Last minute summer camp ideas.
Make a stop-motion video, make your own emojis, or create a virtual reality tour of your neighborhood with the free activities on Verizon Innovative Learning HQ.
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Summer has two speeds: full speed and full stop. You’re either running from one thing to the next, or doing absolutely nothing. Those full stop days, or worse, a rainy day, can drag on forever—at least according to your kid.
Instead of scrolling on their phones, they could make a stop-motion animation video. Make their own emojis. Learn music production. Get the tools and inspiration to build an app that solves real-world problems.
That’s just a sampling of what they can learn with free activities designed for next-gen learning on Verizon Innovative Learning HQ. These resources could easily soften the blow for a summer camp plan that fell through, or supplement what you’ve already got going—while using an education-based lesson plan that’s fun and easy for parents to use at home, too.
And here’s the best part: There’s no waiting list. It’s free. And you can start anytime.
Verizon Innovative Learning
For over a decade, Verizon Innovative Learning has been transforming the learning experience and helping to bridge the digital divide. The online portal—Verizon Innovative Learning HQ (VIL HQ)— launched in 2021 and offers free tools for all educators regardless of technology available to them. VIL HQ includes hundreds of lesson plans for K-12, immersive learning activities and professional development to help educators learn new skills and feel confident while integrating technology into the learning experience.
Resources were developed with education partners, such as Discovery Education, NYU, and Arizona State University. So if you need an activity but don’t have a lot of time, there are quick turnkey activities parents can easily leverage, says Phil Puthumana, a program manager with Verizon’s Corporate Social Responsibility Group who oversees Verizon Innovative Learning HQ. So parents can be hands-on or hands-off.
All the apps featured in each course are vetted by Verizon Innovative Learning and its partners, Puthumana says, and offer high-quality learning experiences that can be used in K – 12 schools across the country.
Anyone can start an account: How to access online classes on the Verizon Innovative Learning website
To look for a quick turnkey activity or longer activity to suit your summer camp needs:
Visit the Verizon Innovative Learning website
Create a free, non-educator account.
Once you’ve logged in, explore the featured lesson plans.
How to find lessons:
Search for activities by subject or by the tech you want to use, such as AR, VR, smartphone, tablet or laptop.
Check the description, grade level and class length. Some activities, like Stop-Motion Animation, only take about an hour. Other classes can extend over several days.
Check the Technologies Involved for the tech required, such as a laptop, a smartphone or a VR headset. And check the Supplies Required list to make sure you can access the apps or additional supplies for the class.
Then, click through the Educator and Student guides to get a feel for whether the class is self-directed or needs a little adult supervision.
Quick start: Get started on Verizon Innovative Learning with some of the most popular classes activities on the portal right now.
Grades K – 5
Time: About one hour
Movie directors like Tim Burton to Wes Anderson are well known for their stop-motion animation films. In the first lesson, your kids will learn about the different types of stop-motion animation that use clay, found objects around the house, paper cutouts and real people posed with props. And 15 minutes into the course, your kids will already be making their first video.
Grades 3 – 12
Time: About one hour
Emojis are an integral part of modern communication, allowing a simple text to express emotion—even if we don’t speak the same language. In this program, your kids will learn the art of translating emotion into digital images and explore how a simple design can convey a feeling or message. Using an online graphics editor like Vectr, they’ll draw shapes, paste images and create their own unique emojis that capture a specific emotion.
Grades 6 – 12
Time: About one to two hours with additional courses in other instruments
Your kids will learn rhythm basics and get an introduction to drum kits and drum sequencers. They’ll also learn how to read basic drum notation and how to describe the music they create using a basic set of music terms. Through clapping, tapping and vocalizing basic rhythms, they’ll translate those rhythms using a digital drum sequencer. The curriculum is designed for the beginner, and offers additional educational benefits in history, reading, math and creative entrepreneurship.
Create your own VR tour with Google Earth
Grades 3 – 12
Time: About one hour
By using Google Earth and the Tour Creator tool, kids can be architects of their own immersive experiences. Students will learn how to create a 360-degree tour, whether it’s of their own community, a historical event, a fictional story or even biomes from another world. With Tour Creator, kids can learn to craft immersive stories and share them with others.
Digital Storytelling (Lesson 1 of 5)
Grades 6, 7, 8
Time: Each lesson is about one hour long
If there’s an aspiring writer or even game designer in your house, this hour-long class starts with the basics of immersive storytelling and uses Inklewriter, an interactive writing tool. Instead of turning a book’s pages, interactive stories let the reader choose the next question and let the story unfold in a more interactive way. One of the first things they’ll learn about is story mapping. And if your kids want to learn more, there are additional lesson plans they can explore, such as plans for writing their own interactive stories using AR and VR.
So if you’re scrambling for last-minute summer camp ideas—or just looking to get through a rainy day—check out Verizon Innovative Learning HQ. The impact goes beyond just summer. The portal has inspired students to pursue careers in STEM. It’s never too late to make this summer one they’ll never forget.
Keep them laughing and learning this summer with free classes on Verizon Innovative Learning HQ.
