.
• Fri, Feb 19 (Seuss Mania): Dr. Seuss engineering challenges, Cat in the Hat towers, and Oobleck fluid dynamics.

Registration is required. Space is strictly limited to 25 participants to ensure hands-on instruction!