Looking to add some science and tech fun to your summer? Check out these activities and events!
National Programs and Events
NASA International Space Apps Challenge
The NASA International Space Apps Challenge is the largest annual global hackathon. This two-day event, which will take place on October 4-5, fosters innovation through international collaboration by providing participants with an opportunity to utilize NASA’s free and open data and its Space Agency Partners’ space-based data to address real-world problems on Earth and in space. The Challenge offers opportunities for anyone interested in Earth and space science, no matter your age, skill level, or professional background. This is a team-based, free activity! Registration opens July 17. Learn how you can participate.
GirlCon 2025 Conferences
Join GirlCon’s free virtual tech conference for high school students on June 26-27. This annual event offers breakout sessions, professional development workshops, and keynote presentations from speakers across various companies and industries. Attendees can learn new skills and network with professionals in tech. Get tickets. GirlCon Chicago will host a free in-person tech conference at the University of Illinois, Chicago on Saturday, June 28. Get tickets.
Congressional App Challenge
The annual Congressional App Challenge (CAC) is live! Every year, members of Congress across the country challenge students in their districts to create and submit original apps for a chance to win the CAC. The winners of the challenge are publicly recognized. To be eligible to participate in the Congressional App Challenge, you must be a middle or high school student at the time of app submission. Students may register individually or as part of a team of up to four. Students may compete in the district where they reside or in the district where they attend school. Students can register and submit their original apps through October 30, 2025. Register now.
GSK’s Science in the Summer Program
This year’s theme is “Be a Health Scientist.” Supported by GSK and offered in collaboration with The Franklin Institute, Science in the Summer is a free educational program designed to inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers. It provides children entering grades 2-6 with opportunities to explore science careers, think scientifically, practice authentic scientific techniques, and have fun. Visit the website to find programs in the Philadelphia area and programs nationwide.
Invent the Summer: Weekly Engineering Challenges
Every Wednesday, starting June 25, the non-profit Invent the Summer will release a free weekly engineering challenge and a chance to win prizes throughout the summer for kids 12 years old and younger. You have until Sunday to complete the challenge. Start by brainstorming a few solutions. Now design, experiment, and build. Learn more and join the mailing list.
Season 2 of Work It Out Wombats! premieres in June!
Starting June 9th, season 2 of Work It Out Wombats! will launch with five brand-new episodes featuring Malik, Zeke, and Zadie and other beloved characters from the Treeborhood. In the new episodes, computational thinking skills will be key in helping to overcome challenges, such as how to muffle the scary sound of thunder, what to do when you leave your favorite stuffie behind on a train, and how to put on an amazing circus act – underwater!. Episodes will be available on PBS KIDS, PBS KIDS 24/7 channel, and the PBS KIDS Video App.
Featured Programs in Massachusetts
The Pathway Initiative Academy: Science and Engineering Program
The Pathway Initiative’s Middle School STEM Enrichment Academy in downtown Boston is open for summer and school-year enrollment. Students in grades 6-8 get hands-on prep for careers in biotech, medicine, and engineering. Learn more and register now.
Guild Hall STEM Studios: Free Trial Pass
Guild Hall Learning is a creative STEM hub with studios in Woburn and Cambridge, serving curious minds ages 8–18. Through studio memberships, camps, and hands-on programs, kids and teens dive into robotics, coding, 3D printing, drone racing, robot battles, and real-world engineering challenges. Led by expert instructors in a fun, supportive environment, their programs spark creativity, build technical skills, and empower the next generation of makers, inventors, and innovators. Each Saturday, you can explore the makerspace for free and experience a Guild Hall Learning packed with hands-on fun! Sign up for a free visit!
EcoTarium Museum
Looking for a fun summer activity? The EcoTarium in Worcester is a museum of science and nature featuring interactive exhibits, live animal habitats, exciting shows in the digital planetarium, daily Science Discovery programs, hikes through forest and meadow nature trails, outdoor imaginative play, and a train ride around the 45+ acre campus.
Calendar of Massachusetts Events
June 1: Einstein’s Workshop in Burlington is hosting a Summer Camp Open House from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. Come learn about fun and engaging STEAM summer camps for kids entering kindergarten through 9th grade. RSVP now.
June 2: Attend “Growth in the Universe,” a Multiverse Concert Series in collaboration with Harvard College Observatory at the Harvard Science Center. Join an astrophysicist, a biologist, and live electro-symphonic musicians to explore the nature of growth in our universe through science and sound. Admission for this event is free; however, tickets are limited. Get tickets now!
June 7-8: Einstein’s Workshop in Burlington is hosting free Drop-Ins at its center! From 10 AM to 6 PM, you can play with its STEAM-themed toys and games for free. Summer camp starts soon! Have questions? Come visit this weekend and learn about their programs while your kids play.
June 13: The Christa McAuliffe Center in Framingham, in collaboration with the National Air and Space Museum and Smithsonian Affiliations, is hosting Sally’s Night Celebration, marking the 42nd anniversary of Sally Ride’s historic STS-7 mission and becoming the first American woman in space. This free event includes hands-on activities led by NASA Solar System Ambassadors and The Space Consortium, nostalgic 1980s trivia and puzzles, a photo booth, official NASA giveaways, and a Planetarium Film: Big Astronomy.
June 20: Don’t miss out on this popular event for all ages! Join the Harvard Museums of Science & Culture on the longest day of the year at Summer Solstice 2025—free of charge—to explore the galleries and new exhibitions at the Harvard Museum of Natural History, the Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology, the Collection of Historical Scientific Instruments, and the Harvard Museum of the Ancient Near East. Step outdoors to enjoy live music and performers, play lawn games, and make a flower crown. Ice cream, beverages, and snacks will be available for purchase from food trucks.
July 11: The Discovery Museum in Acton is hosting the Nature Play Festival from 11am-7pm, a free event for all! Visitors can explore and learn outdoors throughout the campus and inside, with immersive nature-based activities including Invasive Plant Papermaking, Mud Kitchen, Bug Hunts, Log and Rock Flipping, and more. Hands-on activities will be offered in the giant, wheels-accessible treehouse and Discovery Woods nature playscape, and visitors can take a guided Nature Walk on the Great Hill Conservation Land that abuts the campus.
